This is a great recipe. I made it vegetarian by omitting the bacon. At the end I garnished with chives and crunchy fake bacon crumbles made from Morning Star Farms Strips. Oh, and I added 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke. So summer fresh and delicious!
Corn Chowder
This summer chowder is thickened not with flour but by puréeing a little of the soup, which is then stirred back in.
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Credit: Todd Coleman
8 ears fresh corn, shucked
8 strips bacon, chopped
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
6 cups milk
3 medium new potatoes (about 1 1⁄2 lbs.),
peeled and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish
1. Working over a large bowl, slice the corn kernels off the cob, scraping the cob with the knife to extract the flavorful juices. Halve 5 of the bare corn cobs crosswise, discarding the rest. Set corn and cobs aside.
2. Heat the bacon in a 6-qt. pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 12 minutes. Reserve 3 tbsp. bacon for garnish, leaving the remaining bacon in the pot. Add butter, thyme, garlic, celery, onions, and bay leaf. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add the reserved corn kernels and cobs, milk, and potatoes. Cover, bring chowder to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Skim any foam from the surface of the soup.
3. Discard the cobs and bay leaf; transfer 1 1⁄2 cups of the soup to a blender, and purée. Stir purée into the chowder to thicken it. Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with reserved bacon and basil.
SERVES 8
Ratings & Reviews (6)
Easy to prepare. Elegant taste. Nice appearance. A definite keeper!
In an issue devoted to hamburgers, what caught my eye were the cod cakes and corn chowder in the modest article about Cape Breton. Today I made both, and they were equally delicious. My basil is a bit past its prime, so I used parsley as a garnish instead. Good, but I'll bet the basil would have been better.
this is an amazing recipe. its rich and the basil adds an amazing and surprising flavor combination. i could eat this all day!
This beautiful, silky soup has become a favorite meal in our house. The original recipe calls for fresh corn, and there is no equivalent substitute for its bright and sweet flavor. But we crave this in the winter, so we use frozen corn and enhance the broth with a little chicken bouillon. I haven't made the cod cakes that accompany this recipe, but I have a Chinook salmon in my freezer, and I plan to make salmon cakes to go with this chowder next time. This would go well with any seafood cake, I think.
So easy, and so very very satisfying. Absolutely delicious!
Corn Chowder
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