Week 1 Finalists: Your Best Chowder

Recipe 1: Summer Corn Chowder by Nancy Jo

This is an earthy, moody corn chowder that alternates between sweet and hot. We were intrigued by the technique of cooking the vegetables in their own juices before adding milk and cream, which seems to intensify all the flavors.

Recipe 2: Chicken Soupy Stew by Veronica

Tasting this chowder, we were reminded how combining lemon and cream somehow makes the cream seem creamier, and the lemon more fragrant. With the dill, the broth is surprisingly delicate and is a lovely counterpoint to the large, rustic chunks of sweet carrot, chicken and potato.

 

And off we go, with Summer Corn Chowder!

 

Although it's early in the season, the corn we found at the market was surprisingly sweet and tender.

 

 

The corn kernels look like little nuggets of gold.

 

 

Amanda's neat trick for chopping scorching hot peppers: plastic wrap mittens!

 

We followed Nancy's advice and blistered the poblano -- it paid off in spades.

 

Bacon: Nature's candy.

 

 

You don't need to add any liquid, as the veggies supply enough of their own juices. In just a few minutes, this becomes...

 

...this!

 

Amanda takes her cream seriously.

 

A bit of pepper finishes the chowder off.

 

And we're ready to eat!

 

 

Now onto the Chicken Soupy Stew...

 

An ingredient collage.

 

 

Little celery and carrot diamonds!

 

 

A puddle of melted butter starts it off. Need we say more?

 

 

 

Amanda cheerfully rips apart a chicken carcass.

 

 

This chowder starts off as what is essentially a rustic vegetable soup.

 

But then suddenly, it all gets very decadent. (Yep, that's cream AND creme fraiche.)

 

Dill and lemon zest play a crucial role in this recipe. We found ourselves with extra of both, so after tasting we chucked it into the leftover chowder.

 

In goes the fowl.

 

And Chowder #2 is ready to be devoured.