Bacon

Corn Chowder

September 12, 2012
4
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 3-4
Author Notes

Lightly adapted from Jasper White's 50 Chowders —Nicholas Day

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Ingredients
  • 4 ears fresh corn
  • 4 ounces bacon, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 pound potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 cups chicken stock (or a rich vegetable stock)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Directions
  1. Husk the corn and cut the kernels from the cob. Place in a bowl. Scrape the cobs with the back of your knife to "milk" them into the bowl.
  2. In a large pot over low-to-medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp and golden. Pour off all but a tablespoon of bacon fat; leave the bacon in the pot.
  3. Add the butter, onion, red pepper, thyme, and turmeric. Saute for about ten minutes, until the onion and peppers are glossy and well-cooked but not brown. Then add the corn kernels with their "milk," potatoes, and stock. Turn up the heat and cover, boiling for about 10 minutes. The potatoes should be softening; use a wooden spoon to crush some against the side of the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the pot, stirring well. When the chowder comes to a boil and begins to thicken, turn off the heat and add the cream. If you have time, let the chowder sit at room temperature for an hour before serving. (If you're refrigerating it, wait until it cools completely.) When reheating, be cautious; don't let the chowder boil.

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I'm the author of a book on the science and history of infancy, Baby Meets World. My website is nicholasday.net; I tweet over at @nicksday. And if you need any good playdoh recipes, just ask.

4 Reviews

Tina H. October 9, 2014
Just made this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Jennifer September 2, 2014
I made this exactly as written with super sweet corn and it's absolutely wonderful! Thank you!
Cassie August 18, 2014
you can make a wonderful stock by roasting the stripped cobs in a 400 oven for 15 - 20 minutes then add them to a pot with water to cover simmer 1 hour or less .Use that in place in place of the chicken broth I promise it will be better !
carol S. January 6, 2013
since i don't use bacon, i am guessing that caramelizing the onions would provide the color, and a bit of the depth that the bacon provides,...right?