Corn Chowder
Is it a Chowder or a Soup? What’s the difference? Well, I certainly play pretty fast and lose with traditional rules, but for me chowders have cream. Chowders have potatoes. Chowders are chunky. That’s about it. I say put any ingredients in that you want, as long as they taste good to you. For this recipe, I’m going to show you how to make a Corn Chowder that'll meet all the rules I’ve set forth above…most certainly the one about tasting great. I’ll show you in the recipe video, how to make the chowder step by step, and you’ll see how easy it is. You’ll also see that I like my chowder fairly thin, and I know that some will want it a thicker, “stick to the spoon" consistency, which is fine. Just add a bit of flour to the vegetables to form a roux, before adding the stock and you’ll be good to go. Hope you enjoy this soup...I mean chowder... as much as I do!!
Recipe Overview and Keys to Success
To make the best Corn Chowder you can, just pay attention to the following:
- Seasoning early is very important in soup making. Of course, you need to make some final adjustments at the end, but you really need to add salt and pepper as you go to make sure the soup is seasoned correctly, and all the individual pieces fit together right.
- You don't need to cook this soup very long. The potatoes and carrots, which will take the longest will be done in about 25 minutes. The corn about half that time.
- If you have a strong desire for a thicker soup, add about two tablespoon of flour to the vegetables, and cook them together for 7 – 10 minutes before adding the stock – this will essentially create a roux, and thicken the soup
RECIPE FOR CORN CHOWDER
Ingredients for Corn Chowder (6 – 8 servings)
- 1 large diced carrot
- 1 large diced onion
- 2 diced celery ribs
- 3 ears of corn, cut off the cob
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- Teaspoon of thyme
- 1 slice of thick cut bacon, diced
- 2 cups cream
- 2 quarts of good chicken stock
Making the Soup
- Add the diced bacon to a soup pot over medium heat, with just a touch of olive oil
- Saute the bacon until it become crisp and while it cooks prep the vegetables
- Dice the carrot, onion and celery into quarter inch dice
- Once the bacon is crisp, add the carrots, onion, and celery (together a mirepoix) along with the garlic, and season with salt and pepper
- Stir the vegetables every few minutes until the onions have become translucent – about 7 – 10 minutes (add flour at this point for a thicker chowder)
- Add the thyme, and the corn, season with a bit more salt and pepper, and stir to combine
- Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, then add the chicken stock, and bring the pot up to a simmer
- Allow the chowder to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots have become just tender
- Add the cream and stir it in
- Taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning if needed
Serve the chowder steaming hot along with some crusty bread. A little garnish of parsley or even cilantro is very nice. Hope you enjoy it!
Wine Recommendation: Soup and wine can be a tough match. In this case I think just about any red is going to have too much tannin and will over power the soup. I think Champaign would be nice…but how often do you open a bottle of bubbly. I think I’d go for a New Zealand Sauvignon blanc, which should have good acid, and nice grassy notes that should reflect well off the corn.
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