Corn Chowder

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 ears fresh corn or 3 ears bicolor corn
• 4 ounces bacon, cut into 1/3 inch dice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 lb yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Recipe

• 1 husk the corn.
• 2 carefully remove most of the silk by hand and then rub the ears with a towel to finish the job.
• 3 cut the kernels from the cobs and place in a bowl.
• 4 you should have about 2 cups.
• 5 using the back of your knife, scrape down the cobs and add the milky substance that oozes out to the corn kernels.
• 6 heat a 3-to 4-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced bacon.
• 7 once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown.
• 8 pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
• 9 add the butter, onion, bell pepper, thyme, cumin, and turmeric and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes, until the onion and pepper are tender but not browned.
• 10 add the corn kernels, potatoes and stock, turn up the heat, cover, and boil vigorously for about 10 minutes.
• 11 some of the potatoes will have broken up, but most should retain their shape.
• 12 use the back of your spoon to smash a bit of the corn and potatoes against the side of the pot.
• 13 reduce the heat to medium and season the chowder with salt and pepper.
• 14 stir the cornstarch mixture and slowly pour it into the pot, stirring constantly.
• 15 as soon as the chowder has come back to a boil and thickened slightly, remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
• 16 adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• 17 if you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely.
• 18 otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
• 19 when ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don't let it boil.
• 20 ladle into cups or bowls and sprinkle with the chopped chives.