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I watched Mark Bittman prepare this corn chowder on the Today Show one morning and with all the fabulous corn at the farmer’s market right now, I couldn’t wait to try it.
One unique step that he does that adds tons of flavor to the broth, is boil the corn cobs in the water. My corn was very sweet, so I added some cheyenne pepper to balance out the sweetness of the corn.
I also wanted to make it more filling, so I added some diced potatoes and bacon. I generally have Hormel precooked bacon slices from Costco in my freezer and that makes it easy to add bacon to soups, sandwiches, eggs, burgers … doesn’t almost everything taste better with bacon.
This is a perfect soup for the end of summer and our cooler nights. I use 1% milk and it still had a rich, creamy texture that you expect from a chowder. Enjoy!
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Fresh Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 ears fresh corn
- 1 medium potato diced
- 4 slices bacon cooked and diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 /2 cup chopped onion
- 1 /8 teaspoon ground red pepper cayenne
- 1 /4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk or half-and-half
Instructions
- Shuck the corn. Stand each ear up in a bowl and use a knife to scrape off the kernels.
- Put the corncobs and 2 cups water in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the water bubbles gently, cover, and cook, checking occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Leave the cobs in the pot until you are ready to make the soup, then discard them and save the corncob broth.
- Put the butter or oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour.
- Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon, until the mixture starts to turn golden and the flour no longer smells raw, just a couple of minutes. Add the milk and the reserved corncob broth and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir or whisk constantly until the flour is dissolved and the soup starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cayenne pepper, corn kernels, diced potatoes and bacon and bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that the soup bubbles gently.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato is tender and the soup has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.
Jamie
Barbara, this is a fantastic recipe and I think your adding potatoes and bacon is perfect! It makes it a meal!
Valentina
I so agree about the bacon. It’s like a little black dress. Chowders are so delicious. My fridge is full of corn, well full if you think of a one occupier household.
tasteofbeirut
This corn chowder sounds delicious! I love the fresh corn and bacon used.
lisaiscooking
The sweet corn with a little cayenne kick sounds so great! Now, I really want to get my hands on more fresh corn.
cindy harris
I love corn chowder–this looks so good. Thanks for a great recipe.
Megan
I have been really looking forward to more soups and chowders coming up in our house for Fall. This sounds absolutely delightful! I like the additions you made, they sound delicious. 🙂
stephanie
that looks comforting i wonder if you can use fat free half and half?
Barbara
I think fat free half and half would work great. I’ve started using it a little bit myself. In fact I used it last night on some raspberries for dessert and I wondered how they get it thick without having any cream?
Amanda
Mmmm I love corn chowder! So yummy!
teresa
yummy! it’s so pretty and looks like such a clean adn healthy chowder.
BethieofVA
Oh yum!! Gotta put this on my to do list.
Sasha
This soup looks amazing. Especially with the bacon on top. This is a great fall soup recipe.
Sue
Sounds delicious Barbara!
Donna
Don’t you just love fresh corn season? Me, too!
Anna Johnston
Nice. I like the way you’ve created a bit of a corn stock which must give this nice little recipe some depth of flavour. The potatoes and bacon would just be yummy I agree. Really tops it off. Nice one Barbara 🙂
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
Hehe it’s so true mum! everything does taste better with bacon! This looks delicious, if I see corn chowder on a menu, I order it! 😀
JG
Oh, yummy! With the abundance of our local corn this will taste so good. A few months ago I purchased the Hormel precooked Bacon slices. Nice to know the bacon also tastes good after freezing, as I did not try doing that. Thanks, again!
~Judy
Mrs. L
This sounds like a fantastic way to use up some of the good corn I’m finding at local farmers markets, thanks! And yes…bacon 🙂
Kim at Rustic Garden Bistro
Hey Barbara,
As I write this, I’m eating some leftover chicken chowder I made earlier this week. In my humble opinion, it gets better when it’s been in the fridge for a few days! Yours looks delicious. Have a great weekend!
[K]
P.S. Agreed, it’s all better with bacon. 🙂
Barbara | VinoLuciStyle
Oh yum…I saw this same presentation but didn’t get the recipe and I like your additions anyhow. Why do I do this to myself in the middle of the day when I’m lucky to find a piece of cheese and a cracker for lunch?
Jennifer (Savor)
I love Mark Bittman and I love Corn Chowder. Thanks for sharing and the tip on the cayenne.
barbara-what do you use for a camera and lens?
Barbara
Hi Jennifer – I recently bought a Canon Rebel T1i with a 50mm 1.8 lens. I’ve been loving it, but so much to learn. Thanks for asking!