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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.
Lynda
This is a wonderful looking corn chowder Barbara! I love the addition of bacon, potatoes and the cayenne pepper. I had not heard of boiling the cobs, so thanks for the tip.
I love the look of your new site!
Tracy
This reminds me that I have several ears of sweet corn in the fridge that I still haven’t used…guess I’ll just need to make this! 🙂
Laura
Yum! Looks awesome! Especially for a weekend lunch in the fall! 😀
Tiffany~ Food Finery
Yum! This looks so delicious and ready for fall!
Carolina
Hi, Barbara! I am catching up on blogs today. It has been so long, but I see you are still making a lot of good stuff and it all still looks lovely. Your site is wonderful! Would love to make this chowder soon!!!
Robin
Great shots. Wonderful meal that won’t break anyone’s budget either 🙂
Maria
Your photos are stunning! I love the soup bowls too! Thumbs up:)
Megan
I love your little soup bowls. And the chowder looks excelent!
YES, bacon makes everything better!
Gera @ Sweets Foods Blog
Lovely corn chowder and the addition of bacon is always so delicious 🙂
Have a great week!
Gera
marla {family fresh cooking}
Everything is better with bacon, of course! Your corn chowder looks amazing…perfect for the chilly weather we have been having in SoCal.
Mags
Great corn chowder recipe. I’d read or heard that somewhere before that boiling the cobs gave the chowder more flavor and I think I’m going to try that!
Blond Duck
You can never go wrong with corn chowder!
Double Dipped Life
This looks amazing, especially with potatoes and bacon added. Thanks for the recipe- it’s going in my “Make soon!” folder!
elra
Oh, how delicious. I like corn chowder, yet never made my own. I should put an effort of making it one day.
Barbara
I adore corn chowder!! What a marvelous recipe, Barbara. Love that bacon is involved; that will draw in the men of my family.
Nutmeg Nanny
This looks amazing! I love how rich and creamy it looks…yum!
shaz
I totally agree that everything tastes better with bacon! I love corn in any form and this chowder sounds and looks perfect for our not-quite-warm enough nights too 🙂
Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food
What an excellent recipe! I’m hanging onto the end of the Silver Queen corn season for all it’s worth and this would be a perfect way to use them. And thanks so much for sharing Mark Bittman’s brilliantly obvious tip of boiling the scraped corncobs for broth – wow – which I’ll definitely adopt.
April
I can honestly say that I have never had corn chowder, but I am thinking it is going to have to change! This looks delish!!! And I agree, anything is better with bacon!
Cajun Chef Ryan
Corn chowder with bacon is always a treat, you make it look so good too in that crock.
Bon appetit!
=:~)