Improved Summer Corn Chowder

We’ve had lots of corn in our veggie box from our Fulton Farms Community Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) box. They have some of the best corn around but I was looking for something different than grilled corn-on-the-cob. Plus I need something that I could serve to 10 dinner guests.

I found a recipe for Summer Corn Chowder with Scallions, Bacon & Potatoes on Fine Cooking that looked good but the reviews were mixed. The changes I made were a hit with my dinner guests.

The original recipe calls for jalapeno peppers which I’m not a big fan of…they really don’t seem to add all that much flavor or heat. So I substituted chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. John isn’t a fan of scallions so I substituted shallots.

When making this for your vegetarian friends, I cook that bacon separately so that I can select to add it to individual dishes.

The final change I made was to not add salt while the dish was cooking. Instead, I added salt flakes to each dish just before serving.

Serves six as a first course.Yields about 5-1/2 cups.

5 ears fresh corn
5 shallots, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (don’t be afraid to use more if you want)
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce (more if you like)
Freshly ground black pepper
3-1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 large Yukon Gold potato (8 to 9 oz.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1-1/2 cups)
1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbs. heavy cream
Salt Flakes

Husk the corn and cut off the kernels. Reserve two of the corn cobs and discard the others. Trim and thinly slice the scallions, keeping the dark-green parts separate from the white and light-green parts.

Cook the bacon in a 3- or 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off and discard all but about 1 Tbs. of the bacon fat. Return the pan to medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and the chipotle, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the shllots are very soft, about 3 min.

Add the broth, corn, corn cobs, potatoes, and thyme and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are completely tender, about 15 min. Discard the corn cobs.

Transfer 1 cup of the broth and vegetables to a blender and puree. Return the puree to the pot and stir in the cream and all but 1/3 cup of the scallion greens. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes to wilt the scallions and blend the flavors. Serve sprinkled with the bacon and salt flakes.