Photo by Heidi Harris
Guaranteed to please, this creamy corn chowder is just right for a casual gathering of family and friends or easily elevated for more formal occasions.
Corn chowder is delicious served plain, but additions of Italian sausage, crab meat, or shrimp make it a meal all on its own. I have served this as a soup course as well as the main dish served with a chunk of toasted baguette and butter. I use chicken stock in mine, but you can create a vegetarian version by eliminating the bacon and substituting the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
Serves 12-15
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 7 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, small dice
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- ¼ cup flour
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 large russet potatoes, cut into ½″ cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 6 ears of corn
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 cups of shredded white cheddar cheese
- Fresh dill for garnish
Directions
1 | Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan and keep it warm.
2 | Grill the ears of corn over an open flame until they are lightly grilled all around (you don’t want a lot of charring). Slice the corn from the cob and set it aside in a bowl. Reserve the corn cobs.
3 | In an 8-10 quart stockpot, fry the bacon until crispy, then remove and reserve. With the remaining grease in the pot, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.
4 | Add the curry and the red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add the butter, and once melted, add the flour, whisking until combined—making a roux. Cook for 1 minute, then slowly add in the warm stock while whisking constantly.
5 | Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and the reserved corn cobs and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the corn kernels and cook for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender without falling apart.
6 | Remove the cobs from the soup and discard them.
7 | Into the one cup of milk, slowly drizzle in ½ cup of liquid from the hot soup while whisking to temper it. Add that mixture back to the soup and let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
8 | Add the grated cheese and stir to combine. Adjust the flavor with salt as needed.
9 | Add the tablespoon of butter and stir to finish the soup.
Garnish with crumbled bacon and chopped fresh dill.
See more of Joseph’s crowd-pleasing soup recipes!
By Joseph Marini
Photography by Heidi Harris
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of Entertaining (SparkPress, 2023).
“I’m often asked why I love entertaining so much. It took me a long time to understand the answer to this. Fitting in, even sometimes within a family, can be difficult. By entertaining, I was allowing myself to be vulnerable enough to be seen for who I was. It allowed me to create a group of family and friends that would truly see and appreciate my authenticity. I now realize the rewards of living intentionally and opening up m home (and heart) to bring people together over food.”
Buy the book and enjoy more recipes and entertaining tips!
