Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Corn Chowder "Light"

     I live in the heart of sweetcorn country. There are festivals, roadside stands and corn in various forms on the menus of area restaurants this time of year. One night last week I had a cup of the best corn chowder at our local "fancy place". I knew that it was loaded with butter and cream, but it was so good. I decided to try to duplicate the creamy, rich flavor without all the calories and I got good results. If calories aren't an issue for you, you can use cream instead of milk, add more bacon or stir in some shredded cheese at the end.


     I started with 6 ears of fresh sweetcorn, raw. I sliced it off the cob. In a small stockpot, I added the corn to 4 T. of real butter, 2 stalks of chopped celery and 1 cup of chopped carrots. Bring the mixture to a high heat while stirring to melt the butter, reduce the heat to low, cover and let the mixture soften.


     In a separate saucepan, place some diced potatoes. I used 5 smaller new potatoes from the local farner's market. Fresh potatoes have a creamier texture than those that have been in the store for weeks. To the potatoes add 1 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp. of black pepper, a pinch of thyme and 1 can of chicken broth. Simmer the potatoes until tender and remove the bay leaf.


     While the potatoes are cooking, sprinkle the tender corn mixture with 1/2 cup flour, stir and set off the heat.



     When the potatoes are tender, put the corn mixture back on medium high heat until you can hear it cooking. Stir in the potato and broth mixture and the soup will thicken very quickly. Add 3 cups of milk stirring constantly and reduce heat. I used 2 percent milk. We only buy skim milk, so 2 percent to us is like cream and was certainly "creamy" enough to make the soup delicious. Sprinkly with a bit of crumbled cooked bacon before serving. I would have liked more bacon mixed into the soup...but, I was trying to keep it "light"! Add salt and pepper to taste.





I will be joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday
Hines-Sight for Easy Meal Planning

Please take time to visit our hostesses.

 

14 comments:

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

oh, this looks yummy!!!
....and you make this look like whipping up a batch of corn chowder is as easy as sewing Hahaha!!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Hi, Sue!

Checking in with you and trying to make the blog arounds after such a long hiatus. It's daunting, but I'm really trying to do it (pacing myself).

I love this. My grandmother used to make corn chowder, and it was so good. I like the idea of having a light recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Sending you warm hugs...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Yum! That looks and sounds so good. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Have a great week.

Lynn said...

Looks great Sue! I don't think I've ever had corn chowder, my family just ate it off the cob. Might just give it a try:@)

bj said...

I love corn absolutely ANY way it is fixed.
I am going to make this..Mr. Sweet will love it.
Thanks, Suz....

Ricki Treleaven said...

Corn chowder is so fattening, that it is nice to see a light recipe for it. Thanks for posting!

xinex said...

This looks so yummy, Sue! Thanks for the directions on how to prepare it..Christine

Leigh Powell Hines said...

This looks absolutely delightful. I love corn this time of year. Thank you so much for linking up with me, and sharing this great recipe.

Sophie said...

Hehe, how funny! I have been craving corn chowder, or any creamy soup really, for days now. So bad that I stopped at Panera yesterday but they didn't have any, so I put the crock pot on this morning. Everyone thinks I'm nuts because it is so hot out, but I love soup!

Oh, got one of our vacay posts up the other day-- our day at Disney.

La said...

Hi Sue! I have never had corn chowder, but your recipe has me curious to try it.

Sandra said...

Yum! Yum! Yum! Your recipe looks delish! I will have to try this sometime. Thank you for sharing:) And thank you for visiting my blog and leaving such a sweet comment on the passing of my father in law.
God Bless.
Sandra

Angie said...

This looks and sounds ridiculously yummy! So many great options for sweet corn.

Anonymous said...

I love corn chowder. Your recipe sounds great. Thanks for the tip about potatoes from the farmers' market. I think we'll be trying this chowder soon.

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

Oh you are giving me ideas! This looks so good. Thanks for sharing.