Creamy Bacon Corn Chowder
Jersey corn is always so delicious in the summer time months, so we love to make corn chowders in May, June, July, and August! We have tried a few different corn chowder recipes which we will posting later this summer, but this one has proven to be one of our favorites! We love to serve this recipe at the beach especially when we have dinners with friends or family because everyone always loves it!
I still have such vivid memories of when I was growing up and we would always stop at the farm markets on the way home from the shore. They always had the best corn at any of the farms in south Jersey along with the best berries, tomatoes, and watermelon! For whatever reason we could never find corn as good as the one that was sold at the farm market, so every trip home from the beach we would make the stop! Making this corn chowder always reminds me of those stops as I would always be eager to see all the beautiful fruits, vegetables, and flowers!
Back to the recipe! This particular recipe that we have come to love includes, fresh corn kernels off the cob, hickory smoked thick cut bacon, Yukon gold potatoes, and chives! This mix of ingredients is so simple, yet the corn, bacon, potatoes, and chives seem to compliment each other perfectly! Now that summer is in full swing, we cannot wait to share some more of our corn chowder recipes with everyone! Let us know your favorite corn chowder dishes and what you think of this one!
a. Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh corn; cut from cob
3 tbsp of butter
6 slices of thick cut bacon; cut into ½ in pieces
½ of yellow onion; chopped
¼ cup of flour
1 clove of garlic; minced
5 cups of water
1 pound of potatoes; peeled and cut into ½ in pieces
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of half and half
¼ cup of chopped fresh chives
b. Directions:
Melt butter in large soup pot over medium heat
Add the onion and bacon; cook until onion has softened, approximately 10 minutes
Whisk in the flour and garlic; cook for another minute
Slowly pour in the water, continuing to whisk
Bring mixture to a boil, continue to stir; add corn kernels, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 20 minutes
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs; transfer 2 ½ cups of the chowder to a bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth
Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir in the half and half; cook for another 5 minutes on low and add the chives
