Corn Chowder

I know I said I’d make clam chowder since I now live in the Boston area, but the truth is, I don’t like clams.  I love corn, though, and with it being corn season right now, what could be better than sweet, creamy, delicious corn chowder?  As the weather cools, nothing is more satisfying than a big, warm bowl of soup.  Feel free to double or even triple the recipe, since corn is so abundant right now, and freeze it in individual or family size servings to enjoy throughout the winter. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 ears of corn
1 medium onion
2 large Yukon gold potatoes
2 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of cream

The first thing we need to do is cut the corn off of the cob. 

Can you use frozen corn?  Um, no.  Not if you want chowder with lots of great corn flavor.  Now, I’ve seen a couple of tv chefs use a bundt pan for this task, claiming it’s this amazing secret that makes it so much easier because it catches all the corn.  Me, I just use a plate.  Do you get a few errant kernels?  Sure, but certainly not enough to warrant washing a bundt pan.  There’s always enough room to throw another plate into the dishwasher.

Once you’ve removed the kernels, place the corn cobs into a large pan. 

Pour in 8 cups of water and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover it, and let it simmer for one hour.  After that time, remove the cobs.  You can scrape them with the back of your knife if you want to get even more goodness out of them.  When all is said and done, you should have about 4 cups of golden, fragrant, corn stock. 

If you haven’t done so yet, go ahead and chop your onion, carrot, and celery.  I always use the leaves on celery, especially in soups.  They impart so much flavor.

In a pan, (I just rinsed out the one I made the stock in) melt 3 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. 

When it’s hot and bubbly, pour in the vegetables.  Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and stir. 

Cook them for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir, and add 3 minced cloves of garlic. 

Stir and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.  The onions should be nice and translucent, but nothing should be browning.  Time for our fabulous stock.

Now, dice up 1 ½ potatoes. Peel or don’t peel, it’s up to you.  I’m lazy, so I just leave the skin on.  That’s why I buy the Yukon golds.  I like to do mine fairly small so that they cook quickly and don’t take up too much room on the spoon.

Ok, so here’s my secret to thick, creamy chowder.  Take the other half of that potato and grate it.  Grating it allows it to completely break down as it cooks.   

Throw all the potato into the pot and stir it in.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  You need to stir every 5 minutes or so, especially toward the end, or it will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.  When the 30 minutes are up, the soup should be nice and thick and everything will be perfectly tender.  Time to add the corn.   

This is also a good time to sprinkle on some fresh cracked pepper.  Stir it in and bring the soup just to a simmer, then cover it and remove it from the heat.  Adding the corn at the end, allows it to stay slightly crisp and keeps it from getting tough and chewy.  Leave it for 10 minutes and you’ve almost reached perfection.  All that’s left now is the cream.  It wouldn’t be chowder without it. 

Stir it in and serve.

The soup has the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  The corn is crisp and tender.  And each bite will make you want to do a little dance. 

What’s your favorite soup to make as we head into the cold months?     

Millions of Peaches... Peaches For Me.

So, I was walking through the grocery store the other day when I suddenly collided with the most amazing aroma.  You know what I’m talking about… that smell that makes you stop, dead in your tracks, and search out its origin.  You may even utter something like, “Oh my god, what is that smell?  I must eat that!”  If I said that to Hubby, he’d think I was talking about the air outside that amazing barbecue joint, but I’m not.  I refer, of course, to fruit.  And in this particular instance, peaches.  Sweet, juicy, perfectly ripe, fragrant peaches.  Did I care that they were selling them by the case and I couldn’t possibly eat them all within their short period of peak deliciousness? 

Nope!  I just had to figure out creative ways to use them, and since my kitchen is still a work in progress, jam was out of the question.  So, here are just a few of the ways I came up with to enjoy them. 

As you can see, I am actually using the not fuzzy variety, usually called a nectarine, but either will work just fine.  For most applications you’re going to start the same way.  Wash and dry the fruit, then carefully cut all the way around its vertical axis.

Holding both sides, gently twist the peach to release the flesh from the pit. 

Pull the halves apart, and carefully remove the pit with your thumb.  The hardest part is to not bruise the fruit in the process. 

The first dish I made is something I grew up eating.  Peaches and milk.  Yes, I know it’s traditionally peaches and cream, but in my house, it was peaches and milk.  It’s a delicious, simple dish that can be eaten for breakfast, or for a snack anytime.  Start by peeling and dicing a peach. 

Pour on some milk.

Sprinkle on a little sugar.

And dig in!

Next is another breakfasty, snacky, kind of dish.  A yogurt parfait.  It requires only three ingredients. 

Diced peach
Yogurt (I like vanilla)
Granola

I like using granola bars rather than regular granola, mostly because I’m more likely to actually eat granola bars.  Just make sure you get the crunchy ones, then you can just smash them up with something heavy.  I used the handle of a butter knife.

See how cool that is? 

So, drop in a few diced peaches.

Add ¼ cup or so of yogurt.

Sprinkle on some granola. 

Repeat.  Beautiful peach and yogurt parfait. 

The next creation requires a few ingredients, but it’s simple, refreshing, and delicious.  Peaches and cream soda. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 Peach
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon cream
1 scant cup ginger ale

One peach will make enough puree for 2 or 3 sodas.  Peel and slice your peach, then throw it into the blender with the sugar, vanilla, and lime juice.  You should end up with a nice, smooth puree.  I’m using 12 oz. glasses, so adjust if you’re using larger ones.  For this size, pour ¼ cup of puree over a few ice cubes, then slowly add the ginger ale. 

It’ll fizz a lot, so be patient.  When you’ve filled the glass just about to the top, add the cream.

You can serve it like that, and let your guests stir it themselves, or you can stir it so everything comes together. 

We’ve done a few things using the peaches fresh, so it’s time for a warm dish, and it’s definitely time for dessert.  How about some caramelized peaches with ice cream? 

You’ll only need a few things.

2 – 4 peaches
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
Really good vanilla ice cream  
Chopped almonds

Halve and peel your peaches and set them aside.  In a skillet melt the butter, sprinkle on the sugar, and stir in the water.  Heat over a fairly low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Turn up the heat to medium high and add your peaches, cut side down. 

Basically you just have to stand back and watch, but do spoon the liquid over them occasionally.  Allow them to cook for about 6 minutes or so.  When they’re ready they should just be starting to brown on the bottom and look something like this. 

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.  Then spoon one or two halves into each dish, top with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce from the pan.  Sprinkle on some chopped almonds, and you have peach perfection. 

So let’s recap with some close up, peach porn.  First was the peaches and milk.

Then the peach and yogurt parfait.

Next was the peaches and cream soda. 

And last but certainly not least, caramelized peaches with ice cream. 

I gotta be honest, even after all that work, I still think nature does it best.  There’s just nothing better than biting into a slice of fresh peach.  Lusciously sweet.  The juice running down your chin.  It’s like summer’s last hoorah as we head toward fall. 

Which fruit’s aroma lures you into buying it by the case?