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?     

An apple a day... Well, perhaps not these.

Who doesn’t love autumn?  Fall leaves, cooler weather, yummy pumpkin stuff, and those fabulous, cinnamon scented pine cones every store has stocked right inside the door so you’re greeted with their lovely aroma as you enter.  On top of that, it’s the season for corn, melons, and APPLES!!  Caramel apples, bobbing for apples, apple cider, apple pie, and the list goes on.  One of my favorite things, apple season or not, is spiced apples.  We called them fried apples when I was a kid, and for as long as I can remember, they’ve been a special treat.  Go to the farm stand and get some apples, because I’m going to show you just how easy they are to make.  

Here’s what you’ll need:

4 medium apples
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ Tablespoons sugar

That thing on top of the butter that looks a bit like a nut, is nutmeg.  I’ve probably said this before, but always use fresh grated nutmeg.  You can get a nutmeg grater on Amazon for less than $5, and you can buy whole nutmeg with the rest of the spices.  If you’ve never tried it, you’ll be blown away by the difference.  Ok, onto the star of the show, the apples.  Start by peeling them, then cut off the four sides, leaving the core behind. 

Thinly slice the pieces. 

I recommend using more than one kind of apple.  I’m using a combination of golden delicious and macintosh apples, and as you can see, they are even different in color on the inside. 

In a skillet over medium heat, melt your butter.  When it’s nice and hot and bubbly, sprinkle on the cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Why not sprinkle the spices on the apples?  Well, hot oil is magical for spices.  It really brings out their flavors.  Mix them into the butter and add the apples, stirring to coat them evenly.

They don’t look very pretty at first, but cover them, turn the heat to low, and leave them for 5 minutes.  When you come back, they’ve transformed into this.

I like to add the sugar at the end so that it doesn’t burn, so go ahead and sprinkle it on now. 

Stir it in and you have spiced apples.  You can eat them all by themselves.

Or you can put them on your favorite hot cereal. 

Or, you can have one of the best breakfasts ever, and put them over fresh made waffles. 

However you choose to eat them, they are a delicious introduction to fall.  What is your favorite way to enjoy the season?