California Wine Guide
Sign Up for the Recipe Publishing Newsletter
Easy Corn Chowder Recipes with Bacon
This flavorful corn and bacon chowder recipe can be refrigerated overnight and warmed up the following day so, if you want to make it ahead, that is perfectly fine. Alternatively you can make it in the afternoon and enjoy it in the evening.
Your kitchen will smell beautiful when you make this and you can expect various family members to wander downstairs, wondering where that amazing smell is coming from and what you are making! Bacon always smells mouthwatering when you cook it but the other ingredients smell good too.
This recipe features heavy cream, which thickens it up nicely. Also, pureeing some of the corn gives it a thick texture, which in turn thickens up the whole chowder. You will find that a little pinch of saffron adds a gourmet flavor to this chowder and the celery and tarragon also work very well with it. Saffron is an expensive spice but a little goes a long way; two or three tiny strands are sufficient for this recipe.
Corn Chowder with Bacon and Saffron
Ingredients -
6 ears of corn
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups milk
1 finely diced yellow onion
4 oz smoked bacon, in ½ inch pieces
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
A few saffron strands
2 finely diced celery ribs
Croutons (optional)
Fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)
Salt and black pepper
Preparation:
Cut the kernels off the cobs and halve the cobs crosswise.
Add the corncobs to a big pot with the cream and milk and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Take the pot off the heat and let it stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard the corncobs.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in another pot and add half the corn kernels.
Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until just tender.
Blend the cooked corn kernels with the milk and cream until smooth.
Melt the remaining butter in the pan and sauté the bacon until it is crispy.
Add the onion, saffron, celery and the rest of the corn kernels to the pan.
Cover the pan partially and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add the tarragon and corn puree and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with croutons and fresh thyme, if you like.
(Serves 4)
Wine Suggestion:
Which Wine to Serve with Easy Corn Chowder Recipes
A fragrant, fruity California Viognier would be the best wine to serve alongside this bacon and corn chowder recipe. The heady aroma of Viognier is just one of its many good points and this delicious wine is a great companion alongside this bowl of hearty corn chowder. Viognier suits creamy dishes, especially ones featuring sweet vegetables like corn or onion or naturally sweet ingredients like bacon.
Easy Corn Chowder Recipes
Photo Description:
This rich, thick bacon and corn chowder recipe has an amazing flavor. You can see how the croutons and fresh thyme make a nice garnish but feel free to omit them if you want to. You might like to serve crusty bread with this corn and bacon chowder instead of serving it with croutons. The saltiness of the bacon goes beautifully with the sweetness of the onion and corn and this is a tasty, creamy chowder recipe which is simple to prepare, even if you are new to making corn chowder recipes.
How to Cook Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob can be enjoyed slathered with butter and sprinkled with salt or you can use it to make corn chowder soup recipes. Actually, a lot of easy corn chowder recipes call for thawed or canned corn kernels but using fresh ones can give your soups an extra fresh flavor. There are various ways to cook corn on the cob but the most popular way is probably to boil them. You can remove the silks and leaves from the corn first or else just take the outer leaves off and boil the corn in the husks. The silks come off more easily when the corn is cooked anyway. Boil the corn for a minute if you just want them warm or leave them boiling for up to ten minutes, depending how you like them.
You can microwave corn on the cob too, shucking the corn before or after cooking. To shuck them first, wrap the ears in paper towels and sprinkle some water over them. Cook them on high for about ten minutes or until you smell the corn, turning them halfway through the cooking time. If you prefer to shuck them after cooking, use an oven mitt to protect your hands as you shuck because the corn will be very hot.
Grilled corn is really good too and you can grill it in the husk or out. Soak the corn in the husks in cold water for half an hour if you want a mild flavor. Grill them over a high flame, turning them every few minutes, until they are hot all over. This will take about ten minutes. The silks are easier to remove when the ears of corn are cooked. Taking the husks off before you grill the corn will give you a more intense flavor. If you do this, grill the corn for about six minutes, turning it occasionally so it cooks evenly all over. You can also shuck the corn before grilling it.
More Cooking Methods
Another way to cook corn is to use a pressure cooker. You might even like to steam it, although this is slower. You can wrap corn kernels in aluminum foil or just leave them in the husk and bake them in the oven if you want. Your chosen cooking method for corn on the cob depends largely what you are going to do with it afterwards. If you are going to serve corn on the cob with grilled burger recipes, you might as well grill it and then you can watch the corn and the burgers cook at the same time, without having to run back and forth from the kitchen to the grill.
When making corn chowder soup recipes, it might be a good idea to cook the corn in a pressure cooker, since that is so quick, or to microwave it. It is up to you which cooking method you use but fresh corn will give your easy corn chowder recipes a better flavor than if you were to use canned or thawed corn kernels instead.
Learn More About Wine>> California Wine Country Mini Articles are spread through out the site get a list of articles at this link.
