This Better Corn Chowder is better than what, you might ask? It is better than the corn chowder my wife made in 2009. While I admit I have a very poor food memory, I do believe this chowder tastes better. My wife says it is easier to make, too.
While we enjoyed this corn chowder one fine Sunday night, we had a wonderful conversation about corn chowder in general. “Cook’s Illustrated has a corn chowder,” my wife told me, “but it is insane. First, they want you to shave kernels off fresh cobs of corn. But that’s not the insane part. Then they want you to milk the cobs, then strain the resulting liquid through a cheesecloth! Do they think I am running an industrial kitchen? Insane!”
Anyway, my wife has had corn chowder on the brain for a few weeks and was looking for a recipe that didn’t require milking. She remembered that Mimi’s Cafe has good corn chowder, so she went in search of a knock-off recipe. Lo and behold, Mimi’s Cafe publishes their corn chowder recipe! Surprise!
Better Corn Chowder
adapted from Mimi’s Cafe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ large onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2½ cups water
- 3 red potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 dash of black pepper
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ⅓ cup dried potato flakes
Instructions
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk until a smooth roux forms, about 2 minutes. Add onions and celery and sautée until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in water, potatoes, corn, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are barely tender, about 30 minutes.
Stir in half and half, cream, and potato flakes. Simmer uncovered until soup has thickened to a creamy consistency, about 15 minutes.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.
