Summer Corn Chowder

Serves 4

Pair with...

When I make creamy soups I like to compliment the richness of the dish with a full-bodied white. Made from Chenin Blanc grapes in the Loire Valley region of France, Vouvray is the wine I go to for this type of recipe. The nose is a complex of honey, pear and even ginger and has a ripe-fruit profile. It drinks very full and even at times sweet (there are sweeter styles to try). Try this with lobster bisque, clam chowder and vichyssoise as well.

It’s still corn season and while we have enjoyed corn on the cob, here’s another way to prepare this vegetable. For this recipe, I’m making a one pot soup that can be served cold or hot and is creamy enough that you would think there is cream in it, but it totally dairy free.

The trick here is to use what the corn gives us by way of starch. After removing the raw kernels, grate the cob on a box grater using the small holes. You should get about ¼ cup of corn ‘milk’ from each ear. This is your secret creamy ingredient that will provide extra body to the soup.

Once the soup is cooked, you can use either an immersion blender (which will result in less cleanup) or a blender. I opted for the blender because I can get a better consistency and I also strained the soup through a fine sieve to get an even silkier texture, but you can omit those steps.

There are a number of flavor directions you could go with this soup. I was planning to serve it cold (or room temp), so I wanted to highlight the clean vegetable flavors. This meant adding just a hint of heat and some herbs. It actually makes the soup taste more refreshing and it complements the sweetness of the corn. If I were to serve it hot, a garnish of bacon would be a great addition. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4T (half stick) unsalted butter
2 large shallots, roughly chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts only, rough chopped
4C (1 QT) chicken or vegetable stock
6 ears corn, husks removed, kernels cut from the cob
2 t Salt
½ t Pepper
1 t Smoked Paprika
½ t Hot Sauce

Preparation

Remove husk and silk from corn.
Standing the ear on one end cut the kernels from 5 ears of corn. Leave one ear whole. Set aside.
Grate the corn and collect the milk. Set aside the milk and cobs
Melt the butter over low heat and cook shallots and leeks until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add stock, cobs, whole ear, kernels, milk, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ tsp pepper, paprika and hot sauce.
Over med-high heat, bring soup to a boil then reduce to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove whole ear of corn and set aside. Remove cobs and discard.
Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Alternatively, in batches puree the soup in a blender. Optional- pour the soup through a fine strainer.
Adjust consistency of soup. Too thick-add more stock. Too thin, continue to cook over low heat until thick.
Remove kernels from whole ear and set aside for garnish.
Taste soup and adjust seasoning.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. Add reserved kernels and desired herbs for garnish.

Chris Chisholm is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a graduate of Boston University Wine Studies and Wine Making programs. He is also a graduate of Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO. He has worked as a personal chef and chef instructor.

If you have any questions, email Chris at chris@snugharborwine.com. You can also follow Chris on Instagram @winechefchris for more delicious food photos!