Alex Guarnaschelli’s Silky Corn Chowder Has an Unexpected Secret Ingredient
Food Network host Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipe for Corn Chowder truly allows corn’s famously sweet flavor to shine.
While chowder can be made with frozen or fresh corn, the chef’s version uses the vegetable in its freshest form, relying on one surprising ingredient to elevate the mouthwatering flavor and body of this classic soup.
Guarnaschelli says to thoughtfully choose your Corn Chowder’s bacon
In her cookbook Cook with Me, the culinary personality writes about what makes a good corn chowder: “All chowder needs in order to be called a chowder are potatoes, onions, and usually, some form of pork. .. As far as the bacon goes, your choice can affect the chowder greatly. A more peppery, smoky bacon can be tasty, but it will obscure the sweetness of the corn.”
Guarnaschelli opts for milder-tasting bacon for this recipe, “a good-quality, but mellow bacon for this soup so it becomes a key player but leaves room for the other ingredients to shine as well.”
In addition to the bacon, her recipe also calls for extra-virgin olive oil, minced red onion, 12 ears of corn that have been husked and with kernels removed, dark brown sugar, Idaho potatoes, a garlic clove, half-and-half, and fresh chives.
The surprising, and almost obvious, ingredient that makes Guarnaschelli’s chowder sing
Her corn chowder begins by crisping chopped bacon in a pot with a tablespoon of oil and setting those aside. Then, in the same pot, the onions and corn kernels are cooked, adding brown sugar and salting and peppering to taste as you go along. Cook this mixture, Guarnaschelli says, “until the corn becomes translucent,” for about 10 minutes. The heat can be turned off, but the pot remains on the stove.
As for that ingredient that adds incredible corn flavor to the chowder, as well as thickening it? It’s the reserved corncobs. Perhaps the Chopped judge discovered the corncob’s amazing function in chowders and soups because she likes to make the most of every part of every ingredient.
Guarnaschelli explains: “In this corn chowder, corn kernels add texture and sweetness, while the cobs help build in even more flavor. I always feel like I am throwing away an ingredient when I put the corncobs in the trash; here the cobs show their worth by infusing more corn flavor in the soup.”
How to make the chef’s rich corn stock
Here’s the Alex vs. America star’s trick for creating flavorful stock out of those cobs: she adds the corncobs, salt, and a tablespoon of brown sugar to about eight cups of water in a medium pot. It’s simmered “gently” for about 15 minutes until the mixture has reduced by half. The resulting corn stock is then strained through a sieve.
The chopped potatoes are simmered in the corn stock until they’re tender and then everything — potatoes and all that wonderfully starchy, milky corn stock — is added to the pot with the onions and corn kernels. The minced garlic and half-and-half are stirred in, followed by the bacon and chives, and this corn chowder is ready to serve.
Get Alex Guarnaschelli’s full Corn Chowder recipe in her cookbook, Cook with Me: 150 Recipes for the Home Cook.
