Corn Chowder

I'm off work today because I'm feeling a bit under the weather. You know that saying "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?" I think I caught the flu bug from our recent trip there, and it, unfortunately, didn't stay in Vegas. This is my second bout of the flu this year. So I was craving some comfort food to help heal me, and what better way to heal than a nice bowl of soup.

Corn is in abundance nowadays and they were on sale at the supermarket, so I bought a few ears over the weekend. Why not make some corn chowder? I haven't made it in a while and haven't included it on this blog yet. This recipe was adapted from one of Paula Deen's Corn Chowder recipe that I tweeked a little bit, and it always satisfies my need for some comfort food.

4 Tbsp. butter

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 of a large carrot, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

pinch of ground nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste

1) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add potatoes, carrot, onion and garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add flour to make a roux. Continue cooking until roux begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

2) In a microwave safe bowl, combine chicken broth and corn kernels. Microwave just until broth begins to boil, about 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk broth mixture into roux. Continue whisking until lumps are almost gone. Return saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture until it becomes very thick.

3) In another microwave safe bowl, combine milk and cream. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. Whisk cream mixture into corn mixture until well combined. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking chowder until potatoes are softened. (Note: if chowder is not thick enough, combine a tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water and add to chowder to thicken). When ready to serve, stir in a pat of butter (optional) to enrich the chowder.