Cheddar Corn Chowder

You may think that I've become a slacker lately. But I've become very good friends with Ina Garten. She and I have been very close in the kitchen this week and it all started with her Cheddar Corn Chowder from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. My signed cookbook; yes, as in autographed. I am a huge fan and I stood in a very long line, while eight months pregnant in heels at the UW Bookstore to get it. I was wearing my red vintage coat with the fur collar and she complimented me on it. I remember like it was yesterday. When I had the time, before children, I used to watch her show religiously on the Food Network. The set is amazing. Her kitchen fabulous. I always wondered if her show was actually filmed in her house. So I took this opportunity to ask her and with a big friendly laugh, she said yes, almost as if it was an invitation for tea.

This soup is sold at her store, The Barefoot Contessa, in the Hamptons on Long Island, NY and is a best seller (she sold the store in 1996, but she is still affiliated). This soup can be made year round with fresh corn in the summer or frozen corn in the winter. What makes this soup special is the melted cheese and crisp bacon topping (didn't I say bacon makes everything better?).

Cheddar Corn Chowder
8 ounces bacon, chopped

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

12 cups chicken stock

6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)

10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs and blanch the kernels for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn, you can skip this step.) Add the cornto the soup, then add the half-and-half and Cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Next, I'm making her Vegetable Coleslaw for an al fresco dinner in the back yard of Hogue wine maker, Jordan Ferrier, in Prosser, Washington. I was just there last weekend, and I am going back for Spring Barrel Tasting. My next post will tell the story.