I'm corny

Yeah, that's right. Corny. I'm all about corn. Corny jokes, corny food. What is with this rabid obsession? Corn on the Cob, Corn Tortillas, Corn dogs, Tamales in Masa (corn flour) wrapped in a corn husk, the corn salsa at Chipotle... Tonight it was corn chowder. Speaking of which, here is the best recipe for corn chowder I've ever tasted, straight from Mimi's Cafe!

Corn Chowder

Yields 2.5 quarts

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 tablespoons onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, large dice
2 1/2 cups hot water
3 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 cups raw potato, peeled and cut in 1/2" cubes
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch white pepper
1 quart Half & Half
3 tablespoons flour

Method

On medium heat, melt butter, then simmer onion and celery for 5 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add water, potatoes, corn and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are barely tender. Whisk the flour into 1 cup of the Half & Half, and stir into the soup. Add the remaining 3 cups of Half & Half. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the soup has thickened to a creamy consistency. Correct the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. In order to correct the consistency or the soup you may add a little milk to make it thinner. To make the soup thicker, simmer another 5-10 minutes.

Bon Appetite!

I used light half and half, which doesn't give it the same thick consistency as the fully loaded variety. However, you can whisk and additional 2 tablespoons of flour into a 1/4 cup of milk or half and half (or even water) until smooth, then add the mixture to your chowder while continuing to cook it down a few extra minutes. Serve this with some warm french or sourdough bread, and voila! You'll be in corn heaven!