Normally in the summer months, I refuse to be around warm things. This includes food. For this reason, if you're like my sister and want to invite me on a ramen date in July, don't take it personally if I spit on you. There are a few exceptions to this rule. S'mores. I don't even think that counts. One that definitely counts is chowder. Corn, clam, crab, I'll slam that empty bowl down faster than lightning. Living so close to the NJ, we have a lot of fresh corn and tomatoes coming in that needed purpose. I gave them a safe little home in my gut. Here's my impromptu recipe for corn chowdah.

Corn Chowder

Time to get our caramelization on. Brown the carrots and onions until they are tender. I say brown because I mean it. You should develop good color on your vegetation in order to produce complex flavors in the final product. I used about a tablespoon of olive oil to do this. 

Now add the corn cobs that you saved after cutting the kernels off. Oh, you forgot to save them? Too bad you didn't read through the whole recipe. Your corn chowder will probably still be good, it just won't be the epitome of grace and wonder.

The easiest way to collect yer lil nuggets is to cut them off into a shallow sheet tray.

Add eight cups of water and a palmful of salt. I like living on the edge. Allow to cook on medium heat for an hour. There's also half a head of garlic cut in half tossed in there somewhere. Here's a secret. I added a vegetable bouillon cube when no one was looking. Anthony Bourdain got through culinary school this way. I'm not even sorry.

While your chowder is doing its things, dice up some red potatoes and cook them in a pan with one cup of water and some salt until nearly cooked through. They will continue to cook through in the chowder.

The best part, ladies and gents. Saute the corn with a tablespoon of butter, a healthy pinch of salt, and two tablespoons of chives.

Once the base has cooked for an hour, drain it to discard all the solids while saving the broth. I wouldn't judge you if you were to eat the poached garlic. Add the broth back to the pot and add the potatoes and the corn. After a few minutes of heating through, take a third of the mixture out and blend till smooth. Return to the pot. Add the half and half and milk. To this, I added a blonde roux to thicken. To do this, take a third cup of flour and add a third cup of fat. Cook for a few minutes and add to the chowder. Stir until well incorporated and thickened. Lastly, I diced up some cherry tomatoes and threw them in right in the end with a bit of thyme for a bit of a fresh hit. 

I ate this bowl of gold with some grilled cheeze. 

You just can't beat creamy corn when the corn is at its peak of glory.

Recipe

Yield: about 8 1c servings

4 ears of corn

half a spanish onion, quartered

one medium carrot, diced

half a head of garlic 

8 c H20

1 bouillon cube

2 c red potatoes

1 c cherry tomatoes, diced

1 c half and half

1 c whole milk

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

2 Tbsp chives, minced

salt and pepper