#75: Corn Chowder
Shucking and cutting corn is a giant pain in the ass. The little silky threads that are somehow dry and sticky simultaneously (and unsettlingly reminiscent of human hair). The little kernels flying fucking everywhere as you slice them off the cob. Even that rubbery sound the husks make when being pulled off is kind of horrifying. So it feels so much more fulfilling to go through all that hideous, sensory-tantrum-inducing work for really fresh, sweet corn. The kind that you could actually eat right off the cob raw if you really wanted to. The kind that you only get in late August, when the seasons decide to throw you a bone and give you one last golden vestige of summer before dragging out the clouds and dampness.
Both of today’s soups are a celebration of fresh corn. Both rely on cooking the corn cobs down to extract every ounce of starchy goodness. And both understand that everything is better if you add pork to it. My own version of corn chowder is smooth and creamy, smothered in garnishes (because garnishes!), and balances the corn’s natural sweetness with a little hit of smoky heat and bright acidity. BA’s version pays homage to a traditional chowder by building layers of bacon, potatoes, and leeks onto a homemade stock and butter-slicked kernels of sweet corn. Either recipe would soothe that creeping feeling of impending Fall nicely.
