Ingredients
3 ears corn, husks and silk removed
2 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 red potato (6 oz), unpeeled, cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper
Directions
Cut kernels from 1 ear of corn into a bowl. In second bowl, grate remaining 2 ears corn on large holes of box grater. Using back of butter knife, scrape any remaining pulp from cobs into bowl with grated corn.
Cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in potato and grated corn mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until potato is tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in cream and corn kernels and simmer until corn kernels are tender yet slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Variation
Maryland-Style Corn Chowder with Crabmeat
If you prefer a hearty crab flavor, you can double the amount of crabmeat.
Add 1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning with garlic and thyme. Substitute minced fresh chives for parsley and add 4 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells, to soup before seasoning with salt and pepper.