Corn and Lobster Chowder

When I think of New England, one of the first things that come to my mind is chowder… or as they call it "chowda." When it comes to seafood chowder, New England has the best:  New England clam chowder, Rhode Island Clam chowder, lobster chowder… you get the idea. When we were in Rhode Island last month, we had a lobster feast (remember I told you about it here?) and had some leftovers. I debated whether to make lobster salad or lobster bisque… although I like both of them, I wasn't "feeling" any of those dishes. I perused recipes for over an hour (yes, I know, I am an anal person) and found a recipe that looked interesting: Corn and Lobster Chowder.

For some reason I always thought that making chowder would be complicated and time-consuming. I was so wrong. I think I spent about half-an-hour making this dish and the most "complicated" part was making the corn puree. This is a good recipe. However, I did not taste much of the lobster. The next time I make it, I will probably add more lobster. I also added garlic because surprisingly, the recipe did not call for it. Don’t let my comments deter you from trying this recipe. It was really good – especially the following day.

Corn and Lobster Chowder
Adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients:
2 cooked lobster tails, cut into bite-size pieces
8 cups frozen yellow corn kernels
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
8 bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup peeled finely diced carrots
2/3 cup finely diced celery
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups bottled clam juice
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

Directions:
1.       Purée 4 cups corn with 1 1/4 cups broth in processor until almost smooth.
2.       Sauté bacon in large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Pour off and discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot.
3.       Add onions and garlic to pot; sauté until light golden, about 5 minutes.
4.       Add remaining 4 cups corn; sauté 3 minutes.
5.       Add carrots, celery, and cayenne; sauté until vegetables soften slightly, about 5 minutes.
6.       Add lobster, clam juice and 1 3/4 cups broth; simmer 10 minutes.
7.       Stir in corn puré and whipping cream; simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove soup from heat; stir in sour cream.
8.       Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add lobster meat and sauté just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with lobster pieces, bacon, and chives and serve.