Recipe: Corn and Potato Chowder with Gorgonzola Dolce

I'm back. I took a little hiatus- life was overwhelming me. I'll leave it at that. Amazingly enough though, readership has gone up while I've been gone. I wont read too much into that.

My absence makes me a little sad- I've missed most summer foods, which are actually my favorite. Nothing is as good as cooking with freshly picked ruby red tomatoes, but corn will have to do for today. This is one of my favorite soups, specially in the summer when corn is sweet and not so starchy, frozen corn is not a good choice here- it's just never the same. The soup comes together quickly and is composed of pretty basic ingredients I am likely to have in the pantry at any given time. I like Gorgonzola Dolce crumbles as a topping, it melts beautifully and takes the flavor of the soup to a whole other level- if you are not a fan of blue cheeses, substitute a sharp white cheddar.

Corn Chowder with Gorgonzola Dolce

4 strips bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
1-2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (depending on the saltiness of your chicken stock)
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken stock
2 yukon gold potatoes, cubed- unpeeled
4 ears fresh corn
2 cups milk, cream, or half and half (I use whatever I have- obviously cream is best!)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 pound Gorgonzola Dolce

1. In a large heavy stock pot over medium heat, cook bacon with olive oil until crispy- about 5 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside for topping.

2. Add onions and butter and cook until translucent, they should just be beginning to brown around the edges- about 10-15 minutes. Add flour, salt, pepper, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and cook an additional 5 minutes, stiring to make sure mixture does not stick to the sides of the pot.

3. Add chicken stock a little at a time while whisking flour and onion mixture into stock. Add potatoes, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until potaoes are almost all the way cooked- about 10 minutes. Add corn and fresh thyme and cook 5 minutes, add cream, half and half or milk- whichever you are using and bring back to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes, check seasonings then serve hot with gorgonzola dolce and bacon crumbles.