Corn and Lobster Chowder

With summer coming to a close and the abundant sweet corn with it, I wanted to make up for the corn ice cream debacle and share something with you all that I would actually make again. This time I thought I should stick with something a bit more mainstream as far as corn recipes go. Chowder came to mind right away because, like the corn, seafood chowders are something that I associate with summer. I know that hot, creamy soups are generally not high on the menus during the summer, but for me the association has more to do with summer beach trips. The taste of chowder brings memories of the sounds of the surf and smell of the salt in the air. The result of this recipe was truly excellent, and the only thing that would have made it better would be cooking it at a beach house while watching the waves. Ah well...there's always next summer.

This recipe is adapted from The Food Network

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Corn
Onion

Ingredients
1 (1 lb) cooked lobster
2 ears of fresh corn
2 tbs butter

2 tbs olive oil
1-1/4 cup chopped onion, divided
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sweet white wine, such as a Riesling
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup diced celery
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh chives

Preparation

Remove the meat from the shells of the lobster. Cut the meat into bite sized chunks and set aside. Reserve the shells. Slice the corn kernels  off the cobs and place in a separate bowl, reserving the cob. To make the stock, melt 1 tbs butter with 1 tbs olive oil in a large pot. Add the 3/4 cup of chopped onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring until the onion has softened, do not let it brown. Add the paprika and thyme sprigs and cook for another minute. Stir in the milk, cream, wine, lobster shells and corn cobs then bring to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer the stock over the low heat for 30 minutes for the flavors to infuse.

Meanwhile, in another pot, heat 1 tbs butter with 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes, remaining onion, celery, corn kernels, salt, and pepper to the pot and cook, stirring often for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are almost cooked through. Keep an eye on the heat and turn it lower as necessary if the vegetables start to stick.

When the stock is ready, remove the lobster shells and the corn cobs with tongs and discard. Place a strainer over the pot with the vegetables in it and carefully pour the stock through the strainer, pressing on the chunks to release all the stock. Bring the chowder to a low simmer and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked lobster, chives and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with more chives sprinkled on top