Corn Chowder-Cracking the Eccell Code

Years ago I worked at Cafe Eccell, a very popular restaurant in College Station, TX. There are many items on the menu that pop in your mouth and leave you hungry for more. When people are made aware of my ties to that restaurant I usually hear these words fly out of their mouths: strawberry tart, chicken salad, bbq chicken pizza, steak, corn chowder. . .
Their food is so good and memorable that I even encountered an Eccell fan while living in Pocatello, Idaho. She thought their corn chowder was the best she had ever tasted and she's not alone, my household feels the same way.

So with that, I was on a corn chowder mission. I did not make the savory goods at Cafe Eccell (made the sweets) and did not have a recipe to work off of. Therefore, I had to take the ingredients that I knew was in the chowder and work from there and. . . EUREKA!!! I think I cracked the code!

This soup is ridiculously rich, creamy and velvety. It is the ultimate soup indulgence and looking at the ingredients I'm sure you'll agree. The butter, corn and added sugar give this soup a wonderful sweetness while the red onion, black pepper and jalapeno add a kick and nice spice to the back of the throat. Milk and added cream enhance the chowder's creamy, silky and luxurious texture.

I hope I've lured you in and convinced you to try it. After all, who doesn't need to reward themselves with an ultimate comfort food once in a while? And when you do-let me know- I'd like to hear how it turned out.

Melissa's Corn Chowder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 2 T.)
1 stick, cubed + 1 T. of butter
2 29 oz cans of corn, drained
1 red bell pepper, medium diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
4 red potatoes, diced
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
2 c. whole milk
1/4 c. + 1 T. flour
1 T. sugar
Salt and Pepper
1/4 c. Heavy Cream
Parsley, chopped (opt.)
Cornbread, crumbled (opt.)

1. Heat Olive Oil and 1 T. of butter in stock pot. Add bell pepper, onions, celery and half of the chopped jalapeno and saute until onions are translucent.
2. Add potato and saute for a few minutes. Add chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Add corn.
3. Meanwhile, add flour and cubed butter into bowl and squish them together with your hands until incorporated. Add butter/flour mixture and sugar to chowder, bring to a simmer and stir until butter/flour mixture is incorporated into the soup. Add remaining jalapeno.
4. Salt and pepper to taste
5. Take off heat and drizzle in heavy cream until you've reached desired consistency.
6. Garnish with cornbread and parsley

Lets talk about seasoning with salt and pepper. You want to season throughout the whole cooking process. Which means, season the veggies to enhance their flavor, taste and season again once you've added the chicken stock and milk, taste and adjust seasoning at the very end to ensure a rounded flavor to your liking.