Ina Garten Upgrades Basic Corn Chowder With A Tangy Mix-In
Ina Garten is one of the world's most iconic celebrity chefs. With her breezy attitude and often butter-heavy recipes, the chef known as the Barefoot Contessa specializes in rich, delicious, comfort foods. Garten's record speaks for itself, having turned her former specialty food store, also called Barefoot Contessa, into multiple best-selling cookbooks and nearly 20 years of her own cooking show on Food Network, called — that's right — Barefoot Contessa. When Ina Garten has a recipe tip, people listen.
No matter the time of year, corn is a versatile ingredient that can support or star in a wide variety of dishes. A sweet and creamy soup, corn chowder is typically a simple dish, with a small number of high-quality ingredients making a hearty, welcoming bowl. Taking care not to overcomplicate a dish that shines in simplicity, Garten says that adding just one more ingredient — cheddar cheese — can elevate a basic corn chowder to a more developed flavor experience.
Corn, cream, and sharp cheddar cheese
A good amount of sharp cheddar cheese "thickens the soup and gives it great flavor," Garten says of her cheddar corn chowder recipe. The cheese is one of the final ingredients added to the soup, to add tangy creaminess without breaking the cheese under the heat of boiling potatoes. Following her recipe which makes 10 to 12 servings, mix in half a pound — one 8 ounce bag at the grocery store — of grated sharp white cheddar cheese toward the end for that richer flavor.
We all love convenience and Garten is no exception. In a pinch, pre-shredded cheese is fine, although the extra cellulose added to prevent caking (also the source of the wood pulp meme) can mess with the texture of your soup. Freshly shredded cheese is best. For the corn, however, convenience can lead the way. Frozen corn is a good option for maximum sweetness, especially in the off-season or markets far from the cornfields. And if using fresh corn, try putting it in the microwave for a few seconds to make husking the kernels off a little easier.