Elote Style Corn Chowder

Elote is a Mexican street food which is awesome; and readily available on many street corners in Chicago. It varies as far as toppings, but the gist is a roasted or grilled ear of sweet corn- mayo, sour cream or butter, cayenne pepper, and sometimes cheese and lime juice. I love elote and it got me thinking of what I could do with the many ears of corn I bought just because it was $.10 an ear. The result...Elote Corn Chowder!


Ingredients:
5 ears sweet corn
4 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2" strips
1 shallot thinly sliced
6 red potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
1 cup half&half
1&1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste


How to:
-Husk and remove silk from the corn cobs. Cut kernels off cob( in a large bowl works best)
-In a large saucepan, add bacon and cook over medium-high until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon (leaving drippings behind) to a paper tower-lined plate to drain
-Add shallots and potatoes into a large sauce pan - cook, stirring, until the shallots have softened, about 2 minutes
-Add flour - cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk and half&half, broth, cayenne pepper and thyme
-Bring mixture to a boil - reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes
-Stir in corn kernels - cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes
-Remove from the heat and season chowder with salt and fresh ground black pepper
-Use bacon as a garnish & serve with crusty french bread, Enjoy!