Chanterelle Chowder with Bacon and Corn

This is where summer and fall collide. Where the cool evenings justify a warm bowl of soup. A meeting of sweet, crisp corn and wilted chanterelles that smell of woods and earth. Bacon and thyme reiterate that earthiness before dill showers over the light creamy broth, bringing with it a fleeting freshness. Really, it’s more fall than summer in this bowl but it is nice to shuck one more cob, tangle with its silky whiskers and pop a few sweet and starchy kernels into my mouth before they soften in the soup.

I’m not quite ready for the heft of a typical chowder made thick with roux so mine is more broth-focused than creamy but you can change that if you’d like. Also, I’ve brought my love of beer to the bowl by deglazing with a lightly colored wheat. The second round of this soup I made the mistake of deglazing with a pungent and hoppy IPA which made the soup bitter. So go with something light or use white wine instead.

Chanterelle Chowder with Bacon and Corn

Serves 4

4 strips bacon, thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

1/2 bulb fennel, diced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

2 - 2 1/2 cups (6 ounces) roughly chopped chanterelles

1/2 cup (4 ounces) wheat beer or white wine

2 1/2 cups (1 pound 4 ounces) chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) cubed (1” inch) yellow potatoes (2 small/medium)

1 cup corn kernels (6 ounces) (fresh or frozen)

3/4 cup (6 ounces) cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat until the fat renders and it just starts to crisp, 5-7 minutes.

Add the onion, fennel and garlic with a pinch of salt then saute for an additional 7 minutes until the onions are translucent.

Turn the heat to medium-high then add the thyme and chanterelles. Saute until caramelized in parts, 3-5 minutes. Deglaze with the beer (or wine), scraping up the browned bits off the bottom.

Add the stock and potatoes, bring to a simmer then cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the corn and cream and simmer just until the corn is cooked through.

Stir in dill, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper. Finish with lemon juice then taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Note: For a thicker chowder stir in 2 1/2 teaspoons flour before you add the beer or wine. Cook the flour for 1 minute so the finished soup doesn’t have a raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the beer or wine then proceed as written.

Caramel Chai

These days I’m living and breathing the book. I feel like it’s all I think about which most likely is driving my family crazy. This almost obsessive behavior comes from the desire to create a book that represents the best of me right now – the best recipes, photos and words I can possibly muster. In the past couple of days I’ve also come face to face with the reality of the weight of the story I’m telling behind the food. I often tell people that I feel as if I’m writing a book about marriage and cooking simultaneously. It’s one that I’m honored to tell and am eager to talk about how the simple act of sitting around the table with my husband has led us to the best season of our marriage in the 10 years since we said, “I do.”

Because I want these recipes to feel authentic and lived in we are pretty much devoting every meal to some sort of recipe testing. Apple cake for breakfast, roasted onions and brownies for lunch and an even more random potluck of dishes for dinner. On such a day a couple weeks ago, I sat at my computer adjusting 2 tablespoons to 3 and increasing the salt by just a touch when the rain pelting against the window set me shuddering. The gray skies demanded something warm and the 3 o’clock nudge for a bit of sweet hit me hard. A moment later the words caramel and chai danced around my head and suddenly I put down the demands of the book and blanketed the bottom of a sauce pan with sugar. While the sugar melted and crept into caramel I reached for cloves, cinnamon, a plump vanilla bean, peppercorns and fresh ginger. The house smelled comfortable and warm.

It should be noted that for the past two weeks this sweet and creamy blend of spices, milk and sugar has been in a jar in our fridge – replenished as soon as the previous batch runs out for the occasion when a bit of warmth and encouragement is needed in these busy days – so, pretty much everyday.

caramel chai

I find the sweetness here is perfect for an afternoon indulgence but it's a little too sweet for the morning. Which makes it perfect for adding a bit of strong brewed coffee to the mix to cut the sweetness and add the caffeine needed to start the day. Add more milk if you think it too sweet and don't care to add more caffeine All of the spices are at their best when toasted before adding to the milk.

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups milk

1 cinnamon stick

8 cardamom pods, smashed

8 whole cloves

1 vanilla bean, split

8 peppercorns

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon loose black tea or the contents from 2 black tea bags.

pinch salt

In a wide saucepan add the 1/2 cup sugar in an even layer. Set the pan over medium high heat and allow the sugar to melt. If the edges start to caramelize carefully stir the sugar so it cooks evenly. Cook the sugar until deep amber in color and the caramel is smoking.

Remove the pan from the heat then carefully add the milk a little at a time to prevent it from boiling over. The caramel will seize but will melt once you bring the pan back to the heat.

Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, vanilla bean, peppercorns, sliced ginger and tea.

Bring the milk to a simmer, stirring to blend in the caramel. Turn off the heat and allow the spices to steep with the milk for 20 minutes.

Strain the chai then serve.

Any leftover chai can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Chanterelle Chowder with Bacon and Corn

Chanterelle Chowder with Bacon and Corn

Chanterelle Chowder with Bacon and Corn

Caramel Chai

caramel chai

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