This recipe is adapted from Marian Burros wonderful recipe in the book credited below. She says that, if you like this, you can thank Madeleine Kamman, the brilliant French cooking teacher. She came for lunch to Ms. Burros’ house in Vermont during the summer of 2002 and liked the chowder so much that she said it should definitely be in the book. This soup is hearty but it “says summer” at the same time; it is perfect for those early fall days and nights when the corn is still sweet but there is a chill in the air. It’s the smokiness from the bacon, the sweetness of the fresh corn, the touch of heat from the cayenne, and the herbaceous flavor from the thyme that set this soup apart. The cream doesn’t hurt either. Of course, when there is no corn in the markets, you can substitute canned or frozen kernels – it won’t really be summer, but it will remind you, and it is soothing in wintertime.
COOK’S NOTE, November, 2008: At Bristol Farms, they tell me that corn on the cob – while available – does not have much flavor this fall (the season is really over). They suggest the bi-colored packaged corn, avaialble on the shelf above the corn on the cob, for superior flavor.
