Lobster Corn Chowder

I made this for myself (and Jamie) for my birthday dinner - such a treat! It has such a great corn flavor, and the lobster makes it decadent and perfect for a special occasion. I went off a mix of two recipes - this from Ina and this from Martha - and tweaked them a bit. The result is a deliciously corntastic chowder. Ina uses heavy cream, so I lightened it up with a mix of corn stock, whole milk, and half and half. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 1.5 lb lobster 

2 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion, diced and divided in two

4 cups corn stock

1 cup whole milk

1 cup half and half

4 strips bacon, chopped

4 cups corn (fresh or frozen)

1 russet or Idaho potato, peeled and cut into 1/4"-1/2" dice

2 stocks celery, diced

2 tbsp chives, minced, plus more to serve

pinch of cayenne

1/8 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Cook the lobster

Bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add lobsters and cook 15 minutes. Set them over a colander set in a large bowl. Take the meat out of the lobster over the bowl, reserving the juices and discarding any roe or tamale. Keep the shells. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl. Refrigerate until you need them. 

Corn chowder with chiles and monterey jack

Sitting on the dramatic cliffs on the Hudson near Poughkeepsie, NY is the Culinary Institute of America. I used to go with my parents for lunch every time we played Vassar in squash. The food is amazing at their various restaurants, and pretty reasonably priced because it's being made and served by students. I definitely recommend it. Because we loved it so much, my mom bought be The Culinary Institue of America Book of Soups. Every soup I've tried has been delicious. I had a bag of corn that I'd frozen last summer and wanted to finally use it, so I tried this chowder from the book. It has a great flavor and a slight kick and is much lighter than normal corn chowder. This makes 8 servings.