Creamed Corn With Bacon And Chipotle

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 slices smoked bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, minced (or a large shallot)
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob (or 3 c frozen corn, thawed)
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (or more if more heat is desired, or alternatively, use 1 - 2 tsp pure chile powder, such as ancho or)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (or more, to taste, depending on sweetness of corn)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional) or 2 tablespoons parsley (optional)

Recipe

• 1 cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat until the bacon is soft and much of the fat is rendered. remove about half to 2/3 of the bacon fat, leaving about a tablespoon. (be strong! resist the urge to leave in the bacon fat. you're adding butter and cheese shortly, and - trust me -the dish will get too greasy).
• 2 add onion and red bell pepper and continue to saute until vegetables are soft and bacon is slightly crisp, about 5 minutes more.
• 3 melt in the butter, then tumble in your corn kernels, along with the garlic and chipotle. turn the heat to medium and saute until the corn begins to get a bit soft, about 5 minutes.
• 4 turn the heat to high and stir in the cream, chicken broth, sugar, and black pepper (hold off on the salt for now). bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half. taste the mixture for texture and salt level. cook longer if necessary, adding some more half & half if needed (as an alternative to more half & half, you can add more chicken broth, or even low-fat milk). add a pinch of salt if necessary (note: be careful with the salt - keep in mind the bacon and chicken broth contain salt, and so does the parmesan you'll be adding in a moment, so you may only need to add a small amount of salt. you can always add more salt at the end, but removing it ain't so easy!).
• 5 when the corn is cooked and sauce is clinging to the corn, remove from the heat and stir in cheese. (note: never boil liquids after adding cheese; the cheese’s oils may separate).
• 6 taste and adjust salt & pepper, sugar, and/or chipotle. serve warm, garnished with chopped chives or parsley.