The Featured Dish for the Magazine Monday Series is.......Corn and Crab Chowder!

Yeah..…I know it isn’t Monday but this post qualifies for the series. I didn't heat up the kitchen with this one....because it’s still quite hot here. Still. And no one wants to hear about the summer heat anymore because most all of us are suffering through it so …no unique conditions at Squirrel Head Manor. I’m just pissing and moaning. Since it's hot I made a chowder...in the crockpot :-)


This week for Magazine Monday I opted to use some crab we had in the freezer and combine it with fresh corn from a local fresh vegetable market.
This is another recipe we tried which was good the first evening, but unsatisfactory for the second heating. And I will say, I reheated it very gently.

But don't stop reading....don't eliminate this one yet! A fresh bowl of this chowder is a treat. We liked it, didn’t love it, and yet I saw potential in this chowder by perhaps swapping out evaporated milk for half-and-half. But will I try it again? Not sure. I did notice other food bloggers tried this and loved it. Again, different opinions…….


You need a slow cooker for this one. You can cook it on High for 4 hours or Low for 6 hours.



Ingredients

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth (3-1/2 cups) NOTE: I used homemade chicken broth – really fresh too, as I crocked the chicken carcasses 8 hours prior to starting the prep for this chowder


1/2 pound all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup baby carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium-size onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, trimmed and diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
5 ears corn on the cob, husks removed
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated skim milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 container (8 ounces) pasteurized crab claw meat (such as Phillips)


Combine chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, thyme and Old Bay in a large oval slow cooker. Place corn on the cob on top of vegetables. I went with the slow speed - Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

In a bowl, stir together red pepper, evaporated milk, cornstarch and salt.

Uncover slow cooker and remove corn to a cutting board. Stir red pepper mixture into slow cooker, replace cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

When the corn cools down, cut kernels from cobs. Stir corn kernels and crab meat into soup and heat through. Serve warm.

The first night we had it as first course and side with grilled amberjack. The shavings of corn stayed intact and made for a hearty chowder. Lots of everything in each spoonful.




It went very well with the grilled fish and Chardonnay. The second night it was described as “It tastes like a seafood shop smells” and sadly…that was true. Just off putting enough.




Busted!
When I was peeling potatoes, one rolled off the counter.
Aja has since learned she does not like raw potatoes. After nibbling this one, she ignores any peels I toss her way. Kobe still eats the peels.......Aja has refined her taste on that issue.




This recipe is from Family Circle magazine July 2010 issue. Don’t let my opinion sway you and if this sort of chowder is something you’d like, do try it and PLEASE let me know what you thought. Especially if you changed the recipe a bit.

For us, it will probably go in the Fail Barn. And no, I didn’t preface that statement with in my opinion but..…there it is.

I will be sending this to Tia at Buttercream Barbie who is the guest host for Ivonne this week. Lucky Ivonne, founder of the Magazine Monday series, is spending three weeks in Italy …….I, for one, will be looking forward to photos and salacious details of Italian food, drinks, festivities and photos. Hope you are having a blast Creampuff.

Cheers!