Corn Chowder with Whiskey

Corn chowder with a flambé. The recipe’s signature move is dousing sautéed corn and onions in a slug of Jack Daniels whiskey, igniting it, and tilting the pot so the flames lick every kernel. The alcohol burns off in seconds; what’s left behind is a smoky, oak-edged sweetness that plain corn chowder can’t touch.

Be confident with the flambé. Pour the whiskey directly into the pan off the heat first, then return to the burner and tip toward the flame to ignite (or use a long match if you’ve got an electric stove). Keep the pot lid handy in case the flame climbs higher than expected. Hood vents off, sleeves rolled up.

After the flames die, the chowder builds the way most cream chowders do: stir in flour to make a quick roux, whisk in chicken broth and half-and-half, simmer until thickened, then drop in the cooked potato cubes to heat through.

Use sweet frozen corn at peak season or fresh kernels cut from the cob. The whiskey treatment exaggerates whatever flavor the corn brings to the pot, so quality matters here.

Chef Tips

• Cook the potatoes separately and add at the end. Tossing raw cubes in too early breaks them down and clouds the broth.
• Whisk continuously after adding the flour. Lumpy roux makes lumpy chowder.
• Keep the cream-broth mixture under a hard simmer. A rolling boil can curdle the half-and-half.
• A pinch of smoked paprika or a few drops of liquid smoke amplifies the whiskey’s oaky character.

Variations

• Stir in cooked, crumbled bacon and use the rendered fat in place of some of the butter.
• Add diced red bell pepper and a pinch of cayenne for color and heat.
• Substitute bourbon, rye, or smoky Scotch for the Jack; each pulls the chowder in a different direction.