So given the cooler than usual and dreary conditions, I thought a soup and biscuits dinner sounded like a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, as the afternoon progressed and I started my preparations for the meal, the weather became warm and sticky. So I ended up sweating through the rest of my preparations and the meal itself.
BUT... The meal was delicious. The chowder was really flavorful and the biscuits, though they weren't necessarily supposed to be paired with the chowder, came out great and tied in with the basil in the soup beautifully. The original biscuit recipe actually calls for purple basil, which I think is supposed to have a bit more of a mild flavor, but I couldn't find it, so I just used regular basil. Though maybe I should have used Thai basil in pairing these two recipes... Hmmmm...
The meal was quite labor-intensive. But I'm sure that was felt a bit more with the growing heat and the fact that it was the second meal that I had made that day. I'll be sure to wait until it's a bit cooler and less busy when I make it again. But I will make it again.
Thai Corn Chowder
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
4 ears corn
2 cups diced red-skinned potatoes (about 12 ounces)
3/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, smashed
8 black peppercorns
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thirds (optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
1 red jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
8 fresh basil leaves
8 fresh mint leaves
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish
1 tomato, seeded and diced
Cut off the corn kernels; set aside. Combine the cobs, 1 cup potatoes, 1/2 cup scallions, 1 tablespoon ginger, the garlic, peppercorns and 5 cups water in a pot. Smash the lemongrass, if using, and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
About 10 minutes before the broth is finished, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a separate pot. Add the remaining 1 cup potatoes, season with salt and cook until slightly soft, 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon ginger and the jalapeño; cook 1 minute. Add the corn kernels; cook until the vegetables are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Strain the broth, pressing out as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Add 2 cups of the strained broth to the potatoes and corn; bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, basil and mint; season with salt. Stir until simmering. Remove from the heat and add the radishes, cilantro and lime juice. Top with diced tomato and the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and serve with lime wedges.
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Basil Parmesan Biscuits
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2/3 cup fat-free milk
1 large egg
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in basil and cheese. Combine milk and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
The dough will be very sticky. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap. Wrap it up tightly and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. The longer you chill it, the easier it will be to work with when you're ready to cut out the biscuits.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat to 1-inch-thick circle. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter into 12 biscuits. Place biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool.
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