I have been making a copycat recipe of the corn chowder they serve at Mimi’s Cafe in California for years.  Years.  I have only recently started adding and changing some things with the recipe, and I’m sharing the new and improved version of the soup today.

Mimi’s Cafe is a chain, and there is one right next door to the hotel we always stay at when we got to Disneyland.  To say we eat there a lot is a gross understatement.  It’s SO good.  When you sit down, they immediately give you a big bread basket with warm french baguettes and carrot raisin bread, to die for in itself, but the biggest draw for me is their corn chowder.

Back when I started going to Mimi’s, over a decade ago, they had the recipe listed on their website.  It was one of the first recipes I ever shared when I started blogging.  The pictures were absolutely terrible, but the recipe really does taste like Mimi’s.

28 days till I’m back at the happiest place on earth, which means exactly 28 days till I have that bread basket and corn chowder in front of me again. Not that I’m counting or anything.

I’ve updated this recipe a bit now.  I use fresh corn straight off the cob and I add carrots.  I puree the potato mixture a bit, which gives me a rich chowder texture but allows me to cut a lot of the cream.  I use chicken broth for some extra flavor.

Try out this soup, you’re going to love it.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced, peeled carrots
2 cups cubed potatoes, (I use peeled Yukon Golds)
5 pieces of sweet white corn, cut off the cob.
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
salt & pepper to taste.

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat your butter and saute your onions, celery, and carrots until soft.  Set aside.

In a second soup pot or dutch oven (I prefer a dutch oven but mine was already in use for homemade bread on this day), cook your potatoes in your chicken broth, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

Use an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor if you don’t have an immersion blender) to puree your potato/chicken broth mixture until smooth.  Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook for about 10 minutes to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the corn and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.  Add the half and half and adjust salt/pepper seasoning if needed.

Enjoy!