Add the corn in the husk onto a sheet tray and back in the oven at 425° for about 25 minutes.
In a large hot pot on high heat, render the bacon fat and cook the bacon until it becomes crispy. Once it is cooked, remove the bacon from the pan, turn down the heat to medium, and add in the onions, celery, peppers, and garlic and sweat over low heat for 10-15 minutes
Deglaze with the cream sherry and cook until it becomes absorbed, and only a small amount remains. The technical term for this is au sec, which means almost gone.
Now, remove the corn from the oven and cool slightly before shucking and trim the kernels off of the cob and add them to the pot with sautéed vegetables along with the potatoes.
Pour in the stock, turn the heat to high, and bring the soup to a boil.
In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water and then whisk the slurry or roux into the soup until it becomes very thick, as a chowder should be, and cook it for a few more minutes over medium-low heat. The technical term is called nappe, which means the soup can coat the bacon of a spoon.
Whisk in ½ and 1/2 and add back in the crispy bacon lardons along with salt, pepper,Worcestershire sauce, and tabasco sauce.
Adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Lea & Perrins, and garnish with green onions and crispy bacon lardons.
Notes
Chef Notes:
To also ensure the corn is ripe and in season shuck the very top part of the corn by pulling it apart exposing the top of the corn cob. If the corn kernels are bright yellow, firm, in tact and full on the cob then you are good to go.
A roux is a thickening agent used in cooking and commonly used in chowders. It provides thickness and body to the soup.
How to Store: This corn chowder can be stored covered in a plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. In addition it can be frozen covered in a plastic container for up to 2 months. After thawing it can be reheated as described above.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Complete steps 1 through 4 in a slow cooker using the saute function.
Next, cook the corn chowder, along with the potatoes on high heat in the slow cooker for 2 hours or until the potatoes are tender.
Instead of using a roux to thicken the soup, use a slurry which is equal parts volume of corn starch and water a mixed together and then whisk it into the soup and cook until it becomes thick stirring every few minutes.
Once it is thick simply set the slow cooker to warm and serve with garnishes of sliced green onions and crisp cooked bacon lardons.