Directions

1. Start with an unheated soup pot or a large Dutch oven. Dice the bacon strips into ½-inch pieces and place bacon in the pan. Turn heat to medium and cook bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the bacon pieces and leave the bacon drippings in the pan. For a healthier version, remove the bacon drippings from the pan.
2. Using the same pan, sauté the onion and celery over medium heat until onion is translucent, 5-7 minutes.
3. Add diced potato, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover until the potatoes are tender, about 7-9 minutes.
4. Add the corn and simmer an additional 3 minutes for fresh sweet corn. If using frozen corn increase simmer time to 6 minutes.
5. While the corn is simmering, in a small saucepan heat the half-and-half over medium heat until scalded.
6. In a heat-resistant bowl whisk together the half-and-half and cream, and let cream warm up for 3-4 minutes. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and increase the heat to a light boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to a simmer and let it thicken for 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stalk.
7. Use an immersion blender to puree 1/2 of the soup, leaving some whole potatoes and corn kernels. Or remove half of the soup and blend in a high-speed mixer. Then stir blended mixture back into the soup.
8. When the soup is at the desired consistency, remove the pan from the heat and stir in half of the crumbled bacon.
9. Divide the soup between two bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and green onions if desired.