Clam Chowder

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I promised you some chowder recipes. I don't know why the corn chowder one does not appear in this section with the other soups and chosders, but if you click on my name, you will find it. You will also find my discussion on preparing bivalvees for recipes. Now for classic white clam chowder. 24 cherrystone (or other large) clams 1 litre/1 quart water 1 bay leaf 3 ml/1/2 tsp. rosemary leaves (not ground; it makes the broth murky) Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley 4 whole black peppercorns 6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped* 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 2 red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, diced 1 mealy/floury/baking potato, diced 5ml/1 tsp. dry thyme 6-8 gratings nutmeg 1 litre/1 quart whole milk 125ml/1/2 cup heavy/whipping/double cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Garnish: Sweet Hungarian or smoked Spanish paprika or Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley * Do not used brown sugar or maple cured bacon or any other sweetened kind as it will clash with the other flavors here; hickory smoked bacon is good here. Clean the clams so they disgorge their sand. (For complete instructions, see my posting onpreparing bivalves.) Put the water, herbs and peppercorns in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the clams and cook 5-15 minutes. AS clams open fully, remove immediately to a bowl; do not allow to overcook. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, in another pot, cook the bacon over medium to medium-low heat until it releaes its fat but does not become crisp. Stir in onion and celery; cook until tender. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, 10 minutes. Stir in the thyme and nutmeg, cooking a minute to release the fragrance. Strain the clam cooking water through several thicknesses of cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter. Add to the potato mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent sticking. The liquid should reduce. Meanwhile, when the shells are cook eough to handle, remove the clams from them and chop them. Discard the shells and put the clams and the juices they release into another bowl. Strain the liquid in the shell bowl into the potato mixture. Add the milk, clams and their juice to the pot and heat until the milk just bubbles at the edges. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Taste and season. Garnish and serve. Serves 6.