Today Dishing: New England Clam Chowder

Have you ever longed to cook a particular dish but shied away because you thought it too difficult? New England Clam Chowder is that dish for me.

When chowder is on a menu, I invariably order it. There are thick chowders, thin chowders, chowders with too few clams and chowders that are just right. The best New England Clam Chowder eaten by me is found at Crawdaddy's in Jensen Beach, Florida. It's unlike any other chowder I've tasted. Word is there is a "secret" sauce added just before serving which amps up the flavor and adds a bit of heat. My mouth waters for it now as I describe it.

I was promised a lesson in chowder making from my son's friend, Heather, who is the proprietor of the Port St. Lucie, Florida Outback Restaurant. Since the promise, my son relocated to Dallas  and a trip back to Port St. Lucie is no where in the distant future.

Not wavering, I decided to put on my big girl pants and take a stab at this concoction myself. After extensive reading, I decided on a combination of two recipes, which for my taste offers the qualities I prefer in chowder.

Unlike most soups, chowders must be planned ahead. On any given day I can decide at two in the afternoon to make soup for dinner and trust I have the needed ingredients. Not so with clam chowder. Because you need fresh clams, a trip to the store is a must. The Clinton St. recipe says frozen clams can be used but as yet, I haven't found them. Littleneck clams are readily available at major grocery store chains. They run about 50 cents a pop, making this a more expensive, or should I say "special" soup to make. 

 The Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook and Ruth Reichl's, The Gourmet Cookbook offer really good chowder recipes but for me, combining bits from each produced my take on chowder.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Serves 5-6

36 small hard-shelled clams (less than 2 inches wide), such as littlenecks.
1 1/2 cups water
2  medium boiling potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bacon slices, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup clam juice
1 cup half-and-half, for thicker chowder use heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh ground pepper

Put clams and cold water in a  4- quart saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Cover and steam until clams open, 5 to 8 minutes, checking frequently after 5 minutes and transferring them to a bowl as they open. Discard any clams that have not opened. Reserve cooking liquid.
                                              
When clams are cool enough to handle, remove from shells and coarsely chop. Carefully pour cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, leaving any grit in pan.
      
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch dice.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, reserved cooking liquid, clam juice, cayenne and bay leaf  and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove bay leaf.

Stir in clams, half-and-half (or heavy cream) and salt and pepper to taste and cook until heated through, about 1 minute; do not let boil.
 

Oyster crackers add the finishing touch.

Honestly, I don't understand why I hesitated. This is not difficult to make and the result is mighty tasty.