Recipes for Clam Chowder?

[marito]

Hi everyone! I'm searching for a good clam chowder recipe. I found a few but I'm thinking of making a basic clam chowder. What I mean is, whit a few ingredients. Like:
Potatoes, white pepper, cream, butter, flour, eggs, and of course clams. But the thing is, I dont know how much of each to use for about 10 servings and dont know the procces for making it. Can someone tell me how to make the clam chowder?
Thank you!

[cape chef]

cape chef
Tender Perennial

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: CT.
Posts: 4074

Mmmmm, Chowder!!!

It’s really quite simple you know.

First, you drive up to the Cape, buy your claming permit and head to Eastham’s “Great Salt Pond” (be sure to have on old sneakers)

Now you dig for cherry stones and quahogs. After that, you head to your cottage, wash, and scrub the clam very, very well under cold running water.

Then in a large stockpot place some thinly sliced onions, a couple pieces of fresh thyme, a bit of white wine a bay leaf or two and some water (not much though, your looking to steam, not boil the clams)

Gently place your incredible clean clam in the pot, cover and fire it up. Let them steam until the little guys open up then kill the heat.

Carefully remove the clams and let them cool, Strain your now wonderful clam broth through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth and reserve.

So, at this time you of course have lots of diced celery and onion, as well as lardoons of bacon. In a pot, slowly render your bacon (pancetta and fat back will work also) when your bacon is three 1/4s cooked add the vegetables and a bouquet garni and sauté until the veggies are tender.

Add a bit of flour to this to develop a roux (not to much, just enough to help marry everything) cook this out for a few minutes and add a bit of white wine from Truro and reduce by half, then add your broth (you may need some water as well) please no salt at this time because your base may be salty already.

So now peel some white spuds and dice, then pull your mollusks and dice as well. Bring a spot of cream to a simmer (or milk, or ½ & ½ but I like cream)

Be sure to stir your developing soup as your have a bottom roux that will scorch if left alone.

Ok, add your spuds and cook until tender, then your clams, then and your cream.

Add a nice shot of fresh thyme and dill (I like it this way) check and adjust your seasoning, remove your bouquet garni and you should be ready to enjoy


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[panini]

question from the sweet side.
what is lardoons of bacon? I use salt pork, any of those this?

[shroomgirl]

1/4" thick strips of bacon.... I buy Volpi pancetta....sounds lucious....jee as an inlander think I could possibly use fresh clams not hand dug by my own hands? And what is Turou wine?

[cape chef]

Lardoons are a small piece of pork fat (Salt pork included) that you render as your base.

Truro is a local winery on the Cape,it's just before P-Town