Shelly's Recipe

CREAMY CLAM CHOWDER

Category: Chowders

Milk broth
6 cups milk
2 cups whipping cream
Onion trimmings
1/2 bunch fresh thyme or marjoram
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground allspice

Chowder
3 dozen littleneck clams, well-scrubbed
1/2 lbs bacon, cut into small strips
1 white onion, diced
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup flour
1 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
Chopped fresh parsley, chervil, thyme, tarragon and/or marjoram, to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

To make broth: Scald milk and cream with onion trimmings, thyme, bay leaves and allspice. Let steep 30 minutes, then strain through a sieve and discard solids.

To make chowder: Place clams in a large pot with lid, covering bottom of pot with about 1 inch of water. Over high heat, steam clams until they open, shaking often so they cook evenly. Cool till you can handle clams, then remove them from their shells. Discard shells. Strain clam liquor through paper-towel-lined sieve, reserving strained liquid.

In a large soup pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve. Drain off and discard about half the fat. In the remaining bacon fat cook onion and celery until transparent. Add flour and stir to combine, cooking 2 to 3 minutes to get rid of raw flour taste. Add milk broth and bring to a boil. Add diced potato and simmer about 10 minutes or until tender. Add clams with their liquor, bacon and chopped herbs. Bring to a boil, season with salt, pepper and cayenne, and serve immediately.