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Clam Chowder with Bacon Croutons

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"Most of my fantasy of what adulthood would be like came from watching Barefoot Contessa episodes, in which Ina cooks simple, perfect meals in her sunny kitchen, and a cast of friends stop by to share jokes and snacks. But have you ever tried to make actual plans with friends in real life? A simple 'We should get dinner!' can take forty-two texts to put on the calendar three weeks later, and still need to be rescheduled at the last minute because something came up. But I think I've cracked the code. Almost without fail, when I tell friends I've made too much layer cake or am drowning in netted bags of clams�more on that in a moment�my buzzer rings in under ninety minutes, and it's all I ever wanted. Although, hmmm, does Ina hand out gritty 5-pound sacks of cherrystones as door prizes? Thanks to a totally minor, could-happen-to-anyone (right?) grocery mishap while testing this recipe, I'd ordered 4 pounds but received 22 pounds of cherrystone clams. I barely have the fridge space for a spare cantaloupe, so I begged friends to take them off my hands. Later that evening, as one friend shared a picture of the clam pizza he'd made and another was slurping linguine alle vongole, I shared that the clam chowder had finally come out perfectly, and it was a bit like a needle scratching off a record. They had not been aware that there was a Deb-makes-clam-chowder-for-a-crowd option they could have forced my hand on if they'd just waited. I mean, would you rather pick up raw clams, or a container of warm chowder with bacon and sourdough croutons as a door prize? I promise, I've made it right since. And this is what all of that fuss was about, what I consider the perfect clam chowder. My hunt is over�with no canned broth (we make our own when we steam the clams), busy like a stew, seasoned with a conviction of black pepper, and, this is absolutely key for me, no soggy pieces of bacon. Instead, we crisp it, and then make sourdough croutons in the renderings, for a crunchy soup-finish that's the best thing since oyster crackers. The serving size here is just for us, but don't worry: it scales well to whatever volume of clams, or friends, shows up on your doorstep that day."

List of Ingredients

◦ 6 pounds cherrystone clams
◦ Kosher salt
◦ 6 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced medium (� inch)
◦ 2 cups medium-diced sourdough bread
◦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
◦ 1 tablespoon olive oil
◦ 1 large rib celery, diced
◦ 1 medium sweet onion (such as Spanish), diced
◦ 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
◦ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
◦ Freshly ground black pepper
◦ � cup dry white wine (optional)
◦ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
◦ 1 � pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled if you wish, cut into �-inch pieces
◦ 1 bay leaf
◦ � cup heavy cream
◦ 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives


Recipe

Clean the clams: Rinse and scrub them gently with a brush to remove any excess debris. Combine 3 tablespoons kosher salt and 1 � quarts water in a large bowl, and add the clams. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes; then scoop the clams out of the water (leaving the sandy debris in the bowl). Rinse again under cold water.

Cook the clams and make your broth: Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a large pot with a lid, or the 5-quart Dutch oven or soup pot you'll be using for the chowder. Carefully add the cleaned clams, cover the pot, and cook until the clams just open, about 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any clams that haven't opened. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a large bowl, leaving the cooking water behind. Pour the water through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup. If you don't have 4 � cups of liquid, add water until you do. This will be your clam broth. If you're using the same pot for the chowder, rinse it well to ensure no grit has stayed behind. Pull the meat from the clams, and chop it into �-inch pieces. (You should have 1 � cups.) Discard the shells.

Make the bacon croutons: Scatter the bacon in the bottom of your cold soup pot, then turn heat up to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until the bacon is evenly browned and crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon bits to paper towels to drain. Add the sourdough to the bacon fat, and crisp it, turning frequently, until it's golden all over. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl, and add the bacon; set aside for serving.

Add the butter and olive oil to the pan, and once the butter is melted, cook the celery, onion, garlic, and thyme until soft, for 6 to 8 minutes. Season lightly with salt, and more heavily with pepper. Add the wine, and simmer, scraping up any stuck bits. Stir in the flour, and cook until it's golden, for 2 minutes; then gradually whisk in the clam broth. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, and lots of freshly ground black pepper, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 18 minutes. For a thicker soup, you can smash about a quarter of the potatoes against the bottom of your pot with your spoon.

To finish: Remove the pot from the heat, and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the cream and the reserved clams. Season well with black pepper, and salt if needed. Ladle into bowls, and garnish each bowl with bacon, croutons, and chives.

Makes 8 cups, serving 4 to 6






❧ Do Ahead:
Clams and broth can be prepared one day ahead. Store them separately in the fridge, well sealed.