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Christmas: Oyster and Clam Chowder

Source of Recipe

From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"This chowder makes a wonderful holiday brunch or supper. A delicious homemade soup is one of the most gracious of all foods, with the exception of homemade bread, and Southern cooks are at their happiest making these two themes of glory. Brillat-Savarin, the eminent French gastronome who wrote the famous book The Physiology of Taste, is reputed to have said, 'A woman who cannot make a good soup should not be allowed to marry.' I don't think we dare go that far, but this I know: we do love a good soup. A fine soup is made of the freshest ingredients available. Leftovers and yesterday's 'mistakes' scraped into the pot make an inferior soup. Good cooking is admittedly time-consuming but ever so rewarding, and a great pleasure to your family and friends. Have plenty of festive celery curls, carrot sticks, pickles, and bread sticks on hand to serve with the Oyster and Clam Chowder. For the crowning touch, serve coffee and pass the homemade gingerbread."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cups homemade chicken stock
â—¦ 2 cups whole milk
â—¦ 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
â—¦ 3 shallots, peeled and minced, or 2 slices onion
â—¦ ½ red bell pepper, finely slivered
â—¦ ¼ cup water
â—¦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 pint fresh oysters, chopped, with their juice
â—¦ 1 can (8 ounces) clams, with their juice, or 1 cup minced fresh clams plus ½ cup juice
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
â—¦ Cayenne pepper to taste
â—¦ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
â—¦ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)
â—¦ Chowder crackers, for serving


Recipe

Pour the chicken stock, milk, and cream into the top of a large double boiler or into a roomy kettle set over a pan of hot water. Cook, stirring frequently, over a medium heat until hot and thoroughly combined, but do not allow the mixture to boil.

Combine the shallots, bell pepper, water, and butter in a shallow saucepan. Simmer until the bell pepper and shallots are tender and the water has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add to the stock mixture. Add the oysters and clams, with their juices, to the stock mixture and stir well. Season to taste with salt, white pepper, and cayenne.

Heat the chowder over boiling water until it is just below the boiling point. *Never allow the chowder to boil.* Discard the onion slices if you used them, and taste and correct the seasoning. Sprinkle with the parsley—and the chives, if desired—and serve with chowder crackers.

Serves 6 to 8



• Variation:
For a richer soup, add one or two egg yolks just before the chowder is finished. Egg yolks are a more delicate thickening agent than flour and butter (beurre manié).

• Shallots are always preferred to onions in seafood, but I'll bet the fishermen used onions. And if you like, you can crumble a few chowder crackers into the soup, the way the fishermen always did.