Classic Clam Chowder

Name: Classic Clam Chowder
Prep time: 1 h 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, chopped; 1 bay leaf; 2 Tbsps butter; 3 Tbsps butter, melted; 59 milliliters all-purpose flour; 59 milliliters chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 6 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 garlic cloves, smashed; 473 milliliters heavy cream; 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced; 1 lemon, juiced; 16 littleneck clams, scrubbed well; 3 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil; 6 servings Olive oil; 6 servings Extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 6 servings Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 473 milliliters crushed saltine crackers (crackers wrapped in a tea towel and smashed with a rolling pin; 1 leave from 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 710 milliliters water; 118 milliliters white wine

Classic Clam Chowder requires around 1 hour and 40 minutes from start to finish. One portion of this dish contains about 10g of protein, 81g of fat, and a total of 931 calories. This recipe serves 6. This recipe covers 18% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. It works well as a hor d'oeuvre. It is an affordable recipe for fans of American food. This recipe from Foodnetwork requires white wine, heavy cream, olive oil, and onion. If you like this recipe, you might also like recipes such as Classic Clam Chowder, Classic Manhattan Clam Chowder, and Clam chowder.

Instructions

Start by making the clam broth: Put a large pot over medium heat, add the bacon and saute until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Bacon

Broth

Equipment you will use

Pot

Remove the cooked bacon pieces from the pot and reserve them for something else.

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Real Bacon Pieces

Equipment you will use

Pot

Add a 1-count of olive oil, the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

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Vegetable

Olive Oil

Bay Leaves

Garlic

Onion

Thyme

Add the clams, lemon juice, white wine, and water and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes to steam open the clams.

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Lemon Juice

White Wine

Clams

Water

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Pot

Remove the clams from the pot, discarding any that don't open. Strain the broth into a bowl. Pull the clams out of their shells, chop them, and set them aside separately; discard the shells. Set the broth aside.

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Pasta Shells

Broth

Clams

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Bowl

Pot

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.

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Olive Oil

Butter

Soup

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Pot

Add the bacon, onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the bacon renders its fat and the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well.

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Vegetable

Garlic

Bacon

All Purpose Flour

Onion

Thyme

Pour in the clam broth and bring to a boil.

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Broth

Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).

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Potato

Cream

Soup

Add the chopped clams and season with salt and pepper.

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Salt And Pepper

Clams

Now add the 16 clams in their shells. Cover and simmer to open the clams, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve hot, with the common crackers.

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Crackers

Parsley

Pasta Shells

Clams

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

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Oven

Put the crushed crackers in a bowl, add the oil and melted butter, and toss to coat the crackers with the fat.

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Crackers

Butter

Cooking Oil

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Bowl

Spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

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Spread

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Baking Sheet

Oven

Equipment

Recommended wine: Chardonnay, Alcoholic Drink, White Wine, Ingredient, Food Product Category, Sauvignon Blanc, Wine, Dry White Wine, Riesling, Drink, Menu Item Type

Chardonnay, Alcoholic Drink, and White Wine are great choices for Clam Chowder. Chowder can benefit from a crisp white to cut through the rich, creamy broth - or you can go big or go home with a rich, buttery chardonnay. The Kenwood Sonoma County Chardonnay with a 4.1 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 11 dollars per bottle.

Kenwood Sonoma County Chardonnay

The majority of the fruit for this blend was sourced from Sonoma County's Russian River Valley renowned for its excellent Chardonnay. Bright fruity aromas of pear, apple, and lime are nicely balanced by complex notes of toasted vanilla and ginger. Full bodied with a lush mouthfeel and a crisp refreshing finish.