Thick and Creamy New England Clam Chowder

You don't have to be from New England to know how wicked awesome this creamy, white, clam chowder is. A true New England clam chowder is thick, creamy and loaded with fresh clams. There's no other way to approach this New England staple. Both of us are from Massachusetts and have sampled many variations of this classic - the good and the not so good. The base must be creamy. But it can be tricky to gain the consistency necessary to achieve this. We've got the trick. There are also those recipes that ask for red potatoes with skin on viruses peeled russets. Honestly, the potatoes should not be seen - the clams are the star here. And the texture of the potato is ideal from a russet. Then there's bacon. We at Culinary Maidens aren't keen on the smoky taste, believing it dulls down the flavor of the sea. The chowder was derived with clams in mind, so we feel that the sweet, salty shellfish should shine. They're expensive, so why snuff out their deliciousness.

*Please read all instruction before attempting.

This recipe serves six - eight.

- 1/4 C heavy cream

- 2 1/2 C clam juice (we recommend the jarred juice - it's infused with more clam flavor) 

- 8 lbs of littleneck clams, steamed, shucked, and cut in half. (We steam them with beer for about 10-12 min. Remove from heat immediately when shells open to avoid chewy results.) 

- 4 russet potatoes, peeled & cut into nickel-sized square pieces

- 1 T butter

- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

- 1 1/2 T kosher salt

- 1 T cornstarch

1. The base of this chowder is our béchamel sauce. Please initially refer to this link for the recipe base.(replacement: chop a medium onion & leave in bechamel sauce. And sieving won't be necessary.)

2. Once the bechamel sauce is prepared, add the clam juice and potatoes. Simmer for 15 min or until potatoes are al dente.

3. Add T butter, salt, and pepper.

4. In the meantime, mix cream and cornstarch in bowl until well blended. Whisk into chowder. Simmer on medium/low heat until chowder thickens, about 15 min. (DO NOT LET CHOWDER BOIL - if cream mixture boils, the butter will seperate & settle on surface and chowder will thin. The mixture will not re-thicken once this happens.) Texture should be the consistency of heavy cream when ready.

5. When ready to serve, add clams to mix. Shut off heat, and let stand for 15 min to allow flavors to mingle. Serve with oyster crackers.