The Berkeley Chowder
From elgourmand 13 years ago
- 1 hr to make
- Serves 4
The onlyest troubles with restaurant Clam Chowder is that it, usually, isn’t creamy enough and, usually, doesn’t have enough clams. Well, what can you expect for $15.00? I know, every man, or woman, and his, or her, dog make the best clam chowder in the world. Read more Why should I be any different? Thirty odd years ago, I was doing a short sojourn in Boston (it was March, as I recall) and I was on a budget. I found this, little cafe, not too far from the Berkeley School of Music, that served the most fantastic New England clam chowder I’ve ever eatin; at a bargain price, too. What was a student joint doing serving the best clam chowder on the planet? No way could I get any info bout the recipe from the cook beyond; Yeah, it’s got clams, potatoes & milk in it; good luck. I have tried for years to recreate that chowder and never quite gotten it right. Memory fades over the years but I think I finally managed to do the Berkeley Chowder; last Saturday. I was pretty careful with the measurements but they are still “sorta and more or less”; just a bit less “sorta and more or less” than usual. See less
Ingredients
- • 3 or 4 strips of bacon, cut into bits. shopping list
- • 2 Tbs butter. shopping list
- • 1 lb russet potatoes, diced. shopping list
- • ½ cup chopped onion. shopping list
- • 1 Tbs flour. shopping list
- • 10 - 15 oz clam meat, from the fresh clams you just steamed, or from 2 or 3 x 10oz cans of clams, if you must. I actually have no idea what this will taste like using canned clams. I haven’t had a canned clam in over 20 years. Do try to get fresh. shopping list
- • 8 oz of clam juice, from those same fresh clams or bottled. Don’t recommend you use the juice that comes with the canned clams. They ain’t going to give you decent clam juice. shopping list
- • 1 small stalk of celery, chopped. shopping list
- • 1 1/4 cup whole milk. shopping list
- • 1 cup heavy cream. The heavy cream we get here is really rich. You may need to adjust the ratio of cram to milk depending on the “heavy cream” you get. shopping list
- • 1 small Bay leaf. shopping list
- • 1 tsp dried parsley, or some fresh, chopped. shopping list
- • salt & fresh ground pepper to taste. shopping list
How to make it
- 1. Steam up a mess of clams See Photo. Take t he meat out of the shell and reserve the juice.
- 2. Fry the bacon until the grease is rendered out but the bacon is not crisp.
- 3. Remove the bacon to a paper towel & the excess fat (there should only be about 1 table spoon of bacon grease left). Saute the potatoes, onion & celery until well coated with the bacon grease.
- 4. Add the butter & swish around a bit.
- 5. Add the Bay Leif.
- 6. Add the flour and saute until everything is well coated. See Photo
- 7. Add 8 to 10 oz of clam juice, stir and bring to the boil.
- 8. Reduce the heat, cover & let simmer until the potatoes are done, but not falling apart. Stir this now and then.
- 8. Remove the Bay Leif.
- 10. Prepare a mixture of 1 1/4 cup of whole milk and 1 cup of heavy cream.
- 11. Once the potatoes are just done, add the clams, milk & cream.
- 12. Add the drained bacon, OPTIONAL but I like it.
- 13. Stir & heat through until just about to simmer. Be sure to stir constantly. Careful here or you’ll curdle the cream.
- 14. Turn off the heat.
- 15. This is an excellent time to add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- 16. Serve while hot, garnishing with parsley or cilantro. See Photo
- A fresh green salad & some crusty French or chewy Italian bread goes really well with this.
- This chowder is rich & creamy so, if you like your chowder on the light side, add some milk or clam juice.
People Who Like This Dish 5
- NPMarie Magalia, CA
- jlv1023 Ansonia, Connecticut
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- elgourmand Apia, WS
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