Amusing

I should have kept Peter's lovely bowls for this application - they were so dramatic and small enough to serve an amuse bouche in style. These little bowls will have to suffice, however, as the girls I gifted Peter's bowls with at Christmas were thrilled and they took them straight home with them.

I made an ersatz clam chowder this week. I had some shrimp stock in the freezer and some organic potatoes that were threatening to sprout in the veggie bin, so I improvised a seafood chowder. We tried it last night as a little starter; these bowls are only an inch or two in diameter. It's not the usual thick, creamy New England clam chowder but it's a beloved cousin to that.

I chopped the better part of a big onion and softened that in butter, then added celery and finely chopped potatoes. When I added the shrimp stock, I also put in a couple of bay leaves to stew with the stock. I added the can of baby clams last, along with the liquor in the can, and let it all simmer for about 20 minutes before pouring in some half and half. I did add about a tablespoon of flour cooked for a few minutes in a like amount of butter to give it a little more body but it wasn't like the gluey clam chowder one gets sometimes in restaurants where they don't know any better and think you can substitute thickness for flavor.

Briny and sweet at the same time, the tender little clams yielded their essence and extra texture to the chowder. The shrimp stock remained staunchly shrimpy despite the addition of the baby clams and clam juice from the can, lending the soup its own individual taste. The vegetables were soft but not limp, giving extra flavor and texture to the whole.

I served the amuse bouches just to taste it but we'll have it for lunch or dinner the next day, when it all has a chance to really meld into a satisfying seafood soup.

The Perfect Chowder

Ever since I tasted Turner's clam chowder many years ago in Boston, I've been looking for the Perfect New England Chowder Experience again.  Chowder in a restaurant is often disappointing, with little clam taste, a texture reminiscent of library paste and with few bumpy little chopped clams.  

Turner's, on the other hand, is thick because it's rich with cream and clams, and enhanced with a little bacon.  The flavor of the sea is distinct, but so is the flavor of the onions, celery, parsley, etc.  They use quahogs for the deep flavor and cherry stones for their tenderness.  They work hard on their chowder and it pays.  I used to miss Turner's.

Used to miss?  Yes, because I've discovered where they make great, if incongruous, West Coast New England Chowder.  My Beloved and I went for New Year's Eve lunch to  Yankee Pier in Larkspur, CA (and they have other locations).  My Beloved ordered the New England clam chowder but I, jaded after so many years of disappointing chowders, refrained.  When cup arrived, the scent of clams came with it and I was tempted but still didn't order a cup for myself.  My heart had been hardened by bitter experience.  When he offered a taste, however, I succumbed and then had to beat down the urge to polish off his cup myself.

This is lovely chowder.  It has all the flavors I missed since I moved west, plus a nice little dill-flavored biscuit floating in the soup.  If you have been craving really good clam chowder, hie thee to Larkspur and have a good time.  

This is a good place to take the children or grandchildren, too, as out front they have a seating area that includes a sandbox.  When the little darlings get bored and restless, they have something to do besides whine and get under the servers' feet.

What did I have while My Beloved was slurping down his chowder?  A perfectly lovely Dungeness crab salad made with fresh, whole leaves of butter lettuce very lightly dressed, a nice fan of avocado slices and topped with a generous serving of crab.  The tangy Louis sauce was thoughtfully provided on the side so I could add only as much as I wanted.  I'm not a huge salad fan, especially not in winter, but this was perfect - fresh, light, local.


But next time I go, I'm having a Perfect New England Clam Chowder Experience.