New England Crab Chowder W Nutmeg Croutons Recipes

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large stockpot bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the clams, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and quickly stir the clams with a wooden spoon. Cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (this will depend on the type and size of the clams), or until most of the clams are open.
• Transfer the clams to a large bowl or baking dish and strain the broth twice through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, being careful to strain out the sand. (You should have about 8 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 8 cups.) When the clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set the clams and broth aside.
• Cook the bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat until crisp and the fat is rendered. Pour off all the bacon fat except 2 tablespoons. Add the 4 tablespoons butter, leeks, onions, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly wilted, about 3 minutes, being careful not to brown. Add the potatoes and reserved clam broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the broth thickens slightly and the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. (If you like a thicker broth, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.). Remove from the heat, Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves, stir in the clams and cream, and season with the pepper and the salt to taste.
• Set the chowder aside for 1 hour, covered, to allow the flavors to marry. Place the pot over low heat and slowly reheat, being careful not to let boil. Serve hot; garnish each bowl with a pat of butter and some parsley and chives.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly. Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender. Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.;
• Melt the butter in a large skillet and toss the bread cubes in the butter until browned and toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper.;

NEW ENGLAND CRAB CHOWDER W/ NUTMEG CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, place the Peeled & cubed potato and chopped carrots. In a smaller bowl, put the minced garlic, chopped scallions & celery.
• In a large saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until it is melted. Add the garlic-scallion-celery mixture and saute, stirring until the scallions are wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in flour and cook, until the flour is no longer visible, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and then add the potato, carrots, pepper and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Let mixture return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, drain the crabmeat and pick out any pieces of shell or cartilage. Toast thr bread.
• In a small saucepan or skillet, combine the remaining 4 tsp. butter with the remaining 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and cook over low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Brush the toast with the nutmeg butter and cut into triangles.
• Increase the heat under the soup to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add the crab, and milk, and cook until just heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve the soup with the nutmeg croutons.