Post by Admin on Oct 27, 2018 21:40:14 GMT
OREGON’S CLAM CHOWDER (crème based)
Oregon’s clams specifically the use of gaper clams or razor clams distinguishes the rich creamy texture of Oregon’s Clam Chowder from other well-known styles of clam chowders. Oregon’s Clam Chowder is based on the uniquely delicate flavor of gaper clams or razor clams. The blend of the quahog or cherry stone clams plus the other ingredients of the traditional New England or Manhattan clam chowders cannot compare to the delicate flavor of the gaper clams or razor clams that make our clam chowder uniquely Oregon’s Clam Chowder. I hope your family and friends enjoy Oregon’s Clam Chowder as much as my family and friends.
Each spring my wife and I debate how to cook the first limits of razor clams we have dug. She loves crème-based Oregon’s Clam Chowder as much as I love fried razor clams. I prepare the clam chowder using two limits of razor clams but it works just as well with one limit or a limit of bay clams (gaper, Martha Washington, cockles, softshell or 2 limits of purple varnish clams). I prefer the delicate flavor of gaper clams or the slightly more favorable but softer bodied purple varnish clams for my clam chowder.
Ingredients:
1 or 2 limits of clams depending on the yield of clams by size and species.
1 medium onion medium chopped (Walla Walla preferred)
2 garlic cloves minced
8 medium or 6 large white rose potatoes peeled and quartered. White rose potatoes have the best flavor for clam chowder. Use Yukon gold or red rose when white rose potatoes are unavailable.
1 46 oz. can of no clams added clam juice
1 sticks of unsalted butter with 1 stick of butter in reserve.
1 cup of flour with 1 cup of flour in reserve.
1 quart of half and half allowed to rise to room temperature or warmed on the stove top.
3 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat (optional).
Preparation:
1. Clean the purple varnish clams by blanching them in boiling water for up to 15 seconds. Most of the clam shells will pop open. Discard those that do not. Separate the clam meat from the shells. Separate the siphon tubes from the clam bodies. Remove the dark colored gills from the siphon tubes. Clean the siphon tubes by rinsing them in cold running water prior to storing them in a plastic bag.
2. Grasp and squeeze the clam’s body forcing out most of the visceral material. Use a paring knife to remove any of the remaining visceral material from the clam body. Once the clams are cleaned and washed store the clams in sealed plastic bags or in covered bowls for immediate use or vacuum pack the clams and freeze them for future use. Reserve any clam juice that weeps into the plastic bags or in the covered bowl until needed.
3. Skip step 3 if purple varnish clams are the clams being used to make the clam chowder. The essence of the flavor that makes Oregon’s Clam Chowder unique is contained in the clam bodies and digger feet. Puree the clam bodies and digger feet and refrigerate until needed.
4. Peel and dice a large white onion into medium pieces and set aside until needed.
5. Peel the skin from two large cloves of garlic. Crush the garlic using a garlic press and set aside until needed.
6. Some clam diggers like the flavor of bacon fat in their clam chowder. The use of bacon fat is optional. Sauté the onions and garlic in the large skillet with three tablespoons of bacon fat or one-half stick of melted butter. Sauté the onions until the onions are nearly cooked through before adding the garlic. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside until they are needed while retaining as much of the bacon fat or butter in the skillet as possible.
7. Peel eight medium or six large white rose or Yukon gold potatoes. White Rose potatoes are more flavorful than other potatoes. Quarter the potatoes and cut into medium bite size pieces. Put the chopped potatoes into a 16 quart. stock pot and add the contents from a forty-six oz. can of no clams added clam juice with a half teaspoon of salt. The large cans of clam juice can be purchased at Cash and Carry wholesale grocery chain stores.
8. Par-boil the potatoes slowly until they are nearly cooked through. Add the mixture of chopped clams to the nearly cooked potatoes. Continue par-boiling the potatoes and clam mixture until the clams are cooked through.
9. Pour the potatoes, cooked clams and the clam juice into a colander reserving the clam juice in a bowl until needed. Return the potatoes to the stock pot and add the sautéed garlic and onions. The potatoes and onion were cut into medium pieces because each batch of razor clam chowder lasts several days and every time the chowder is heated the potatoes and onions cook down into the chowder.
10. Using the large skillet containing the bacon fat or butter make a roux by melting equal parts of butter 1 stick to 1 cup of flour. Heat the butter and bacon fat over a medium heat and stir in the flour until the mixture thickens forming a paste. Add more flour or butter if needed to achieve a crème roux. Sautee the roux stirring with a whisk constantly for several minutes to eliminate the pasty taste of the flour. Increase to high heat while slowing adding a quart of room temperature half & half thinning the roux. Whisk stirring constantly until the roux thickens; then gradually add the clam juice to the roux until the entire mixture thickens. Remove the pot from the burner when the mixture reaches the boiling point and begins to bubble.
11. Combine the roux with the onions, potatoes and clam mixture in the stock pot under a low to low med heat. Stir constantly with a wire whisk or large spoon to prevent the chowder from sticking to the bottom of the stock pot. Add the purple varnish clams from step 2 or the clam mixture from step 3 to the clam chowder base. Continue stirring the chowder until the chowder begins to bubble. Remove the stock pot from the burner uncovered and allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Dish the chowder to soup bowls. Add a pate of butter. Grate with freshly ground Nut Meg and garnish with basil.
My wife and I salt and pepper to taste. She prefers back pepper and I prefer white. I prefer croutons in my chowder and she prefers Oyster crackers.
Oregon’s clams specifically the use of gaper clams or razor clams distinguishes the rich creamy texture of Oregon’s Clam Chowder from other well-known styles of clam chowders. Oregon’s Clam Chowder is based on the uniquely delicate flavor of gaper clams or razor clams. The blend of the quahog or cherry stone clams plus the other ingredients of the traditional New England or Manhattan clam chowders cannot compare to the delicate flavor of the gaper clams or razor clams that make our clam chowder uniquely Oregon’s Clam Chowder. I hope your family and friends enjoy Oregon’s Clam Chowder as much as my family and friends.
Each spring my wife and I debate how to cook the first limits of razor clams we have dug. She loves crème-based Oregon’s Clam Chowder as much as I love fried razor clams. I prepare the clam chowder using two limits of razor clams but it works just as well with one limit or a limit of bay clams (gaper, Martha Washington, cockles, softshell or 2 limits of purple varnish clams). I prefer the delicate flavor of gaper clams or the slightly more favorable but softer bodied purple varnish clams for my clam chowder.
Ingredients:
1 or 2 limits of clams depending on the yield of clams by size and species.
1 medium onion medium chopped (Walla Walla preferred)
2 garlic cloves minced
8 medium or 6 large white rose potatoes peeled and quartered. White rose potatoes have the best flavor for clam chowder. Use Yukon gold or red rose when white rose potatoes are unavailable.
1 46 oz. can of no clams added clam juice
1 sticks of unsalted butter with 1 stick of butter in reserve.
1 cup of flour with 1 cup of flour in reserve.
1 quart of half and half allowed to rise to room temperature or warmed on the stove top.
3 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat (optional).
Preparation:
1. Clean the purple varnish clams by blanching them in boiling water for up to 15 seconds. Most of the clam shells will pop open. Discard those that do not. Separate the clam meat from the shells. Separate the siphon tubes from the clam bodies. Remove the dark colored gills from the siphon tubes. Clean the siphon tubes by rinsing them in cold running water prior to storing them in a plastic bag.
2. Grasp and squeeze the clam’s body forcing out most of the visceral material. Use a paring knife to remove any of the remaining visceral material from the clam body. Once the clams are cleaned and washed store the clams in sealed plastic bags or in covered bowls for immediate use or vacuum pack the clams and freeze them for future use. Reserve any clam juice that weeps into the plastic bags or in the covered bowl until needed.
3. Skip step 3 if purple varnish clams are the clams being used to make the clam chowder. The essence of the flavor that makes Oregon’s Clam Chowder unique is contained in the clam bodies and digger feet. Puree the clam bodies and digger feet and refrigerate until needed.
4. Peel and dice a large white onion into medium pieces and set aside until needed.
5. Peel the skin from two large cloves of garlic. Crush the garlic using a garlic press and set aside until needed.
6. Some clam diggers like the flavor of bacon fat in their clam chowder. The use of bacon fat is optional. Sauté the onions and garlic in the large skillet with three tablespoons of bacon fat or one-half stick of melted butter. Sauté the onions until the onions are nearly cooked through before adding the garlic. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside until they are needed while retaining as much of the bacon fat or butter in the skillet as possible.
7. Peel eight medium or six large white rose or Yukon gold potatoes. White Rose potatoes are more flavorful than other potatoes. Quarter the potatoes and cut into medium bite size pieces. Put the chopped potatoes into a 16 quart. stock pot and add the contents from a forty-six oz. can of no clams added clam juice with a half teaspoon of salt. The large cans of clam juice can be purchased at Cash and Carry wholesale grocery chain stores.
8. Par-boil the potatoes slowly until they are nearly cooked through. Add the mixture of chopped clams to the nearly cooked potatoes. Continue par-boiling the potatoes and clam mixture until the clams are cooked through.
9. Pour the potatoes, cooked clams and the clam juice into a colander reserving the clam juice in a bowl until needed. Return the potatoes to the stock pot and add the sautéed garlic and onions. The potatoes and onion were cut into medium pieces because each batch of razor clam chowder lasts several days and every time the chowder is heated the potatoes and onions cook down into the chowder.
10. Using the large skillet containing the bacon fat or butter make a roux by melting equal parts of butter 1 stick to 1 cup of flour. Heat the butter and bacon fat over a medium heat and stir in the flour until the mixture thickens forming a paste. Add more flour or butter if needed to achieve a crème roux. Sautee the roux stirring with a whisk constantly for several minutes to eliminate the pasty taste of the flour. Increase to high heat while slowing adding a quart of room temperature half & half thinning the roux. Whisk stirring constantly until the roux thickens; then gradually add the clam juice to the roux until the entire mixture thickens. Remove the pot from the burner when the mixture reaches the boiling point and begins to bubble.
11. Combine the roux with the onions, potatoes and clam mixture in the stock pot under a low to low med heat. Stir constantly with a wire whisk or large spoon to prevent the chowder from sticking to the bottom of the stock pot. Add the purple varnish clams from step 2 or the clam mixture from step 3 to the clam chowder base. Continue stirring the chowder until the chowder begins to bubble. Remove the stock pot from the burner uncovered and allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Dish the chowder to soup bowls. Add a pate of butter. Grate with freshly ground Nut Meg and garnish with basil.
My wife and I salt and pepper to taste. She prefers back pepper and I prefer white. I prefer croutons in my chowder and she prefers Oyster crackers.