When I’m in the mood for something warm and comforting, I like to have a nice hot bowl of creamy New England style clam chowder. Here’s my favorite clam chowder recipe, it makes about eight or 10 servings:

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces unsalted butter
• 6 ounces all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces bacon, diced
• 7 ounces celery, diced
• 7 ounces yellow onion, diced
• 4 ounces carrots, diced
• 1 ½ pounds red potatoes, scrubbed, skin-on, diced
• 6 ounces sweet corn kernels
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 pounds Middle Neck clams, poached, removed from shell, rough chopped (poach in half-water, half-white wine with fresh thyme and shallots)
• ½ gallon clam stock
• ½ gallon milk
• 3 cups heavy cream, warm
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt, to taste

Method:

1. Melt butter in a large stock pot, and add garlic and bacon to brown. Meanwhile, heat clam stock and milk separately in a medium stock pot.
2. Add celery, onion and carrots to the browned garlic and bacon mixture, season with salt and cook until tender, add flour to make a roux.
3. Stir in clam stock and milk with a wire whisk until all the liquid is incorporate and soup is smooth.
4. Add corn, potatoes, clams, parsley, thyme and seasonings to the soup and simmer until potatoes are done. At this point, exchange the whisk for a wooden spoon to prevent you from breaking up the potatoes and clams.
5. Finish by adding the heavy cream and two more ounces of butter.
6. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

I like to serve this chowder with Westminster Oyster Crackers and a cold beer. You may garnish the soup with paprika and more chopped parsley if you like. Enjoy!