Title: Boston clam chowder
 Categories: Soups, Clams
      Yield: 6 servings
 
      3    Cups+ of half-and-half and
           -heated the chowder to just
           -below the boiling
 
  I visited with the creator of this wonderful chowder and though he
  did not give me the recipe, he did share some hints.  He uses only
  cream and butter, no wimpy milk for him.  He starts with a roux with
  chopped celery and onion and adds thyme, bay leaf and white pepper
  for seasoning. If fresh clams are not available, he recommends Snow's
  Chopped Clams.
  
  Using his tips, what I know about clam chowder and a little research,
  I created a very good clam chowder the other night.  I don't have the
  ingredient amounts, but it doesn't really matter if you've had some
  kitchen experience.  The real secret came from Chef Paul Prudhomme's
  Louisiana Kitchen cookbook.  I figured if I was going to mess with a
  roux, I might as well start with the expert roux maker.
  
  I made a 50/50 oil/flour roux --- using 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup
  butter and 1/2 cup flour.  I heated the oil as high as I dared and
  put in about 1/3 of the flour allowing it to foam and let the
  moisture in the flour escape --- be careful!  Roux can burn like
  hellfire.  I continued to add the flour and cooked the roux to a
  light golden color. I removed the roux from the heat and added about
  1/2 cup finely chopped onions and 1/2 cup finely chopped celery.  The
  hot roux cooks the veggies and the veggies cool down the roux.
  
  I drained the liquid from 4 7-ounce cans of clams and added a 7- ounce
  bottle of clam juice.  I put the clam nectar in a sauce pan and added
  about 1 1/2 lbs of raw potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes.  I
  added some thyme and a couple of bay leaves and some freshly ground
  white pepper.
  
  When the potatoes were cooked, I added some of the roux to thicken the
  chowder.  I ended up using all the roux.  I added the clams and about
  point, stirring frequently and tasted it for seasoning adjustment.
  Toward the end, I threw in a handful of real bacon bits for an added
  smokey flavor.  I topped the pot with 1/2 cube of butter and let it
  sit for about an hour to allow the flavors to blend.
  
  The result was the best clam chowder I have ever made.  To complete
  the dinner I served sweet cornbread and a carrot and raisin salad.
  
  Sorry, the amounts are not precise, but if you plan ahead, it's
  difficult to go wrong.
  
  Posted by Al Martin. Courtesy of Fred Peters.