Everything you could ever want in a bowl of creamy goodness.
Debating which type of clam chowder is better is but a fool’s errand since everyone knows that New England-style is the one chowder to rule them all. This hearty, creamy classic is easier to make than you would probably imagine and few things satisfy more when the mercury drops. Add the clams towards the end to prevent them from getting too chewy.
Equipment Needed: 8 QT Pot, Baking Sheet, Mixing Bowl, Cheese Grater, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board, Wooden Spoon, Kitchen Shears, Vegetable Peeler, Rolling Pin, Cookie Cutter, Whisk, Parchment Paper
Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating
Servings: 8
Suggested Wine Pairing: Oaky Chardonnay, Rioja, Pinot Noir
Suggested Beer Pairing: Stout, Porter, Scotch Ale
Ingredients:
- 2 cans chopped clams ($1.99/6.5 oz can)
- 8 oz clam juice ($1.99/bottle)
- 6 strips of bacon ($6.99/lb)
- 4 large potatoes ($0.99/lb)
- 2 medium onions ($0.99/lb)
- 4 cloves garlic ($2.99/lb)
- 1 can of sweet corn ($1.69/11 oz)
- 1 QT 2% milk, divided ($1.19/QT)
- 1 pint heavy cream ($2.99/pint)
- 2 C Bisquick mix ($4.19/40 oz box)
- 1/2 C cheddar cheese ($5.99/lb)
- 1 TBSP crushed red pepper ($3.50/2.5 oz jar)
- 2 TSP dried thyme ($3.50/1.5 oz jar)
- 1/2 TBSP cayenne pepper ($3.50/2 oz jar)
- 2 bay leaves ($3/0.5 oz jar)
- Salt
- Pepper
Biscuit Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Whisk together 2 cups of Bisquick and 2/3 of a cup of milk until you’ve got a soft dough with no pockets of mix or clumps.
- Grate in 1/2 a cup of cheddar cheese and stir a bit more.
Grate the cheese in before you knead the dough for better cheddar distribution.
- Spread about 3 tablespoons of Bisquick on your cutting board so the dough doesn’t stick.With your rolling pin, roll it out flat until it’s about 1/2 an inch thick. Use your cookie cutter to cut out biscuits and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If you don’t have parchment paper, just grease the baking sheet thoroughly with butter.
Insert knead/need pun here.
- Sprinkle a little bit of salt and crushed red pepper on the top of the biscuits. Pop those puppies in the oven and bake ‘em for about 9 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Set aside to cool and await their chowder-complementing fate.
Chowder Preparation:
- You’ll want to do all of your prep work beforehand so all you have to do is add ingredients once you get the soup base going. Start by dicing your onions and mincing the garlic.
- Next, scrub the potatoes, remove the eyes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. We like to leave the skins on but if that’s not your thing then peel before you cube them.
Uniformly cube the potatoes for even cooking and spoon-friendly eating.
- Put your pot over medium heat. Using the kitchen shears cut the bacon strips into 1/4 inch pieces and crisp them up for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook everything down for another 5-7 minutes until the veggies are soft.
Pretend you're surprised that we added bacon.
- Drain the corn and add it to the mix. Next, add the potato chunks, the rest of the quart of milk, cream, clam juice and bay leaves. Throw in your thyme, cayenne pepper and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper for good measure.
If you love your cardiologist, go ahead and use all cream instead of cutting it with milk.
- Bring everything to a boil, stirring occasionally. When you’ve reached your boiling point add the clams, reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving. Season to taste, adding a little Garnish with some fresh parsley if desired and at least two biscuits if you know what’s good for you.
