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#CookClub recipe no. 31: White Clam Chowder (w/ video)

 
#CookClub recipe No. 31 is White Clam Chowder from the Florida cookbook, "Good Catch."
#CookClub recipe No. 31 is White Clam Chowder from the Florida cookbook, "Good Catch."
Published Dec. 8, 2014

For many of us, seafood is on the menu for Christmas Eve. It's luxurious and usually fast, a characteristic that's welcome on such a hectic night.

At my house, we usually celebrate Florida's bounty with stone crab claws and Gulf of Mexico shrimp. I usually roast the shrimp in a 350-degree oven after lightly coating them with olive oil. A Caesar salad and hot, crusty bread and we're good to go.

And we always start with a creamy clam chowder. This year, I found a new recipe that I can make the day before. If you do this, heat it up gently. You don't want a cream-based soup to boil or you'll risk curdling.

#CookClub recipe No. 31 is White Clam Chowder from the new book Good Catch: Recipes & Stories Celebrating the Best of Florida's Waters by Pam Brandon, Katie Farmand and Heather McPherson (University Press of Florida, 2014). The authors traveled around Florida to collect the stories of the men and women who fish the state's waters.

They found this recipe at the Cedar Key Fish House in Homosassa.

I've made many pots of clam chowder over the years, and I like this one quite a lot for its ease. It's loaded with clams and is bulked up with Yukon gold potatoes. The Yukons have less starch than russets. The big bakers can make your chowder gummy.

The recipe calls for two cups of diced sweet onions and I added about half that. I didn't want the onion to overtake the clams.

Another thing that's different about this recipe is the addition of cream cheese. You'll have to work it into the broth so there aren't clumps, but the added richness is worth it.

I'll be eager to see how the #CookClub tinkers.

The online chat

Krayl Funch, an event and party planner from Tampa, will join our live #CookClub Twitter chat from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday

Funch's new book An Appealing Plan: A Year of Everyday Celebrations (Yellow Wellies Media, 2014: $28.50) is packed with tips plus game plans to help readers pull off memorable parties. Find her website and blog at anappealingplan.com.

Since this is the season of entertaining, we hope that Funch will share with the #CookClub some ideas for easy and fun parties. Like, for instance, how much can we prepare in advance?

To participate in #CookClub online, the key is to remember #CookClub because that's how you'll tag everything. You have two weekends to make the recipe and post a photo on Instagram.

Post photos and comments about the White Clam Chowder by 6 p.m. Dec. 21. Some of the photos and comments will be printed in the Taste section of the Tampa Bay Times.

To join the chat, follow the hashtag #CookClub on Twitter. I look forward to welcoming you.

Contact Janet K. Keeler at jkeeler@tampabay.com. Follow @RoadEats.

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White Clam Chowder

3 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups chopped sweet onions

1-1/4 cups chopped fresh celery with leaves

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 (6-1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, drained, juice reserved

2 cups heavy cream

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream, optional

Milk as needed

Coarse salt and pepper, to taste

Hot sauce, to taste

Oyster crackers for serving

Combine bottled clam juice and potatoes in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Melt butter in a separate large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, parsley, garlic, and bay leaf and saute until vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes (do not allow flour to brown).

Gradually whisk in reserved juices from clams. Add potato mixture, clams, cream, cream cheese and sour cream.

Simmer chowder 5 minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. Thin to desired consistency with milk, if needed. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Serve with oyster crackers.

Serves 8 to 10.

Source: Good Catch: Recipes & Stories Celebrating the Best of Florida's Waters by Pam Brandon, Katie Farmand and Heather McPherson (University Press of Florida, 2014)