INGREDIENTS
8 smoked bacon slices, chopped
1 large onion chopped (Walla Walla or Spanish)
1 large apple chopped leave skin on (not mealy apples, dense like Fuji, Granny Smith)
1 stalk celery chopped
1 small carrot chopped
1 red pepper chopped
3 Yukon Golds chopped
6 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 lbs fresh local clams or two 8 oz cans of baby clams
10 oz clam nectar
2 cups whipping cream
1 litre Chicken Stock
5 cups Blond Ale
1 tsp fresh thyme
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt to taste
1 tsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire
2 or 3 shakes Tabasco
METHOD
1. Getting Started. In large pot add butter and bacon. Sauté until fat is rendered out of the bacon and browns. Next add the apple, onion and sauté until onions become slightly browned. Next add celery, potatoes, carrot and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes on medium.
2. Making the Roux. Add the flour and stir to coat ingredients and cook for 2 minutes continuing to stir. Some bacon is fattier than others, if you find there is still liquid to absorb more flour add 1 tbsp at a time until dry. If more than 3 tbsp then stop and continue with recipe.
3. The Drunken Part. Slowly pour in, while stirring, the Blond Ale, clam nectar, chicken stock, whipping cream, Worcestershire, Tabasco, pepper, and thyme. Turn heat down to low. Cook for 1/2 hour or until carrot/potatoes are fork tender. In the meantime get ready to cook the clams.
4. Cooking Clams. In a separate pot cook clams with vegetable oil, garlic, onion and water. If you have left over beer you can use that. As clams open transfer them into the chowder. If all the clams open you can add the cooking liquor to the soup. Any clams that didn’t open throw away as there may be sand in the liquor. If you chose not to use fresh clams add the canned clams and nectar at the very end of the cooking time.
Cool the soup in an ice water bath in your sink, transfer to smaller containers and refrigerate. This soup doesn’t freeze well and should be consumed with-in 2 to 3 days because of the fresh shellfish. To re-head the soup bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to heat all ingredients through.
