Yes, there are already a couple of exemplary chowders on Spectacularly Delicious, notably my dad's Buttonwoods Chowder recipe, and the homage to those most pedigreed of East Hampton locals, Bonacker Chowder. Fortunately these can be whipped up by anyone with access to good, fresh seafood.
Quahog Chowder Deluxe sets the bar considerably higher and admittedly preparing it to these exacting specifications will be limited to a lucky few. The ravishing results are akin to the indulgence of buying a big ol' tub of top-notch caviar and going halfsies with your inamorata, even though there'd be luxury enough to share with gaggle of friends. Quahog Chowder Deluxe is best savored quietly, behind closed doors, over shared looks of self-satisfied contentment.
The key to this liquid treasure is being blessed with access to the key ingredients. You'll need plenty of quahogs dug that very morning, thus allowing a few hours' soak to surrender unwanted sediment. East Hampton's Three Mile Harbor harbors a particularly prolific clam bed, a fertile stretch of seabed 10 feet or so out and three feet deep at low tide, which never fails to disappoint. I hauled up two dozen or so in about 45 minutes. Note the clam rake with basket and floating clam basket. Invaluable.
The sweet corn here must be taken from the fields that very afternoon, mere hours before firing up the chowder kettle. It's the zenith of corn season out here. We're Balsam Farm loyalists now and we enthusiastically spread the word of their excellent produce.
"Elegance is refusal" is credited to Coco Chanel who apparently never met a Nazi she didn't like nor a Jew whom she did. Still it's the appropriate maxim for Clam Chowder Deluxe: resist impulses to gussy this up with herbs or garlic or whatever else you imagine might enhance this endeavor. A dash of Tabasco and a few crumbled Saltines are the only accessories permissible whatsoever, and they are totally optional. In the photo I included a single parsley leaf for artistic purposes and the green stuff on the place mat is salicornia, used decoratively here, although it is enjoyably edible.
Lastly, a word about "quahog." Simply put, it's the hard shell clam found all along the eastern seaboard. Depending on size, they can be billed as cherrystones, littlenecks or chowder clams. "Quahog" is derived from a Narragansett Indian word and as a Sullivan of the Providence, Rhode Island Sullivans, quahog is my preferred term for these briny wonders.
QUAHOG CHOWDER DELUXE
24 fresh quahogs, dug the same day
2 strips bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, skins on, cut into 1/2" dice
1 small onion cut into small dice (1/2 c.)
Clam broth from the clams, sediment removed (@ 3 c.)
1 c. skim milk
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1 c. half and half
freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce and Saltine crackers as garnish, optional
Let the quahogs soak in a bucket of cold water for a few hours so they release excess sediment. This also makes it easier to wash off any gunk on the shells before steaming them open. Place the cleaned quahogs in a large cast iron dutch oven (w/o any added liquid) and turn heat to high. Keep covered. The quahogs will give off a lot of liquid quickly and then after a few minutes in the furiously boiling broth they will start to pop open. Have tongs at the ready to remove them as soon as they spread wide. The goal is to cook them as little as possible. Place the opened quahogs in a deep bowl to be sure to collect all the residual juices. When cool enough to handle, take them out of their shells and pulse them on low in a food processor. You want them chopped up but in pieces still large enough to identifiable.
Pour the broth in the dutch oven into a large measuring cup or bowl along with juices in the clam bowl and let sit. Undesirable grit will settle at the bottom, making it easy to pour off the clear grey broth.
Wipe out the dutch oven. Over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring to separate the pieces. You want the fat to render but don't let the bacon get crisp. When you've got a good glisten of bacon fat going, add the diced onion and continue to stir, sweating the onions so they start to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat, you don't want things to brown. Now add the potato cubes, toss them with the bacon and onions, and pour the settled broth into the pot. Fresh quahogs are filled with juice — I got a full 3 cups. A little more or a little less is fine; here is where you resist the impulse to augment the chowder with bottled clam juice. Add 1 c. of skim milk . Simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are nice and soft. Add ground pepper to taste; no additional salt is needed.
Boil the corn for one minute, cut off the cob and put kernels into the chowder. Cook one minute more, then remove chowder pot from heat. At this point you can use an immersion blender if you want to thicken things up a bit. It's your call.
Stir in 1 c. half and half. While chowder is still hot, but no longer simmering, pour in the chopped quahogs. You don't want to cook the quahogs any further, the hot chowder will warm them without toughening them up. Serve immediately, passing Tabasco and Saltines separately.
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