Notes
Recipe from The Gourmet Gourmand
Prep Time: 20 Mins
Cook Time: 40 Mins (closer to 60)
Serving Size: 4–6 People
Ingredients
- 10 oz Canned Clams, chopped
- 3 cups of bottled Clam Juice
- 2–3 slices of Bacon, diced (I used Turkey Bacon which I cut into lardon strips)
- 1 Onion, diced
- 3 medium-sized Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled, and diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Half & Half
- ¼ cup Cooking Sherry
- 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme (½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ½–1 teaspoon Salt (to taste)
- Black Pepper, to taste (I used White Pepper instead to be more visually appealing)
- A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, to taste
- A few dashes of Hot Sauce, to taste
- Sourdough Bread (hollowed out for bowls, or diced into 1 inch cubes)
Instructions
- Saute diced Bacon in a heavy bottom stock pot, or dutch oven, stirring often, until browned. (I used Turkey Bacon, so I added a tablespoon of red palm oil since it’s much leaner)
- Add diced Onion to the Bacon and saute until Onions become translucent.
- Add Flour to Onion and Bacon mixture and mix until well-coated.
- Add Clam Juice to mixture and stir to dissolve flour. Allow mixture to come to a boil for approximately 5 minutes. The mixture should become slightly thickened, approximately the same thickness as cream. If it is too thick, add additional water. (this took more than 5 minutes, probably about 15!)
- Add Thyme and Bay Leaf to stock.
- Add chopped Potatoes and simmer, covered, for approximately 15 minutes or until Potatoes are fork-tender (took me about 20 minutes in a cast iron dutch oven).
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring Cream and Half & Half to a simmer. Add chopped Clams and cook for about 5-8 minutes.
- Once Potatoes are fully cooked, combine with Cream and Clam mixture.
- Bring entire soup to a simmer for about 1–2 minutes.
- Add Sherry, Salt, Pepper, Worcestershire, and Hot Sauce to taste.
- Ladle into heated Sourdough Bread bowls, or serve bead cubes on the side.