I am going to use the following recipe.
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
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I know it's a heart attack waiting to happen, but I'm only 22 and I do walk over seven miles a day. Any advice on things I should change, omit or add? I have a feeling milk should be in there somewhere....
It looks close to me but not exactly how I'd do it.
I'd take out some things and add others as I like to make it always to my own personal taste.
I wouldn't add the carrots, although I love carrots, they impart a certain distinctive flavor that I'd not personally want in mine. Also, the celery is necessary, but
I'd bouquet garni it with butchers twine and let it add the flavor but not the contents of celery, don't like to bite into it.
The vinegar is okay, I'd probably use
white balsamic [thanks KE] or white wine vinegar but no matter. To me, it would add the acid to the heavy creaminess needed, like buttermilk would do too. In mine, I [stir into the rue] 1 T fresh lemon juice and add a vegetable stock for the length of cooking time with the milk and cream coming in more at the end of the cooking time.
I'd use the highest quality canned clams I could afford, like a trusted brand. It's too pricey of a soup to down-qual.
Too much butter and too much flour regarding how I'd do it.
1/2 stick butter = amount flour.
I like a smidge of cayenne in mine, not to make it hot, just to give it a baby bite [or one more layer].
As much as I love 1/2 and 1/2, I'd use mostly 1% milk with 1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2. Too much cream makes it so rich that it takes away from the clam flavor in my opinion.
1 T of finely chopped dill weed goes into mine too, like the flavor that dill weed adds to seafood.
My grammie always put in about 8 caraway seeds that she'd pound to powder. Picture that..............8, VERY SMALL AMOUNT. Powdered you couldn't bite into one, it just added a small umph to her CC. It may have been how they did it in Norway, don't know.
Post when you've done it. I am with QS on the time of year and me thinking of doing it now too. But, that's coming from someone who can't wait for cold weather so I can get to that cassoulet I can't wait to make.
Good luck, it's very easy to do a champion CC.