 David Rubel'sWhat's For Dinner? 8/29/07 Clam Chowder
2. Remove the clams from their shells, rinse them, and chop them coarsely. Strain the broth through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any sand or grit. You should have 4-5 cups. Clean the stockpot. 3. Dice the pancetta and cook it in the stockpot over medium-low heat until the fat renders, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the onions and dice the potatoes. 4. Add the butter and onions to the pancetta. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted, about another 10-12 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring often, another 3 minutes. 5. Add the reserved clam broth, potatoes, thyme, and black pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high in order to bring the soup to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain the simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the reserved clams and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, another 12 minutes. (Do not overcook the clams or they will become tough.) 6. Reduce the heat to low. Add the milk and cream. Stirring often, heat the milk and cream but do not bring the soup to a boil. When the soup is suitably hot, add freshly chopped parsley and serve. Tips * This soup is easily made in advance, and it tastes even better reheated the next day. You can also make it in stages. The clams can be steamed and then refrigerated separately from the reserved broth. Just let the broth warm to room temperature before adding it to the stockpot. * I use pancetta instead of bacon for several reasons. The most important reason is taste: Butcher-shop pancetta is superior in taste to all supermarket bacons and, as a soup base, even to butcher-shop slab bacons. The second reason I use pancetta is convenience: I keep an unsliced hunk in my freezer, where it lasts forever. When I need a piece, I just cut it off. It slices easily, even when frozen, so dicing is also a snap. For this dish, I use a small dice, about an eighth of an inch.
Seared Scallops Plain and Fancy The Scallops
2.Prepare the ingredients for the plain sauce by premeasuring the butter and white wine, chopping the shallot and parsley, and zesting the lemon. 3. Divide the scallops into two or three batches. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, add the oil and butter. 4. Once the butter has stopped foaming, add a batch of scallops to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear until the bottoms have browned well, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn the scallops over and sear until done, another 1-2 minutes. Remove to a platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batches of scallops, adding additional oil and/or butter if necessary. When all are seared, reduce the heat to medium-low. 5. For the plain sauce, saute the shallot in a tablespoon of butter until it softens, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook down for another minute. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter along with the parsley and lemon zest. Stir the sauce as the butter melts. Return the scallops and any accumulated juices to the pan. Toss gently in the sauce before serving.
Tips * Another key to great seared scallops is using really fresh scallops. You'll want the big sea scallops (rather than the small bay scallops), and you'll want them to be the "dry" kind. If they're not marked "dry," then they will likely have been packed in a preservative that diminishes their taste and (even more importantly) makes them impossible to sear. (Because of all the liquid inside them, they just poach.) * If your scallops aren't searing, either they're not truly "dry" or, more likely, you're overcrowding them. The fix for overcrowding is simple: Take them out of the pan and start all over again with a clean skillet and fewer scallops per batch. * I recommend wearing an apron while cooking this meal. A splatter screen also comes in handy. * Scallops cook quickly, so you have to watch them closely. They're done when they loose their hint of translucency and their flesh becomes firm and fibrous. For this dish, of course, the scallops should also turn dark brown in patches, like a well-caramelized onion. This happens most effectively when the scallops are left undisturbed in the pan while searing, so try not to move them around or check them too soon. * The easiest way to zest a lemon is to use a Microplane grater. The zest comes off easily, and you don't have to worry about chopping it. *If you have a kitchen garden, you may want to experiment with other fresh herbs, substituting them for the parsley in the plain sauce. Coconut Custard Cake
2. Combine in the jar of a blender the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, and egg yolks. Pour this batter, when blended, into a glass or Pyrex baking dish about eight inches square. Bake until firm, about 45 minutes. 3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff. Spread this meringue on top of the cake and return the baking dish to the oven. Continue baking until the meringue begins to turn a light golden brown, about another 10 minutes. 4. Let cool, refrigerate, and serve cold or at room temperature.
Tips * You can use either sweetened or unsweetened coconut, depending on how sweet you like your cake.
If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future. David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality (DK, 2005). |
