Relish Chowder?
Its funny how well people know me, but do I mind? A few days ago, I received an early morning call from a friend who said she couldn’t help thinking of me all night; that she had laid in bed imagining what an amazing time I must have been having, just a few miles away.
Now, let me explain before you begin forming opinions. My dear friend was actually referring to the downpour of rain we had received the night before and she knows that I faithfully get, well…lets just say, “giddy” whenever there’s so much as a tint of grey in the sky. I mean the moment the temperature drops below 60 and there’s so much as a slight chance of a misting, I’m suddenly transformed into a hopping, skipping, singing fool. The kids are immediately informed that they MUST find wood for the fire…a few leftover sticks from November’s chord of cedar, dead branches from the yard, and hey, they’re too old to be playing with Thomas anyways, right? Throw in the tracks for kindling, boys!
My most predictable clamor is surprisingly not the patter of my rain dance, but in fact, the clatter of my pots and pans. Aunts and uncles begin popping in for “visits,” old friends who get our weather channel fly in from out of town, even the MOPS group wants to have their Monday Coffee Meetings here (on Tuesday nights), and I don’t even have a pre-schooler!
You see, the extended family begins gathering at the first sign of “Stormwatch 2007” because they know that every one of the 6 burners on the Barrette’s range will be vigilantly at work, for them, of course. One flame is happily simmering a copper pot full of a spicy chicken-cilantro soup, sure to cure Gracie’s winter cold. On another; an unsuspecting Tagine…patiently offering up the magical Moroccan aromas of lemon, curry & onion which transport my sister to a country she has yet to visit. Yet a third burner, heat way down, holds a jewel box-sized saucepot of reduced Amaretto to drizzle over the Pear Almandine tart in the oven. Yes, braising, baking, searing and sautéing all happen, quite contently I might add, to the sister who loves rain, but there is also something not everyone may know.
As thickly as inspiration emerges from this kitchen, a significant phenomenon spawns from my rain-intoxication in our Family Room as well. For some unknown reason, the cold weather, the tapping of rain on the windows, the warmth of a fire and the smell of herbs and spices throughout the house leaves me inflicted with a contagious joy. Suddenly the TV goes off, the soundtrack to Pocahontas goes on (don’t laugh…its really good!), the LG, MP3, PSP, DS, Wii, and IM stay upstairs and down comes backgammon and cards, and no one seems to mind. In fact, its here that we honestly enjoy each other’s company most. Its in this room where teenage daughter and 7-year old son beat “team mom and dad” 3-to-1 at Acee Ducee, all while appreciating 3rd grade son’s fine flute-a-phone entertainment.
It’s the room where the winner gets the warm carpet in front of the fire, and the loser has to set up the next game. Its here where we find out whose dating whom in the Junior class. Its also the room where its okay to spill a little home-made clam chowder out of the sourdough “bowl,” and the only Blackberry anyone cares about is served à la mode that evening. You know, I really don’t mind people knowing me well at all.
Here are the recipes for a delicious home-made clam-chowder-in-sourdough-bowls as well as a “rustic blackberry tartine”.
INGREDIENTS:
10 cups clam juice
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½“ pieces
1 cup diced celery
4 pounds fresh or frozen clams, shelled and diced
½ lb. smoked bacon, diced
1 large white onion, medium diced
4 oz. butter (1 cube)
1 cup flour
2 pints half-and-half
Salt and pepper
Dash Worcestershire sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 375˚. Bring the potatoes to a boil in the clam juice. Reduce heat to medium (a “happy simmer”). Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the clams and their liquid. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.
Add the bacon to a sauté pan and cook over low heat until rendered. Add the onions and cook until transparent. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the flour and cook until slightly colored. Add a bit more flour if necessary if the mixture is too soft. Bring the clams, juice and potatoes back to the boil. Gradually stir in the cooked roux. Bring to a rolling boil to thicken. Stir continuously while cooking. Beat the half-and-half and add to the soup. It may not be necessary to use all the half-and-half; the soup should be thick. Adjust the seasoning and add a dash of hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce before serving.
In 6 store-bought small sourdough bowls, carefully cut out round “lids” from the tops, hollowing out the soft insides. Bake the bowls, with the lids on, for 7 minutes, getting the outsides crisp and the insides steaming hot.
Fill the bowls 2/3 with chowder, cover with lids and serve immediately.
PATE BRISÉE (FLAKY CRUST)
INGREDIENTS:
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar *optional
8 oz. cold unsalted butter (2 cubes)
¼ cup ice water
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a food processor, pulse all ingredients except for the water until it turns into a corn-meal texture (approx. 10-15 seconds). SLOWLY drizzle the water into the food tube a little at a time, until the mix turns into a ball that can stay in one shape on its own. Remove from food processor, roll into a nice, even, round ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, at least one hour.
Lightly flour a pastry board and a rolling pin and unwrap the dough. Tap down the dough with the rolling pin and gently begin to roll it out into a circular pie shape by rolling evenly in one-eighth turns to keep the rolling even. When the dough is rolled out to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch and is about 12 inches in diameter, it is ready to be transferred to a large lightly-floured cookie sheet. With thumb and index fingers, roll the edges of the entire perimeter forward about an inch, causing a slight wall around the dough. Lightly shape it by pinching it all around. You can form whatever shape of tart you want at this point (a heart, square, circle, oval).
APPLE-BLACKBERRY FILLING
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. (½ cube) butter
¼ cup brown sugar
Strained juice from one half lemon
2 large apples peeled and medium-diced
(Fuji, Gala, Braeburn and Pink Lady are best)
2 cups fresh blackberries
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large saucepan, mix apples with lemon. Add sugar and butter and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn heat off and gently fold in blackberries. Evenly spread fruit into your crust, cover with oatmeal topping and bake for 40 minutes.
CRUNCHY OATMEAL TOPPING:
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. cold butter
¼ cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
¼ cup brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor for 20 seconds until pea-sized clusters form.
Comments
What is the nearest airport I could fly in to from Chicago? I want to be prepared for the next rainstorm!
Posted by: Tyger | March 13, 2007 03:54 PM