Richard Blais’ (Top Chef) Newer England Clam Chowder

erinna Chng
Feb 8
1 min read

Clam Chowder is an all time favourite when I am seeking for a bowl of piping hot comfort food ~ Creamy, flavourful and comforting. Dip with crusty hot bread ~ omg its heaven!

This recipe is adapted from Richard Blais’ “Try this at home: Recipes from my head to your plate” with some modification. This is not the typical thick, stodgy Clam Chowder you get from the fast food joints or some restaurants. It is creamy yet light. No starch is used in this recipe for thickening. However, if you prefer a thicker consistency, feel free to add plain flour to a small bowl of water first, before stirring into the soup, if you decide to thicken it later. Stir while adding until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

For those who do not know Richard Blais – He is a runner up on Season 4 of Top Chef and Winner on Season 8 of Top Chef All Stars. He is well-known for using lots of sciences & creativity in his food. He is also a sous chef to Cat Cora on Iron Chef America.

Searing the Beef

Sear beef fillets on high heat for 2 minutes per side to form a golden crust. Let it cool before proceeding to keep the beef tender.

Mushroom Duxelles

Cook the mushrooms until all moisture evaporates to prevent soggy pastry. Aim for a thick, paste-like consistency.

Puff Pastry Handling

Keep the puff pastry cold to avoid softness. Chill if it becomes too soft, and score the top lightly without cutting through.

Notes

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
Add diced bacon to the hot oil and cook until brown.
Add in onions, leeks, celery, thyme, bay leave and cooked until vegetable soften, about 6 to 8 minutes
Meanwhile, blend the 200g of clam and chicken stock in a blender
Add the clam stock mixture, cream and potatoes into the pot of vegetables
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes until the potatoes soften.
Add in the 24 clams and cooked until shell open (unshelled ones for about 3 mins)
Season with salt and pepper
Ladle the soup into each serving bowl and top with fried cornmeal clams.
Garnish with thyme leaves and serve hot with crusty bread

Fried Cornmeal Clam
While the soup is simmering, prepare the fried cornmeal clam
Add salt & pepper to the cornmeal and mix well
Dredge the clams in the seasoned cornmeal
Heat about ½ cup of oil in a frying pan (add more oil if require).
Add in the clam and fry until brown, about 1 to 2 minutes
Remove from the frying pan and set aside until required

Instructions

Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )

Quality Olive oil

4 cups Chestnut Mushrooms

1 sprig fresh thyme

4 cups puff pastry

8 slices Parma ham

2 egg yolks

beaten with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Beef Wellington

2 tbsp olive oil

7 oz beef trimmings

4 large shallots ( peeled and sliced )

12 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

Splash of red wine vinegar

3 cups red wine

3 cups beef stock

Red Wine Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

100g bacon (diced)

1 yellow onion (diced)

2 stalks of celery (diced)

1 leek

white part only (finely diced)

2 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only) or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper to taste (I use 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper

subject to type of chicken stock used)

200g clam (no shell)

to blend with chicken stock

200g chicken stock

1 litre heavy cream

200g starchy potatoes

24 pieces of clams (with shell or without)

Clam Chowder

about 20 pieces of clam (drained and pat dry)

½ cup cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Fried Cornmeal Clam

fried cornmeal clam

1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves only)

Garnishes

Richard Blais' (Top Chef) Newer England Clam Chowder

Head Chef

eckitchensg

average rating is 5 out of 5

Servings :

4 Servings

Calories:

Prep Time

15 min

Cooking Time

25 min

Rest Time

0 min

Total Time

40 min