add more water as necessary. Stir in the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm below a simmer.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaininggarlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the anchovies, lemon zest, clams, and white wine, cover, and cook until the clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Discard any clams that don’t open.
6. Add the clams and the steaming liquid to the beans and stir in the basil. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle into warm bowls, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and serve immediately.
Lobster, Corn, and Smoked Fish Chowder
E
very home cook needs the
first-course equivalent of a little black dress—convenient and provocative at the same time. This is a rich, astonishingly quick appetizer soup that leaves you wanting more. The classic chowder trio of seafood, salt pork, and milk metamorphoses into chunks of lobster and corn kernels suspended in an aromatic base of smoked trout and cream. Using homemade lobster or fish stock gives it a depth of flavor unusual in a soup that cooks so briefly. The ingredients shouldn’t come together until the last moment, when they’re heated for just a few minutes, so don’t assemble the chowder until you’re ready to serve it.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Kosher salt
One 1-pound lobster (or ¼ pound freshly cooked lobster meat)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ears corn, husked and kernels stripped off with a sharp knife (about 1½ cups)
2 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups light cream
2 cups Lobster Stock (page 34) or Fish Stock (page 33) or 1 cup clam juice plus 1 cup water
2 ounces smoked trout, skin and any bones removed, broken into small pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives for garnish
1. If you’re using a live lobster, set a steaming rack in a large pot big enough to hold the lobster. The rack should sit at least 2 inches off the bottom of the pot (support it on ramekins if necessary). Add 1 inch of salted water to the pot and bring to a boil. Set the lobster on the rack, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. When the lobster is cool enough to handle, crack open the shell and remove the meat from the tail and claws. Cut the meat into ½-inch pieces. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the corn and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes until aromatic. Add the cream and lobster stock and heat through. Add the lobster and smoked trout and heat until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the chowder into warm bowls, sprinkle with the chopped chives, and serve.
Stilton and Watercress Soup
T
oo many cheese soups are
weighty, gloppy affairs. This recipe produces a lighter soup with a smooth, creamy body infused with the spectacular flavor of Stilton cheese. Stilton’s unique taste easily justifies its position as England’s only name-protected cheese, so don’t make the mistake of substituting any old blue cheese for the genuine article.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, and swirled vigorously in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 baking potatoes, peeled, cut into quarters, and placed in a bowl with water to cover
4 cups Chicken Stock (page 31) or high-quality canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 bunches watercress, tough stems removed, washed and coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces Stilton (If Stilton is unavailable, substitute French Fourme d’Ambert or Italian Gorgonzola
naturale,
also called “aged” Gorgonzola—not
dolce,
or “sweet, “ Gorgonzola)
GARNISHES (OPTIONAL)
12 very thin slices peeled and cored apple (keep covered with lightly salted water)
4 to 6 small sprigs
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaininggarlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the anchovies, lemon zest, clams, and white wine, cover, and cook until the clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Discard any clams that don’t open.
6. Add the clams and the steaming liquid to the beans and stir in the basil. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle into warm bowls, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and serve immediately.
Lobster, Corn, and Smoked Fish Chowder
E
very home cook needs the
first-course equivalent of a little black dress—convenient and provocative at the same time. This is a rich, astonishingly quick appetizer soup that leaves you wanting more. The classic chowder trio of seafood, salt pork, and milk metamorphoses into chunks of lobster and corn kernels suspended in an aromatic base of smoked trout and cream. Using homemade lobster or fish stock gives it a depth of flavor unusual in a soup that cooks so briefly. The ingredients shouldn’t come together until the last moment, when they’re heated for just a few minutes, so don’t assemble the chowder until you’re ready to serve it.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Kosher salt
One 1-pound lobster (or ¼ pound freshly cooked lobster meat)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ears corn, husked and kernels stripped off with a sharp knife (about 1½ cups)
2 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups light cream
2 cups Lobster Stock (page 34) or Fish Stock (page 33) or 1 cup clam juice plus 1 cup water
2 ounces smoked trout, skin and any bones removed, broken into small pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives for garnish
1. If you’re using a live lobster, set a steaming rack in a large pot big enough to hold the lobster. The rack should sit at least 2 inches off the bottom of the pot (support it on ramekins if necessary). Add 1 inch of salted water to the pot and bring to a boil. Set the lobster on the rack, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. When the lobster is cool enough to handle, crack open the shell and remove the meat from the tail and claws. Cut the meat into ½-inch pieces. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the corn and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes until aromatic. Add the cream and lobster stock and heat through. Add the lobster and smoked trout and heat until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the chowder into warm bowls, sprinkle with the chopped chives, and serve.
Stilton and Watercress Soup
T
oo many cheese soups are
weighty, gloppy affairs. This recipe produces a lighter soup with a smooth, creamy body infused with the spectacular flavor of Stilton cheese. Stilton’s unique taste easily justifies its position as England’s only name-protected cheese, so don’t make the mistake of substituting any old blue cheese for the genuine article.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, and swirled vigorously in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 baking potatoes, peeled, cut into quarters, and placed in a bowl with water to cover
4 cups Chicken Stock (page 31) or high-quality canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 bunches watercress, tough stems removed, washed and coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces Stilton (If Stilton is unavailable, substitute French Fourme d’Ambert or Italian Gorgonzola
naturale,
also called “aged” Gorgonzola—not
dolce,
or “sweet, “ Gorgonzola)
GARNISHES (OPTIONAL)
12 very thin slices peeled and cored apple (keep covered with lightly salted water)
4 to 6 small sprigs
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