Puree of Clams

Ingredients

• One pint of boiled clams.
• one tablespoonful of flour.
• one heaping tablespoonful of hot butter.
• one pint of hot cream.

Method

1. 1

   Remove dark substance from soft part of clams and chop hard part finely.

2. 2

   Thicken hot cream with flour cooked in hot butter, add chopped clams and soft parts, season with salt and pepper.

3. 3

   If too thick, add more hot cream or clam liquor.

4. 4

   Strain into tureen when hot.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book (1884) by Lincoln, Mary Johnson Bailey "Mrs. D. A. Lincoln,", page 96. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

one tablespoonful of flour cooked in one tablespoonful of butter. More milk and a little more seasoning may be added to this amount of fish and potato, if you wish to make a larger quantity. When wanted richer, beat two eggs^ mix them with the hot milk, and put in the tureen before turning in the chowder. If added w^hile the chowder is in the hot kettle, the eggs will curdle. Any firm white fish m^y be used for a chowder, but cod and haddock are best. Many use a cod's head with the haddock. The head is rich and gelatinous, and it should always be boiled with the bones, and the liquor added to the chowder. In this chowder you have nothing but w^hat the most dainty person may relish. There are no bones, skin, or scraps of boiled pork. Fish, potatoes, and crackers are all distinct in the creamy liquid, instead of being a pasty mush, such as is often served. For a change, the crackers may be buttered and browned. If a highl}^ seasoned dish be desired, boil an onion, cut into thin slices, with the potatoes ; add more pepper, and either cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, or curry powder. Omit the boihng water, and use onl}^ that in which the bones were boiled, when making a smaller quantity. Clam Chowder. % peck clams in the shells. % teaspoonful white pepper. 1 quart potatoes, sliced thin. 1 large tablespoonful butter. A 2-inch cube of fat salt pork. 1 quart milk. 1 or 2 onions. 6 butter crackers. 1 teaspoonful salt. Clam chowder is made in the same manner as fish chowder, substituting half a peck of clams for the fish. Clams in the shells are better, as 3^ou then have more clam hquor. Wash with a small brush, and put them The Boston Cook Book, 157 in a large kettle with half a cupful of water, or just enough to keep the under ones from burning ; set them over the fire. When the clams at the top have opened, take them out with a skimmer, and when cool enough to handle, take the clams from the shell ; remove the thin skin ; then with scissors cut off all the black end, cut the leather straps " into small pieces, leaving the soft part whole. Let the clam liquor settle, and pour it off carefull}'. Use half water and half clam liquor. Fry the pork and onion the same as in fish chowder ; add the potatoes, which have been soaked and scalded, and boihng water to cover. When the potatoes are soft, add the clam liquor, the seasoning, and the clams ; when warmed through, add the hot milk and turn into the tureen. Do not put the clams into the chowder until the potatoes are nearly done, as prolonged boiling hardens them. Scrape the raw corn from the cob. Boil the cobs twent}^ minutes in water enough to cover them ; then skim them out. Pare, soak, and scald the potatoes. Fry the onion in the salt pork fat, and strain the fat into the kettle with the corn water. Add the potatoes, corn, salt, and pepper. Simmer fifteen minutes, or till the potatoes and corn are tender. Add the butter and milk, and serve very hot with crisped crackers. Corn Chowder. 1 quart raw sweet corn. 1 pint sliced potatoes. A 2-inch cube fat salt pork. 1 onion. 1 teaspoonf ul salt. 1 saltspoonf ul white pepper. 1 large tablespoonf ul butter. 1 pint sliced tomatoes. 1 pint milk. 6 crisped crackers. Lobster Chowder. 1 pound lobster. 1 quart milk. 3 crackers, cup butter. 1 scant teaspoonf ul salt. 3^ saltspoonful white pepper, saltspoonful cayenne pepper. Boil one quart of milk. Eoll three crackers fine ; mix with them one fourth of a cup of butter, and the green fat 158 The Boston Cook Book. of the lobster. Season with one scant teaspoonful of salt, half a saltspoonful of white pepper, and one fourth of a saltspoonful of caj'enne pepper. Pour the boiling milk gradually over the paste. Put it back in the double boiler ; add the lobster meat cut into dice ; let it boil up once, and serve. Puree of Clams. One pint of boiled dams ; remove the dark substance from the soft part, and chop the hard part very fine. Thicken one pint of hot cream with one tahlespoonful of flour cooked in one heaping tahlespoonful of hot butter

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.