Happy New Year, Everybody!
In the grand Chiff and Fipple Tradition, it is my honor to post a review of a product that most of you probably have not tried. My experience with chowders is somewhat limited, but here are my impressions.
Let me start by saying that I personally throw in with any recipe that starts with bacon fat and butter. I was not disappointed.
I made the chowder in my new kitchen, with the help of one assistant (hi colin!)
Dale’s recipe was very easy to follow, and I appreciated the flexibility (By the way, Dale got one thing right on the money: When in doubt, add more half and half). All of the ingredients were readily available from the local grocery store.
Some slight tweeking was necessary to suit the local climate. We used salmon instead of clams. We also used a good deal more sea food than the recipe called for, although this was only semi-intentional. You see, we halved the recipe but forgot to halve the crab; by the time we got to the shrimp and salmon we said to heck with it, or words to that affect, and threw it all in. Instead of pepper sauce, we used ground red pepper.
This is a fairly high-maintanence recipe, by the way: don’t plan on plopping the pot of the stove and getting back to your TV program. It requires a lot of stirring to avoid scorching the bottom.
The taste is very creamy and rich, with a good spiciness. The crab sort of disappeared into the mix as it cooked, adding its subtle flavor to the broth. The bacon and salmon complimented each other nicely, and the shrimp added a nice texture. The potatoes filled it out nicely, and didn’t come apart during cooking.
While most of the guests Friday night were too strung out from the road to be of much use as taste-testers, the chowder recieved rave reviews from everyone at Saturday’s party.
Good stuff. Highly recommended. In fact, I’m having it (again) for dinner this evening.
Thanks, Dale!
Tom
