Clam Chowder Sauce Served At The 2013 Obama Inaugural Luncheon

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 20 littleneck clams, rinsed in cold water
• 1/4 cup shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry wine
• 2 cups canned clam juice
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup finely diced carrot
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup yukon gold potato, peeled and finely diced
• 1 cup leek, washed well and finely diced
• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh tarragon

Recipe

• 1 combine shallots, garlic, dry wine and clam juice in a bowl.
• 2 place a large heavy-bottomed pot on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
• 3 carefully place the clams in the bottom of the pot. pour shallot-wine liquid over the clams quickly and cover with a lid. the clams will begin to open after a few minutes.
• 4 once the clams are opened, remove the pot from the heat and place clams in a bowl to cool, reserving the shallot liquid.
• 5 remove clams from shells and roughly chop them to be added to the sauce at the last minute.
• 6 strain the shallot liquid and place in a clean saucepan on medium heat to reduce by half (roughly 1 quart).
• 7 in a separate sauce pot, sauté the diced vegetables in the canal oil with salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
• 8 add the clam liquid and heavy cream to the vegetables and bring to a boil. reduce heat to simmer and allow sauce to reduce until it reaches your desired consistency and the vegetables are tender. the sauce should coat the back of a wooden spoon.
• 9 chop the fresh tarragon and add the tarragon and the chopped clams to the sauce and serve immediately.