New England-Style Clam Chowder

When I was an undergraduate at Lebanon Valley College I worked for the school's computer services unit. Every now and then the entire group would head to lunch at nearby Harper's Tavern. The lunch special typically consisted of soup or salad and one of their sandwiches. I'll never forget my first visit because of the soup: a clam chowder in the New England style. This wasn't the from-a-can thick and creamy with little clam bits version that I was used to at the time, though. The broth was not as heavy, had a definitive herbal quality that melded perfectly with the briny clam flavor, and had chunks of celery and hard boiled egg amongst the usual potatoes. But of most note, it had clams: I'm talking whole clams, here.

Later in life, on an episode of "Emeril Live!" the noted chef made a true New England version from scratch, stressing (in his usual way) the importance of pork to the recipe. No clam chowder is done right unless it starts with rendered salted pork as the basis for the roux.

These two experiences form the basis for my New England-style clam chowder.

Clams and clam broth

• 50 live middleneck clams
• 1 quart of water

Soup

• 1/2 lb salt pork, diced
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 4 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups water
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cans chopped clams, drained and rinsed (optional)
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes and parboiled
• 3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
• 2 pints heavy creme (at room temperature)