Adopt A Blogger December

Adopt A Blogger: Fire and Salt

For the December edition of Adopt A Blogger I adopted Brian at Fire and Salt. I love Brian's blog and his recipes are fantastic. I chose to make and review his recipe for Oregon Clam Chowder. I would have made this recipe without the Adopt a Blogger event, but I thought it was a perfect choice for the drizzly, cold winter days we have here in December and January.

I have to say that I LOVE CLAM CHOWDER (New Enland style, that is)!!! I have missed it terribly. While I could have adapted any old recipe, I didn't. I wouldn't even know what recipe to start with because I never made it at home before being GF.

When my husband and I took a two and half week driving tour of New England (ahhh, life before kids) we ordered clam chowder at every single restaurant that served it. It was New England, home of the chowder, so why not? Somewhere I have a journal of our trip that has ratings for each and every clam chowder we tasted. We gave them clam ratings. 1-5 clams; 5 was the best. Most were very good (4 clams), some tasted like they came out of a can...or a shoe. We ate at fancy places and shacks, but I distinctly remember our favorite was from a funny little place called Bubba's in Provincetown, MA. Mmmmm. I only had my memories until now.

Brian's recipe was spot on. It was clear and easy to follow and I did follow it exactly. I used Bar Harbor clams and clam juice because I had read a review in Cook's Illustrated that recommended that brand. And I used Jill's flour blend because I had some on hand. The result was nothing short of fabulous. It was thick and creamy, savory and salty. It was some of the best chowder I have ever eaten. I would definitely give it 5 clams!

My husband and son devoured their portions. My daughter doesn't like potatoes, clams, soup, celery,creamy stuff, etc so her opinion was not sought for this review. DH gave me his ultimate approval: make it anytime you want: make it tomorrow please.

Thanks Brian! As usual, this one was a winner.