As a good chef knows, you can enhance any culinary creation by adding your own personal touches, i.e. certain special ingredients to any simple, base recipe. Pastas are a great example of this. As are many kinds of home-baked breads. Variations on a theme, as the artist would say, can be the stuff of miracles. And the culinary arts are no less artistic than any other art form.
For this delicious clam bake, you will need eight medium-sized red potatoes, a pound of clams in the shell, approximately one and a half pounds of other seafood, muscles, shrimp, even squid are all excellent ideas, usually about a pound of mussels, and a half pound of some other type of seafood should do the trick. You will need approximately 48 ounces of chicken broth (about one can), 3/4 of a cup of butter, 1/4 cup of dry vermouth, and don't forget: you need a nice, fresh French baguette or other type of fresh-baked bread.
Be sure to be sparing but decisive with any added spices or other ingredients; add them in when you begin cooking, and remember that spices and substitutions are optional. This is definitely a recipe you will want to experiment with a little bit until you find the very best combination of ingredients for a clam bake you can truly call your own.
First, spread your ingredients in layers across the bottom of a large pot. Place the potatoes in first, then cover them with a layer of clams, then add your mussels (optional - otherwise use your own substitution) and then top the third layer with a layer of shrimp (again, optional - otherwise use your substitution). Pour in the vermouth, pinch in any spices, and then add just enough chicken broth to fill the pot halfway. Depending on the size of your pot, you may not use all of the broth. Cover the ingredients and tightly seal the pot shut with aluminum foil. You will want to bring the mixture to a complete boil, then reduce heat and simmer over a medium-to-low temperature for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes of simmering, remove your clam bake from the heat. Then, carefully remove the foil from the pot and uncover. Drain the liquid before you serve. Melt half of the butter and put it into four separate dishes for dipping. The other half of the butter should suffice for serving with the fresh bread.
What you end up with should be a truly delicious dish. If you are looking for a little more complex flavor but you are not sure what kind of spices to use, you can add rosemary, or perhaps thyme. But most importantly, you want to remember not to over-do it with the spices. The flavor of the fresh fish will be strong and very succulent, and the broth adds to the richness of the recipe as well. Remember you want to please, but not overwhelm your taste buds.
Some types of art are poetic, written lyrics are something to be read aloud. There are certain types of artwork such as music, which is meant to be played or sung. Then there is wall art, beautiful décor such as drawings and paintings that are naturally intended to be put on display. In the case of the clam cooking chronicles, culinary art is something to be tasted - something to be savored. By definition, these exquisite recipes are designed to be pleasing to the culinary art enthusiast, or perhaps just someone who is hungry. Serve a dish that is truly divine, and your guests, as well as your self, can please the palate. Everyone will appreciate the time, effort, and the ingredients you put into it.
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