• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

8. Bring the chowder broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add the sweet potato dice, bacon, and honey and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped clams and cook for 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and cook until just heated through, about 1 minute.

9. Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl with a few clams in the shell and a sprinkling of fresh tarragon. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN SOUP

CRANBERRY-MAPLE CRÈME FRAÎCHE, TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS, CHIVES

All of the best flavors of an American Thanksgiving are featured in this fall soup. The benefit of using vegetable stock is twofold: most important to me is taste—vegetable stock, as opposed to rich chicken stock, melds seamlessly with the pumpkin, thinning its body without competing with the flavor. It also means that this soup is a perfect option for vegetarian guests. Trust me; everyone at the table with be happy with this tasty offering.

Serves 8

2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin puree, not flavored pie filling (about 3½ cups)

3 to 4½ cups vegetable stock or chicken stock, homemade or store-bought, as needed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon (canela) or additional ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cloves

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cranberry-Maple Crème Fraîche

⅓ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

1. Put the pumpkin puree in a large saucepan, whisk in 3 cups of the stock, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cinnamon, Mexican cinnamon, allspice, cloves, honey, and maple syrup. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Whisk in up to 1½ cups more stock if the soup is too thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a large dollop of the cranberry-maple crème fraîche and some of the pumpkin seeds and chives.

CRANBERRY-MAPLE CRÈME FRAÎCHE

Makes about 1¼ cups

2 cups cranberry juice

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

¼ teaspoon maple extract

1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Kosher salt

1. Bring the cranberry juice to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the maple syrup and maple extract, and let cool to room temperature.

2. Put the crème fraîche into a small bowl, add the cranberry mixture, and stir to combine. Season with salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day to allow the flavors to meld.

Boston Lettuce Salad

BOSTON LETTUCE SALAD

BACON, POACHED EGG, BUTTERMILK–BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Once you taste this dressing, you’ll be reluctant to use a bottled variety again. Given how extremely simple—and quick—it is to prepare, you won’t need to. Crisped cubes of bacon, eggs, and blue cheese often come together over a bed of bitter frisée, but I think that tender Boston lettuce makes a superb substitution. Its sweet leaves get some punch from peppery radishes and the tangy buttermilk-based dressing.

Serves 4

¼ pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 large eggs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Buttermilk–Blue Cheese Dressing

1 head of Boston lettuce, leaves separated

White Wine Vinaigrette

3 radishes, thinly sliced

2 ounces Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

1. Cook the bacon in a medium sauté pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

2. Bring 1 quart cold water and the vinegar to a simmer in a deep sauté pan. Break the eggs, one at a time, into a ramekin and carefully slide each egg into the simmering water. Simmer until the whites are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate lined