Scallop Chowder
Serves 6
Sometimes you really don’t want to know what makes restaurant
food taste so good. I’ve eaten the scallop chowder at Pearl Oyster
Bar for years, declaring it one of the best chowders I’ve ever had,
and then the curtain was pulled back in Charles’s kitchen when I
saw that the main ingredient was a quart of cream. I e-mailed
Charles before making this at home to ask if I could substitute
milk; but because milk doesn’t thicken the way cream does when it
reduces, the answer was no. So I made the chowder the way it’s
meant to be made—with butter and cream and a shot of Pernod at
the end—and my dinner guests swooned. Of course, I didn’t tell
them why it tasted so good. When it comes to good chowder,
ignorance is bliss.4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large white Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice*
(submerge in water until ready to use)
1½ pounds sea scallops*, cut into ½-inch chunks*
1 quart heavy cream
¼ to ½ cup Pernod