New England Clam Chowder

1. Bring water to boil in Dutch oven. Add clams, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir clams thoroughly, cover, and continue to cook until they just begin to open, 2 to 5 minutes. As clams open, transfer them to large bowl and let cool slightly. Discard any unopened clams.
2. Measure out and reserve 2 cups clam steaming liquid, avoiding any gritty sediment that has settled on bottom of pot. Use paring knife to remove clam meat from shells and chop coarse.
3. In clean Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in onions and celery and cook until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk in bottled clam juice and reserved clam steaming liquid, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in potatoes and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce to gentle simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Stir in cream and return to brief simmer. Off heat, remove bay leaf, stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped clams, cover, and let stand until clams are warmed through, about 1 minute. Serve.

PREPARING CLAMS FOR CHOWDER
1. Before cooking, use soft brush (sometimes sold as vegetable brush) to scrub away any bits of sand trapped in shells.
2. Steam clams until they just open, as seen on left, rather than completely open, as shown on right.
3. Carefully use paring knife to open steamed clams.
4. Once open, discard top shell and use knife to cut clam from bottom shell.