Baked Clams Francaise
Verdict: Success
Neighbor-worthy
The bf and I are so fond of this dish at one of our fave restaurants by our apartment (Moran's) but really have no idea how or why it is so good. His mother makes the most incredible clams oreganata at Christmas every year that can't be topped--EXCEPT by these. Thank goodness she doesn't do the internet otherwise she'd kill over that statement.
This recipe was a complete guess as it isn't even listed as francaise dish at the restaurant but it has this wonderful lemon sauce incorporated in it that remains on the plate and begs for bread dipping. So I am trying to incorporate this recipe for baked clams oreganata and tweaking it some--by using a stand-by francais sauce that I make--to try to come close to what we had just a few nights ago. (It's that good that I'm already ready for it again).
Ingredients:
1 dozen little neck clams scrubbed
1 cup PLAIN breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs once and it ended coming out so salty we had to order out.)
2 cloves garlic cloves smashed and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
2 tablespoonsfresh oregano leaves
red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
2to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 cups chicken stock
+ 1/2 to 3/4 cups francais sauce (recipe below)
Francais Sauce:
1 tablespoon flour seasoned with salt and pepper (plus more if necessary)
zest of one lemon
juice of two lemons (and 2 thinly sliced rings of lemon)
1/2 palmful fresh parsley leaves chopped
2 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4-5 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat your oven to 450° or turn your grill in High if you want to start there and go into your kitchen for the final step.
Do your francaise sauce first...Season some flour with the salt and pepper and set aside. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over High heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and whisk until the butter has melted. Lower the heat to Medium. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and the rest of your olive oil. Add the flour and whisk for about a minute. Add the wine and the stock and cook for another minute. Add your zest and lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and throw in the rest of the butter and whisk 'till it has melted. If the mixture hasn't thickened at this point, throw in a teaspoon of flour and whisk. When you get the desire thickness add your parsley and your lemon rings and set aside.
Clams...Place the clams on your grill if you live in the suburbs or on a cookie sheet if in a city. (City dwellers: put the sheet in the oven.) Cook 'em till they start popping open. Remove from heat and crank your broiler on and pry them open with something less than sharp--you can cut yourself doing this or shucking oysters and it's a downer. Also look for chips on the ends, the little pieces can cut like glass. Tear off the top half of the clam shell and throw out. Remove the clam from the shell and replace it in the reserved half shell.
In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, oregano, pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the measured francaise sauce until pretty wet. Pack each clam full of your breadcrumb mixture and pack down tightly. Put the clams on the a cookie sheet, add a 1/2 cup of water to the pan and place it on the top rack in your oven. Cook the clams until the crumbs start to pass golden and darken a little but KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT, you don't want them to burn.
Add the remaining francais sauce to a large plate and arrange your clams on top of the sauce. Eat and dip some bread in the sauce when done....If you did this right, the plate should be completely dry after the meal.
Notes:
I like trying to duplicate recipes which is why I ran with this. The francaise approach can be skipped if you want to go simple. Just skip that step and replace with the original chicken stock.
Tweaks:
The addition of the francaise sauce instead of the stock and practically altering the nature of the recipe is a pretty big tweak.
I dropped the chicken stock in the clam prep in favor of the francaise sauce.
I love me some Kosher salt but I keep forgetting to buy it so I used "regular".
Cheats:
I did not buy fresh oregano. I already had to buy too much parsley for the recipe...I wasn't going to waste more money on another bushel for a pinch ingredient.
Injury:
I cut the my finger with a clam shard. Just a little nick bled for about an hr.
Send me recipes and leave me comments please. theManicCheater@gmail.com.
Ingredients:
1 dozen little neck clams scrubbed
1 cup PLAIN breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs once and it ended coming out so salty we had to order out.)
2 cloves garlic cloves smashed and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
2 tablespoons
red pepper flakes
2
+ 1/2 to 3/4 cups francais sauce (recipe below)
Francais Sauce:
1 tablespoon flour seasoned with salt and pepper (plus more if necessary)
zest of one lemon
juice of two lemons (and 2 thinly sliced rings of lemon)
1/2 palmful fresh parsley leaves chopped
2 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4-5 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat your oven to 450° or turn your grill in High if you want to start there and go into your kitchen for the final step.
Do your francaise sauce first...Season some flour with the salt and pepper and set aside. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over High heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and whisk until the butter has melted. Lower the heat to Medium. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and the rest of your olive oil. Add the flour and whisk for about a minute. Add the wine and the stock and cook for another minute. Add your zest and lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and throw in the rest of the butter and whisk 'till it has melted. If the mixture hasn't thickened at this point, throw in a teaspoon of flour and whisk. When you get the desire thickness add your parsley and your lemon rings and set aside.
Clams...Place the clams on your grill if you live in the suburbs or on a cookie sheet if in a city. (City dwellers: put the sheet in the oven.) Cook 'em till they start popping open. Remove from heat and crank your broiler on and pry them open with something less than sharp--you can cut yourself doing this or shucking oysters and it's a downer. Also look for chips on the ends, the little pieces can cut like glass. Tear off the top half of the clam shell and throw out. Remove the clam from the shell and replace it in the reserved half shell.
In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, oregano, pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the measured francaise sauce until pretty wet. Pack each clam full of your breadcrumb mixture and pack down tightly. Put the clams on the a cookie sheet, add a 1/2 cup of water to the pan and place it on the top rack in your oven. Cook the clams until the crumbs start to pass golden and darken a little but KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT, you don't want them to burn.
Add the remaining francais sauce to a large plate and arrange your clams on top of the sauce. Eat and dip some bread in the sauce when done....If you did this right, the plate should be completely dry after the meal.
Notes:
I like trying to duplicate recipes which is why I ran with this. The francaise approach can be skipped if you want to go simple. Just skip that step and replace with the original chicken stock.
Tweaks:
The addition of the francaise sauce instead of the stock and practically altering the nature of the recipe is a pretty big tweak.
I dropped the chicken stock in the clam prep in favor of the francaise sauce.
I love me some Kosher salt but I keep forgetting to buy it so I used "regular".
Cheats:
I did not buy fresh oregano. I already had to buy too much parsley for the recipe...I wasn't going to waste more money on another bushel for a pinch ingredient.
Injury:
I cut the my finger with a clam shard. Just a little nick bled for about an hr.
Send me recipes and leave me comments please. theManicCheater@gmail.com.
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