Clams O'Michael's and clams Jaz 2 great clam recipes

July 7, 1:00 AMBoise Cooking ExaminerMichele (Jaz) Fagan

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As I promised last week I would have a couple of clam recipes for you. One comes straight from Dave Kent’s kitchen at O’Michael’s in Boise on Bogus Basin road. I met with him on Thursday and was very impressed by his passion for cooking and love of recipes. His recipes are well thought out and executed with a penchant for combinations of flavor and texture. If you are too afraid to attempt cooking clams at home go to O’Michael’s and try theirs, they are wonderful.

Dave Kent’s Clam Recipe

Make sure all clams are closed tight and unbroken. Soak in cold ice water with 1 cup of corn meal for about 20 minutes allowing the clams to push out all salt and sand. Rinse thoroughly and scrub the shells with a brush. In a sauté pan over medium melt: 3/4 cup butter or margarine unsalted to a pound, 2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tsp basil

Get these ingredients lightly simmering and add clams. Once the clams are open add:

¼ cup white wine don’t over do this or they will be too sweet, better to err on the safe side and use a little less until it tastes the way you want it
Minced garlic to taste appx ½ tbsp to 1 tbsp

Allow to heat through 1-3 minutes. Don’t over cook or they will turn into rubber. Serve with lemon wedges in a soup dish as shown in the photo.

Dave's recommended beverages:

• Clos de bois Chardonnay or Blue Moon Belgian served with an orange slice

Jaz’s Clam Recipe

Same directions as above for cleaning, I’ve decided to switch to Dave’s method.

In a sauté pan over med heat melt

• 1 cup butter unsalted
• 1tsp basil
• 1tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• ¼ cup white wine

Place clams in a Pyrex baking dish and pour the sauce over the tightly closed shells. Bake at 350 until the shells pop open, just keep a close eye on them, check every couple of minutes, if they cook too long the clams will be rubbery, you want to catch them just after the shells have opened.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Jaz's Recommended Beverage:

• Heffeweitzen with a lemon slice

Word of warning, make sure you get your clams fresh and closed. If they aren’t closed or are broken throw them out. It’s best to cook them the day you buy them, keep in mind they are alive, like lobster, and the sooner you cook them after purchase the better.

Watch soon for Dave’s Slaw Burger recipe, I haven’t tried it yet but as soon as I do I will share the recipe with you, it sounds to die for! Thank you again to Dave, Mike Moad and Jim for everything on Thursday!