are transparent, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the flour until all of the liquid is absorbed. With the heat still on low, add the milk, stirring constantly to keep from forming lumps (whisk if you need to). Add your minced clams and half of the reserved clam juice (1 cup). Stir in your parsley, salt, and pepper.
Step 3—Thicken the sauce: Turn up the heat to medium and continue stirring. In about 3-5 minutes, you’ll see the sauce begin to simmer. Continue stirring and simmering on medium heat for another 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. When done, remove from heat, cover, and allow to stand about 10 minutes, letting flavors continue to blend while you cook your pasta.
Step 4—Cook the pasta: Turn the heat to high under the pasta water pot that you put on to boil in Step 1. As bubbles begin to appear, add the salt and a splash of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. When the water is at a roiling boil, add your pasta and stir the pot every so often to prevent sticking. Cook until tender—about 9-10 minutes, depending on your pasta. (Check the package instructions if you’re using premade pasta. Check your recipe if you’re using homemade.)
Step 5—Finish and serve: Drain the pasta, then return it to the original pot (now drained of water). Add the sauce and stir until well blended. Serve immediately with suggested garnishes (see note).
NOTE ON FLOUR: You can substitute regular flour in this recipe, but Wondra is a great product to have in your cupboard. This superfine flour helps thicken sauces and gravies with a minimum amount of lumps. Look for its blue cardboard canister in the same grocery store aisle that shelves all-purpose flour. (A handy, foolproof recipe for making a basic white sauce can be found right on the canister’s label, too.)
NOTE ON GARNISHES: A number of garnishes will work well with this dish. Try freshly ground black or white pepper, lemon zest, and/or sea salt. In lieu of salt—and contrary to those who say seafood should not be paired with cheese—I find a strong, aged cheese like Pecorino Romano lends a delicious, piquant note when freshly grated over this dish!
Gardner’s No-Bake Mocha Rum Balls
Because Gardner’s memories of the holidays always included Caribbean rum (thanks to his auntie), he contributed this deliciously decadent recipe. Sophisticated yet easy (and fun) to make, these treats blend the flavors of chocolate and dark rum with another ingredient Jamaica has long been proud of exporting—coffee.
Makes about 48 cookies4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces,
or cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces,
or cup milk chocolate chips
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature and cut into
small pieces
3cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals
1 tablespoon dark rum or 1½ teaspoons rum extract
1 tablespoon espresso or strong coffee
¼ teaspoon salt
One or more of the following finishers: chocolate jimmies; toasted
coconut; toasted almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, or another favorite nut
(see note on toasting nuts)
Step 1—Melt the chocolate: Melting chocolate is very easy, but also tricky. If you do it wrong, the chocolate can seize up on you and become coarse and grainy. If the chocolate scorches, the flavor will suffer. Avoid these disasters by following Clare’s directions for properly melting chocolate (page 335).
Step 2—Mix the dough: To avoid problems mixing the dough, you’ll want to keep the bowl of melted chocolate warm. If you used a microwave to melt the chocolate, then simply transfer the bowl to sit snugly over a saucepan with hot water in it. (The water should not be touching the bowl.) The pan of water can sit on your stovetop with the burner turned very low. Just don’t let the water boil or you’ll risk scorching the chocolate and ruining the taste of the cookies. To make the dough, work quickly: Stir in the softened butter pieces. After they have completely melted, stir in 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Dissolve the instant coffee crystals into the dark rum and espresso, and then stir into the chocolate mixture. Finally, mix in the salt and the rest of your powdered sugar (the remaining 1cups). If you’re having trouble getting the final bit of sugar to melt into the dough, you probably allowed the bowl to cool off too much. Just turn up the heat under the saucepan of water and keep stirring until all of the sugar is incorporated.
Step 3—Roll the balls: When the dough is smooth and all ingredients are well incorporated, begin making