2003 Paderno P.E.I. Chowder Champion by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

Chef Jeff McCourt of the Courtyard Café in Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown gussies up his chowder with even more seafood, including oysters, scallops and crab — all Island-fished or grown.

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

Nutritional Info
Per each of 8 servings: about	-
cal	378
pro	14 g
total fat	30 g
sat. fat	15 g
carb	13 g
fibre	1 g
chol	109 mg
sodium	360 mg
% RDI:	-
calcium	12%
iron	28%
vit A	26%
vit C	15%
folate	11%

Chive Oil:

Preparation:

Scrub mussels, removing any beards. Discard any that do not close when tapped. Place in large Dutch oven. Add lobster and 1 cup (250 mL) water; cover and steam over medium-high heat, stirring once, until mussels open, about 8 minutes.

Remove lobster. Strain mussels, reserving liquid and discarding any that do not open. Let cool. Remove mussels and lobster meat from shells; chop lobster meat and place in bowl along with mussels. Set aside. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

In large heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add milk, cream, grated potato, vermouth, salt and pepper; cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to blender or food processor; whirl until smooth. Return to clean pot.

Add diced potatoes, reserved cooking liquid and 1 cup (250 mL) water; cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.

Drain and rinse clams; add to chowder. Add mussels and lobster meat; heat through. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate, uncovered, until cold. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)

Chive Oil: In food processor, whirl chives with oil until smooth; strain through fine sieve. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with chive oil; sprinkle with chives.