When I first looked at the recipe for New England clam chowder I was taken aback by the amount of fat (olive oil plus grease from guanchiale and canola oil) and three cups of heavy cream for 6 servings. Certainly there must be a lighter way to make this soup!? So John and I set about making a lighter version of this New England classic. Here is the recipe we came up with.

To be honest I do not bother with picking the leaves off the thyme and just throw a large sprig in and let the leaves fall off on their own while they cook and last night I did not have tarragon so I just left it off. I also tend not to toast the bread and put it in the bottom of the bowl because I like to control the amount of soup that it is sopping up. Last night we had probably a quarter of a cup of cream left in the container and I used all of it. But, still, 1/4 cup in a dish for the two of us works out to 2 tablespoons each and that is not accounting for the fact that we have leftovers. The originally recipe would have had you eating 1/2 cup per person!

As written this is a delicious rendition of New England clam chowder that makes a filling dinner. I lived in New England for about 13 years and there are many ways to serve chowder from thick and starchy to super creamy to a thin broth consistency. I like my take on it!