Ferne's Clam Special
Contributed by Mrs. Paul Osborn.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
- 1 c. chopped celery
- 1 c. chopped bacon
- 5 Tbsp. bacon drippings
- 5 Tbsp. flour
- 2 1/2 c. milk
- 5 eggs, beaten
- 1 c. ground Pismo Clams
- Grated cheese
- 20 clean clam shells
Method
- Fry finely chopped green pepper and finely chopped celery until tender and clear (10 minutes), stirring constantly.
- In large frying pan brown finely chopped bacon. Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towel to drain.
- Make a white sauce from 5 Tbsp. bacon drippings and 5 Tbsp. flour, add milk.
- Add peppers, celery and bacon to white sauce, stirring constantly.
- Add well beaten eggs to sauce, stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add ground clams and clam juice, stir for 5 minutes.
- Place mixture on 20 fresh clean clam shells and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake 20 minutes at 310 or until cheese melts.
Notes from the transcription
- Serve with tossed salad and fresh string beans.
Original page from the cookbook
About this recipe
This recipe is transcribed verbatim from a spiral-bound community cookbook produced in Pismo Beach, California. The book was a fundraising publication of the type common to civic groups, church auxiliaries, and fishing communities on the California coast in the mid-twentieth century — recipes contributed by named cooks, illustrated with hand-drawn section dividers, and printed locally.
Spellings, measurements, and ingredient lists are preserved as they appeared in print, including typographic quirks and any inconsistencies. Where an ingredient is used in the method but was missing from the printed ingredient block, it has been added to the list here so the recipe is self-contained; every such addition is taken word-for-word from the printed method.
The full yesteryear collection preserves 123 recipes from this book. The modern collection is open to new contributions from today's Pismo clammers.