Master Class: Chef Michael Cimarusti pries open the basics of clam chowder

While testing recipes a few weeks ago, something strange happened. A deep whiff of the Manhattan-style clam chowder I had just made transported me for a brief moment to my grandmother Josephine Cimarusti's kitchen in Lindenhurst, Long Island. A white-and-green striped sugar bowl with a stainless, hinged, flip-top lid sat on the kitchen table; the scent of clam cakes and chowder filled the air. Perhaps you can relate. We all have foods that we 're nostalgic about. For me, chowder is one of them.

By Michael Cimarusti

January 19, 2013