First off, it's a good soup. Creamy, spicy, crabby... all good stuff. The bell pepper is a standout flavor. It's not *too* crabby, and the texture can't be beat. This recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray and I am wholly satisifed with the result. Very pretty. Very tasty. But what I really want to talk about is oyster crackers. Today a friend asked me (regarding cooking), "Are you more interested in the process or the product?" I'm here to tell you, process is a big part of it for me. If the process is right, the product will follow. So many things that used to be produced are now simply procured. Candy corn, graham crackers, marshmallows... these are not found in the wild. These are *produced*. So goes the oyster cracker. A lowly garnish in loving hands becomes a thing of beauty. So along with this soup recipe, I include a recipe for the stately oyster cracker. So easy to make an oyster could do it. I bet that's where the name comes from. One more thing. The bowl you see in this picture is borrowed. Today a co-worker was sanding the bottoms of bowls and plates in the kitchen at work to keep them from scratching the tabletops. I know, right? With this one freshly sanded and stacked, it was suggested that in might look nice in one of my "soup pictures". I think they're right. Crab Chowder INGREDIENTS 3 slices of bacon, chopped 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 onion, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 bay leaf 3 tbsp flour 1 c chicken broth 3 tablespoons white wine 3 c whole milk 6 ounces lump crabmeat 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped 1/4 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper Fresh chives to garnish DIRECTIONS In heavy saucepan, cook bacon at med-high to crisp. Remove bacon set aside. Pour off some bacon grease, leaving bottom of pan thoroughly coated. Add potatoes, onion, celery, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook 10-12 minutes (until soft). Mix four in a little water and add to pot. Stir until integrated. Add broth and wine. Stir 2 minutes, deglazing pot. Reduce heat. Add milk, crab and spices and simmer 10 minutes until thickened. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives, reserved bacon and oyster crackers. Oyster crackers INGREDIENTS 2 1/4 c flour 1 tsp dry yeast 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp cream orf tartar 3/4 c lukewarm water 2 tbsp shortening DIRECTIONS Place all indredients in stand mixer and mix using dough hook 5-6 minutes until supple ball forms. Let rise 10 minutes. Place on lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Using smallest biscuit cutter, cut and place discs on ungreased baking sheet. 45 minutes at 300 degrees.

Originally from a Cuisine at Home publication: Splendid Soups & Spectacular Sides. I did change it up a bit and served it in Fiesta. Veggies came from the week's CSA box. Chicken Soup w/ Puff Pastry Croutons 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 cup diced onion 1 cup diced celery 1 cup quartered button mushrooms 1/2 cup diced carrot 2 tsp minced garlic 1 1/2 cups diced red potatoes 1/4 cup flour 2 Tbsp dry sherry 5 cups chicken broth 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken 2 Tbsp fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper pinch of ground nutmeg 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels 1/2 cup frozen green peas 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice salt & pepper, to taste Puff Pastry Croutons Melt butter over medium high heat in the pot you will use to make the soup. Saute onion, celery, mushrooms, carrot and garlic for about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and cook about 3 minutes more. Whisk in the flour and cook a couple of minutes to get rid of the raw taste. Deglaze pan with sherry. Stir in broth, chicken, thyme, bay leaf, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and the mixture has slightly thickened. Stir in the corn, peas, parsley and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and top with croutons. Puff Pastry Croutons 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg 1 Tbsp water kosher salt grated Parmesan paprika Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. Roll pastry out on floured surface to 1/4" thick. Beat egg with water and brush over dough. Sprinkle with salt, Parmesan and paprika. Cut in 1 1/2" squares and transfer to baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or till puffed and golden brown. Notes: 1. Started with 2 Tbsp olive oil in place of the butter. 2. My box had several large portobellos, so I used one of those. Removed the gills, then diced. 3. Garlic was in the box, so I minced 2 large cloves. 4. Used red new potatoes from the box. 5. We already had a bottle of KJ Chardonnay opened, so I used that in place of the sherry. 6. Haricot verts were in the box, so I cut those into 1/4" sections to use in place of the green peas. 7. When making the croutons I omitted the Parmesan and sprinkled the pastry generously with smoked paprika. Yum, yum, yum. These are soooo good!