Tomato Ginger Gelée Clam Shooters

Serves: 3

Vicente Kshlerin

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

48

Spice

48

Sweetness

45

Sourness

40

mins

Prep time (avg)

5.2

Difficulty

Ingredients:

1 tbsp

Salt

1 tbsp

Sugar

1 cup

Water

Directions:

1

Make tomato ginger water: Purée one fourth of tomatoes with ginger in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes

2

Transfer to a small heavy saucepan and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes

3

Clean processor thoroughly, then purée remaining tomatoes in batches with chiles, salt, and sugar until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes

4

Transfer to a bowl and stir in cooked tomato ginger purée

5

Line a large sieve with stacked cheesecloth squares and set over a deep nonreactive pot or a large clean bucket

6

Carefully pour purée into center of cheesecloth

7

Gather sides of cheesecloth up over purée to form a large sack and tie sides together securely with string as close to purée as possible but without squeezing purée

8

Tie sack to a wooden spoon longer than diameter of pot and remove sieve

9

Set spoon across top of pot, suspending sack inside pot and leaving a couple of inches underneath sack so that it will not sit in any tomato water that accumulates

10

(Alternatively, transfer tomato water to another container as it accumulates

11

) Let sack hang 4 hours at room temperature

12

Purée one fourth of tomatoes with ginger in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes

13

Transfer to a small heavy saucepan and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes

14

Clean processor thoroughly, then purée remaining tomatoes in batches with chiles, salt, and sugar until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes

15

Transfer to a bowl and stir in cooked tomato ginger purée

16

Line a large sieve with stacked cheesecloth squares and set over a deep nonreactive pot or a large clean bucket

17

Carefully pour purée into center of cheesecloth

18

Gather sides of cheesecloth up over purée to form a large sack and tie sides together securely with string as close to purée as possible but without squeezing purée

19

Tie sack to a wooden spoon longer than diameter of pot and remove sieve

20

Set spoon across top of pot, suspending sack inside pot and leaving a couple of inches underneath sack so that it will not sit in any tomato water that accumulates

21

(Alternatively, transfer tomato water to another container as it accumulates

22

) Let sack hang 4 hours at room temperature

23

Prepare clams: Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot

24

Add clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat, until clams are opened wide, stirring and checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring clams as opened to a bowl

25

(Discard any clams that have not opened after 10 minutes

26

) When cool enough to handle, shuck clams

27

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot

28

Add clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat, until clams are opened wide, stirring and checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring clams as opened to a bowl

29

(Discard any clams that have not opened after 10 minutes

30

) When cool enough to handle, shuck clams

31

Assemble shooters: Discard cheesecloth sack and its contents without squeezing

32

Pour tomato water through large sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a bowl

33

Measure out 4 cups tomato water and reserve remainder for another use

34

Transfer 1/2 cup tomato water to a small saucepan, then sprinkle with gelatin and let soften 1 minute

35

Heat over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved, then stir into remaining 31/2 cups tomato water

36

Arrange glasses on trays and put 1 or 2 cilantro leaves in each, then a clam, and then 1 or 2 more cilantro leaves

37

Add about 1 tablespoon tomato water to each glass (stir water each time so gelatin remains well distributed) and chill, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at least 3 hours

38

(Gelatin will be thickened but not set; it needs to slide easily out of glass

39

) Discard cheesecloth sack and its contents without squeezing

40

Pour tomato water through large sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a bowl

41

Measure out 4 cups tomato water and reserve remainder for another use

42

Transfer 1/2 cup tomato water to a small saucepan, then sprinkle with gelatin and let soften 1 minute

43

Heat over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved, then stir into remaining 31/2 cups tomato water

44

Arrange glasses on trays and put 1 or 2 cilantro leaves in each, then a clam, and then 1 or 2 more cilantro leaves

45

Add about 1 tablespoon tomato water to each glass (stir water each time so gelatin remains well distributed) and chill, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at least 3 hours

46

(Gelatin will be thickened but not set; it needs to slide easily out of glass)