Ingredients:
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Directions:
Scrub clams with a vegetable brush and soak in salt water (1/3 cup salt to 1 gallon water) for one hour. Dice one half of the bacon and cook until crispy. Drain off and discard all but one tablespoon of the fat. Add the onions, garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno and sauté until tender. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the bacon and pepper mixture, parsley, lemon juice, vermouth, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are evenly combined. Lay out a 16" sheet of foil on a flat working surface, transfer the butter mixture onto the foil and roll tightly into a cylinder. Refrigerate.
Arrange the remaining bacon on a cutting board. Using a cookie cutter or paring knife cut out little poker chips and award statuettes. In a small saucepan, blanch the bacon cutouts in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat broiler. Open the clams and loosen the meat from the shells. Top each clam with a thin slice of the butter mixture and place on a baking pan.
Top each clam with a piece of blanched bacon and broil until the bacon just begins to get crisp. Don't overcook or the clams will get tough. |
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