Seafood Chowder

Serves 10, bite-size portions

For shrimp chip:

• ¾ cup tapioca
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup shrimp

Process all ingredients in the food processor until a paste forms. Roll out between two layers of plastic wrap, and steam for 20 minutes. Dehydrate at 165˚F for 10 hours. Fry at 400˚F until golden brown.

For parsley sauce:

• ¼ cup corn maltodextrin
• ½ cup parsley
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup ice

Bring the water and maltodextrin to a boil; then add the parsley. Place in blender and purée. Strain through a chinois and cool over ice. Reserve.

For chowder:

• 2 teaspoons bacon
• 1 tablespoon onion
• 1 tablespoon fennel
• ½ cup cream
• 2 fingerling potatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay
• 1½ tablespoons white wine
• 7 bay leaves
• ½ cup cooked crab meat
• ¼ cup celery heart leaves, diced

Render the bacon until crisp; then add onion and fennel and cook until translucent. Deglaze with white wine, and reduce; then add cream, potatoes, and Old Bay seasoning. Cook until the vegetables are tender; then remove them from the cream, cool, and reserve for assembly. Add the bay leaves and reduce the cream by one half. Thicken remaining cream with .7% ultratex 8 and cool. (If you don't have ultratex on hand, simply reduce to a thicker consistency.)

To serve:

Dress the potato/onion/fennel mixture with the thickened cream. Add shredded crab, celery heart leaves, and place on top of the shrimp cracker. Garnish with parsley sauce and peppercorn bubbles.