Bisque of Clams

This simple bisque recipe calls for parsley, a bay leaf and a brisk autumn evening.

Place a good knuckle of veal, weighing about a pound and a half, into a soup kettle, with a quart of water, one small onion, a sprig of parsley, a bay leaf, and the liquor drained from the clams, and simmer gradually for an hour and a half, skimming from time to time. Then strain the soup and again place it in the kettle; rub a couple of tablespoonfuls of butter with an equal amount of flour together and add it to the soup when it is boiling, stirring the while until again boiling. Chop up twenty-five clams very fine and place them in the soup, season, and boil for about five minutes, then add a pint of milk or cream, and remove from the fire immediately, and serve.