Carey's Rich & Creamy New England Clam Chowder

1. Saute bacon in soup pot and cook on medium low heat until almost crispy. (If you have any additional bacon fat that you have happened to save add 2 tablespoons to this as the bacon flavor makes all the difference.) 2. Add onion and celery, cook until translucent. 3. Add garlic, pepper, thyme and chicken stock. 4. Add clam juice, white wine (if using ) or sherry if no wine. Carefully stir while still allowing to simmer. 5. Add potatoes, (the purpose of the 3 sizes is so that some will break down and others will remain whole, giving great texture to chowder.) 6. Cover and let cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. 7. Stir occasionally so potatoes won't stick or burn to the bottom of pan. 8. Add milk and cream keep stirring carefully. 9. In a separate small saute pan, melt butter and mix flour with it to make a ROUX.. 10. Once the chowder is just beginning to come to a slow boil, stir in the roux and let it slightly thicken the chowder. ** Add a little at a time and gauge the thickness based on your preference.** 11. Turn the heat down to very low and let it just set and simmer but NOT BOIL !! for approx 25 minutes. 12. ** IMPORTANT ** Add your canned or fresh minced clams the last 10 minutes !! Very important so you don't over cook clams. They will become rubbery... Still edible! Just rubbery lol