Conch Chowder 4-6 servings Ingredients: 2 pounds conch, fresh,    or thawed if purchased frozen 2 lemons 2 jumbo onions, chopped 2 cloves of garlic 2 large carrots, chopped 3 sprigs of fresh parsley 2 tablespoons chicken base, or bouillon 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters 2 large sprigs of fresh thyme 3 tomatoes, chopped, with their juice 1 teaspoon tomato paste 5 oz butter 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 8 oz red wine vinegar

Conch Chowder Jean-Pierre (maitre'd) and Jean Pierre-Louis (chef) have been running Antoine Restaurant since the 80s. They serve French cuisine but as chef Pierre-Louis is a local, several local dishes and many local flavors can be found on the menu. We have chosen his Conch Chowder for our soup.

Preparation:
Soak the conch in the wine vinegar, a teaspoon of salt, and water to coverfor several hours. Drain the conch, dice it, return the diced conch to a bowl and squeeze the juice of two lemons over it.

In a soup pot large enough to hold all the ingredients, sauté the onion and carrot in the butter until the onion begins to soften and turn golden. Add the chopped tomato and continue to cook gently.

In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, the 2 bunches of parsley and the chicken base until the vegetables are finely chopped.

Add the parsley mixture, along with the potatoes, the tomato paste, conch, and the peppercorns, to the onion mixture in the soup pot. Stir together for a few minutes, then add enough water to cover the mixture by two inches. Add the last bunch of parsley and the thyme. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until conch are tender.

Remove the bunches of herbs. Transfer the chowder to a food processor, in batches if necessary, and pulse to a rough puree. Taste for seasoning and serve.

For wine, Sylvain Pereira (sommelier at Select Wine Cellar) says pair this soup with a rosé. The Domaine de Sainte Croix from the Côtes de Provence is a lighter rosé while the Château Miraval from the same region is a full-bodied version. Neither is very sweet.