Silky Egg Custard with Baby Clams

This is an exceedingly light, delicate dish, whose charm is its simplicity. Known in Japan as chawan mushi, or “steamed thing in a tea bowl,” it is a very silky egg custard made with seasoned stock and a sprinkling of cooked or marinated seafood or poultry, which is steamed and served hot in individual cups. The steaming gives the custard a slightly soft texture, unlike the firm baked custards to which we are accustomed in the West, and I often serve it instead of a soup to highlight