Here is a recipe from the California Brandy Advisory Board. I'd like to sit in on their meetings in case there is product sampling on the agenda. Not that I'm a huge brandy fan, but it's okay in cooking.

This sauce recipe is lighter than your standard Alfredo sauce which usually has some cheese in it as well as cream. I often use low-fat evaporated milk, which some people think has a better flavor than full fat evaporated.

Creamy Clam Sauce

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 clove garlic, minced
2 level tablespoons flour
3/4 cup half and half or undiluted evaporated milk
1 (6 1/2 oz) can minced or chopped clams
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons California Brandy

Melt the butter with garlic in a saucepan over moderate heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a bit, then slowly blend in the half and half, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens. Add the undrained clams, brandy, and all the remaining ingredients. Heat just to boiling. Serve of hot fettuccine or linguine or spaghetti.

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I also like that runny white clam sauce that's just clams, garlic, and herbs. I don't think Mr. Kitchentales is a big fan of it, so I just make it when I'm home alone. Here's a semi-fancy version from Pierre Franey's New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet Cookbook. It goes together very quickly, once you got those pesky clams opened, takes a lot longer to describe the process than to make the dish.

Linguine in Clam Sauce
Four Servings

36 littleneck clams (or canned clams)
1 pound linguine
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Open the clams or have them opened. Save both the clams and their juice. There should be about 1 cup clams and 1 1/2 cups clam juice. Chop the clams coarsely and set aside. Add 6 cups water and the clam juice to a kettle for cooking the linguine. Bring to the boil and add the linguine, cooking until tender but al dente.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the garlic. Cook briefly, stirring, but do not brown. Add the chopped clams and cook, stirring, briefly. Add the parsley and pepper flakes and cook briefly. Add the drained linguine and toss to blend.

Spoon out into hot soup bowls and dribble the extra sauce from the bottom of the skillet onto each serving. A brief sprinkle of more olive oil on the dishes before serving is not amiss.

Yes, that last sentence is part of the recipe.

For completeness, here is a recipe for red clam sauce from The Spice Cookbook that makes 6 servings. I think the poultry seasoning is an interesting twist on the usual.

Spaghetti with Tomato-Clam Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (8 oz) Spanish-style tomato sauce*
2 tablespoons minced green pepper
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cans (7 1/2 oz each) minced clams
8 ounces thin spaghetti

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the next 9 ingredients (down through the garlic powder). Bring to boiling point, reduce heat, and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Drain the clams and add. Heat, but do not boil. Cook the spaghetti as directed on the package (and might as put the clam juice in the water for more flavor). Drain and serve with the clam sauce.

*Goya foods sells Spanish-style tomato sauce (sofrito) in cans. It's described as a mixture of tomatoes, green peppers, and spices. I'm not going to go looking for, I'll just add some red pepper flakes and use regular tomato sauce.

Does this sound a little thick to you? I think I'd be standing by with some water, chicken bouillon, or that drained-off clam juice in case it needed 'something.'