Gorgeous: tarragon, parsley, fennel, celery, onion, sausage, wine, heavy cream, and Littleneck clams.

Heating olive oil -- always a prelude to something good.

First the onions sweat over low heat. We used a spatula to break up the slices.

If the onions are the bass line, the garlic is the first note in the melody.

Celery is next, a big rush of green among the white aromatics.

And fennel bulb to finish -- it's optional, but we loved the note of anise it added to the dish.

Be sure to let the vegetables soften and meld together before moving on -- it all goes quickly from here on out.

We broke up the sausages into small pieces with our hands, but you can also break them up with a spatula.

Try not to stir the pieces too much so they get some good color!

And in go both wines, dry and sweet. These are drunken clams, after all.

As the mixture comes to a boil, add the tarragon, which Kristen describes as "chilled-out licorice."

Time for these cleaned and scrubbed clams to take a steam bath.

Just a few minutes later, they're open! And ready for a generous splash of heavy cream.

After a few minutes of simmering, just until the cream thickens a bit, a shower of parsley brings it all together.

Give the clams a stir, check for seasoning...

...And it's to the table, with a loaf of good, crusty bread.

That shrimp is a handsome fellow, no? You'll also need butter, garlic, paprika, pepper, Worchestershire sauce, Tabasco, and lemon wedges for serving.

Head-on jumbo shrimp are truly a sight to behold.

We halved the quantities and used one large roasting pan, but Waverly recommends two for the full recipe.

Give the shrimp a liberal sprinkling of black pepper, and it's to the stove to make their sauce.

We like a recipe that doesn't shy away from butter! (Melt the sticks gently so they don't brown.)

We smashed the garlic with our hands -- no tools necessary.

This is hot smoked paprika, but you can use sweet paprika too.

Have you ever seen so much Tabasco? For the spice-averse, you can easily add less for more mild shrimp.

And Worchestershire adds umami to the buttery, spicy sauce.

Give it all a stir, and it's back to the roasting pan.

This looks like a lot of sauce, but you really want the shrimp swimming in it.

Make sure they're coated on top and bottom, since you won't be turning them while they roast.

About 15 minutes later, these beauties emerge.

Messy (grab a napkin, please) but so worth it.