Fried Clams To Die For

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Clams

There are fried clams and then there are fried clams!!  This past week I attended a conference in Freeport, ME.  I asked at the Harraseeket Inn where we were staying who had the best fried clams in the area where the locals ate.  I was told it was the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster on Casco Bay. The weather was quite lovely on the evening we went. The lobster shack was like so many other lobster and clam shacks along the coast of New England. Visitors had the choice of dining in or out, but since there was quite a breeze we decided to eat in the dining room which was simple and immaculate.

Harraseeket_home2_r1_c3

At the window we ordered fried clams and learned you could have them with a choice of batters, crumbs or batter. My friend and I went with the crumbs and it was an excellent choice. The clams with the batter option would have been more batter than clams in my humble opinion. The fried clams with the crumbs were light with just the right amount of batter. One could actually enjoy the taste of the clams. It didn’t hurt that these were most likely the freshest clams I have ever eaten. Literally right off the boat! The order came with fries which were hot and crispy and the order was large enough for the two of us to share one order.

Batter choice

Crab Cakes

As an appetizer, we tried the crab cakes.  Again they were made with Maine crabs and were light and absolutely delicious. If you are heading to Maine this summer, it is a mere 3 miles from L L Bean on Main Street. Just head down Bow St (right across from the main entrance), take a right on South and continue until you see the sign for Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster right on Casco Bay.

Clam Cakes

Fried Clams at Janine’s in Ware, MA

Believe or not, Janine’s in Ware, MA serves delicious fried clams and an excellent lobster roll.  Whenever I have had their fried clams I have requested a light dusting of flour which make them similar to those at Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster.

Fried Clam Recipe from Woodman’s in Essex, MA

For the recipe from the inventor of the fried clam, check out our blog at http://tasteandtales.com/books/chubby-and-the-clam/.

 

Muffin Recipe

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Muffin Recipe

Oh, what to do with those overripe bananas?? Usually we bake banana bread, but instead let’s look at a delicious muffin recipe from the “Taste of Home” from University of Massachusetts Dining. UMASS dining is listed as number 1 in the nation for excellence.  I adapted this recipe a bit.  As bananas ripen their sugar content increases, so they are very sweet.  I reduced the amount of sugar from 2 cups to 1/2 cup and I believe that the next time I would reduce it even further to 1/3 cup.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch of cinnamon, or to taste
1 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 medium over-riped bananas, mashed
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract                                                                                                                                             1 cup blueberries
1 cup ground walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 18 muffins cups with baking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, sea salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, sugar and bananas.  Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.  Stir in the flour mixture, blueberries and walnuts.
3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.  Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out dry, about 25 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins

Adapted from UMASS Dining “Taste of Home” 2014

Yummy Blueberry Plum Crisp

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A friend gave me 4 pounds of Damson Plums from her tree.   They are also known as blue plums. I couldn’t imagine what I would do with all of them.  They are small but full of flavor. After reviewing a few recipes, I decided to go with an original creation.  I always have blueberries in the fridge and I thought the combination would be tasty.  I had wanted to add peaches, but the ones I had bought at a local orchard were not ripe enough.  It took about an hour to quarter and remove the pit of all the plums.

Plum-Blueberry Crisp

Blueberry Plum Crisp

4 pounds Damson or Blue Plums, pitted and quartered
1 pint blueberry, washed and drained
1 package of Phoebe’s Kitchen Crisp mixture
1 stick butter, softened

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Place plums and blueberries in oven proof casserole.  I used an Dansk casserole dish.
3.  Place butter in medium bowl and add the crisp mix.  Mix and sprinkle on top of the plum-blueberry mixture.
4.  Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 6-8

 

 

 

Lightest most Delicious Blueberry Coffee Cake – Blueberry Boy Bait

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My childhood friend Irene and I starting making this recipe when we were in our early teens.  I can’t imagine how many of these I have made. It came from a Pillsbury Booklet. The story goes that in 1954 a 15-year-old Chicago girl named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (precursor to the Pillsbury Bake-Off). She came in second place in the youth division for her creation. She gave it the special name, Boy Bait, in honor of its powers with the opposite sex.  This past weekend I brought out the recipe and it taste just as good today as my memories of times past. There are several adaptation of this on the internet, but none could possibly be as delicious as this. The secret to its lightness is the whipped egg white that must be gently folded into the batter.  Do not over mix the batter!

Once the batter is spread in a 9 x 13-inch pan, I drop as many blueberries as possible on top.  The picture below shows how it should look.  Once you put the blueberries on top, sprinkle the reserved topping over the batter.

Blueberries on topBlueberries on top of batter

With topping

Topping sprinkled on top of berries

Finished Product

Finished Coffeecake

Blueberry Boy Bait

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
11⁄2 cups granulated sugar
2⁄3 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 cups blueberries

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Sift together flour, sugar; cut in 2/3 cup butter until particles are small. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture for topping.

  3. To remainder, add sea salt, baking powder, vanilla, milk, & egg yolks; blend well.

  4. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry; fold gently into batter. Spread in a well-greased and lightly floured 9″ X 13″ baking pan.

  5. Arrange drained blueberries over batter. Sprinkle reserved ¾ cup crumb mixture over top.

  6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until tester come out clean.

On Serving Tray

Polar Bear Ice Cream with Raspberry Truffles – Westview Farms, Monson, MA

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Today, Sunday the 19th is National Ice Cream Day and I must say                                                           Westview polar bear ice cream
that the above ice cream is the bestest.  It is vanilla ice cream with
raspberry swirls with chocolate raspberry truffles in it.  You can find Westview Farm on East Hill Road in Monson, MA.  The view from the farm faces west and one can still see where the tornado went through four years ago.  Fortunately the farm was not greatly damaged but several homes nearby were, but have been rebuilt.  If it weren’t for the trees, one would never know that a tornado had gone through the area.

The farm also has a wonderful pumpkin patch in the fall and a great fenced in area where many goats of all ages reside. You can purchase cones filled with feed for $.25 cents.

Baby goats

Bar Harbor Inn Lobster Mac & Cheese

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From A Taste of lobster and some tales too – this is delicious!!  

Bar Harbor Inn Lobster Mac and CheeseLobster Mac and Cheese

2 cups uncoooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons floor
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk or half-and-half
8 ounces Cabot’s grated Sharp Cheddar cheese
12 ounces cooked cleaned lobster meat cut into bite size pieces
4 ounces cracker meal
1 teaspoon paprika

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente, about 10-12 minutes.
  3. While macaroni is cooking, make white sauce by melting butter in saucepan and stir in flour to make a roux. Cook the roux for a few minutes, stirring continuously.  Gradually add the milk; add 6 ounces grated Cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until melted.  Add lobster to sauce.  Add sauce to cooked macaroni.
  4. In a separate bowl mix cracker meal and paprika. Place macaroni mix in glass or ceramic casserole dish and top with cracker meal mix and remaining cheddar cheese.
  5. Bake for 1 hour or until top is golden and bubbly.
  6. Serve with fresh field green salad and crisp white wine.

Serves 4

Best View of Nauset Beach

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Ocean from Nauset KnollImagine waking up in the morning and looking out and seeing this view of the Atlantic Ocean from all 12 rooms at the Nauset Knoll Motor Lodge in Orleans, MA.  In June I make my annual tour around Cape Cod with the cookbooks and since I changed my usual route I needed to stay further out the Cape and since I wanted to see water, I located this motor lodge built in the 50s. Fortunately, someone had cancelled and I was lucky enough to get room.

I had heard about the “Best Onion Rings” in the world were at Liam’s at Nauset Beach which was on the other side of the shrubs so I made sure I would get there by 4 p.m. However, the wind was blowing as you can see by the flag and the weather was headed downhill.  I had to literally hold on to my hat when I signed in.  Instead of walking down I drove and the young man at the booth let me through as there was literally no cars in the parking lot and Liam’s was closed.  The only vehicle in the parking lot was a satellite truck from a TV station in Boston who I guess thought that the shark (named Freckles) lurking off-shore was going to come in for an interview.nausetknoll windmill

Since Liam’s wasn’t open and I wanted my annual meal of whole belly clams, I headed to Sir Cricket in Orleans.  They have been voted best on the Cape several times. Dinner was quite tasty, but I regret not being able to have those from Liam’s.

Below is a recipe telling how you can steam a lobster at home.  Recipe is courtesy of Sir Crickets.

How to Steam the Perfect Lobster

Fill a large pan with 1-2 inches of water, and bring it to a boil.
Place the lobster(s) in the pan*, and cover.
Keep the flame on high, and when it begins to steam, start your timer!
– 12-15 minutes for 1¼-1½ pounders
– 20 minutes for 1½-2 pounders
– 25 minutes for 2-3 pounders

*If this makes you squeamish, place the lobsters in the freezer for a minute to stun them before steaming!

Hidden Gem in Hardwick, MA

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Rose32 logo1

Population of Hardwick, MA is under 3,000, but it has a bakery and cafe that draws in customers from many miles away, Rose32.  The owners began baking breads in the 1970s in San Francisco.  After 4 decades of growing a 1 shop bakery into 4 retail stores, a distribution network both retail and wholesale, they sold the big business and moved to the hamlet of Gilbertville, a part of Hardwick.

Renovated gas station

After a year or so, they decided to become bakers once again and a lot of people are so glad they did.  Next they needed to locate an outlet for the bakery so the search began.  Finally they determined that the former service station that had served the community and travelers on Rt. 32 for many decades would make a grand bakery.  It took nearly 1 1/2 years to renovate the service station into the beautiful bakery and cafe.

This past Saturday a friend and I went to Janine’s Frostee for their lobster roll and as we left, I decided that it would be a good time to try and locate Rose32.  It is about a mile from where Rt. 9 and 32 intersect.  The cafe has many outside table and inside there are a few large tables along with the bakery.  They are open Wednesday through Sunday from early morning through mid-afternoon.

Begin with breakfast either scrambled eggs, an egg sandwich or a hash scramble with diced ham, potatoes and green onions topped with Cabot cheddar. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m., while lunch is served all day.  You will need to get their early as the lines are long on weekends.

All breads and bakery items are made on the premises.  The breads are made in small batches with only flour, water and salt.  They have a bread called the Hardwick Loaf with wheat grown in Hardwick that is milled fresh at the bakery each day. They say it is amazing and the next time I am out that way I will definitely buy a loaf.

Plugra-Foodservice-Stacked

They also carry European-style butter or what is known as cultured butter.  It is definitely more expensive than store bought butter, but true bakers use it when making pie crust and other layered baked goods such as scones and croissants.  European butter is made more slowly which allows for a stronger flavor. The main difference between the butters is the fat content.  European butter has a 83-86% fat content while non-cultured butter is about 81%. Butter with more fat has less water thereby creating a lighter pastry.  It is not important when making cookies, bars or even brownies, but if you are making scones or kouign anam which have what is called a laminated dough you will want to use a European butter.

Sweet Roll Rose32

To the left is their pecan sweet roll and the kouign anam is to the right.  I had never had or heard of the latter so a little research was necessary.  Kouign anam ( (pronounced [,kwiɲˈamɑ̃nː]), is a little cake from the town of Douarnenez in Finistère, Brittany, where it originated  around 1860.   It is light and flaky due to the layers of butter and noted cookbook author David Lebovitz has a delicious recipe with great instructional pictures as to how to make this caramelized treat.

So go to Rose32 in Hardwick and enjoy the many delicious baked goods.  It is a little gem in a small town in Central Mass.

Great Food at Blue Marlin in Essex, MA

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Blue Marlin ImageFriday evening, I was visiting friends in Gloucester when we decided to go out to dinner.  The original choice was the Windward Grille, but since we didn’t have a reservation we would have had to wait over an hour.  Decided instead to go up the road a piece and dine at the Blue Marlin Grille on Rt. 133.  We all started out with Clam Chowder and I must admit it was delicious.  Could actually stand my spoon up, it was so thick with clams and potatoes.  Told it won the Chowder contest at the Essex ClamFest.  We all had something different, I did Surf and Turf with baked shrimp and tenderloin tips – excellent.  Our waitress was great and considering it was graduation night and the restaurant was packed, everything arrived perfectly. Must also state they had excellent cole slaw – just right. You can have a peek at these guys if you have the idea of opening up a new restaurant of this franchise around your locality.

Clams and Essex are synonymous.  Nearly 100 years ago at Woodman’s a mile or so down the road, Chubby Woodman in response to a dare, fried a few clams and an instant hit occurred.  On July 4, 1916, Chubby and his wife Bessie, presented his Fried Clams to the residents of Essex during the parade.  People across New England are always looking for the best Fried Clam. Personally, I don’t like a lot of batter, but others do.  Be prepared for long lines.

Chubby and Bessie’s Fried Clams

26 ounces whole belly clams
12 ounces evaporated milk
4 cups corn flour
Lard (Crisco can be used). Do not use olive oil.

Fried Clams

  1. 1.   In a 4 quart saucepan, melt 2 3/4 pounds lard or vegetable oil to a depth of 2-inches in the pan. Heat to 350 degrees F. Using two bowls, pour evaporated milk into one, and corn flour into the other. In small batches put   the clams in a hand-held strainer, and submerge into the bowl of evaporated milk to coat. Remove the strainer from the bowl and shake off the excess milk.  Next dredge the clams until they are well covered with corn flour (you may want to use a clean dry hand-held strainer to shake off the excess flour).
  2. Carefully place the clams into hot lard or oil. Be careful, because lard will spatter.  Cook in small batches, turning to cook both sides, until they are golden brown.  Using a slotted scoop remove from oil. Shake gently to remove excess oil. The clams will take approximately 1 1/2 minutes to cook. The color is the most important. They should be a golden brown.  Serves 8 (appetizer-sized servings).

For those few who have never been to Woodman’s, the restaurant is located on Main Street (Rt. 133), Essex, MA.
Courtesy of Woodman’s of Essex — Five Generations of Stories, 100 Years of Recipes

Recipes from Taste and Tales of Coastal New England

CNE Front Only

Potato Brunch Casserole for Easter Brunch

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Potato Brunch Casserole

This recipe is requested every year for our Easter Brunch.  The one thing different this year is that after 30 years our Easter Egg Hunt had to be cancelled due to SNOW, yes SNOW is still in the yard.  Hard to believe, but in some places it is still at least a a foot deep.

Potato Brunch Casserole

Ingredients

One 32 ounce package hash brown
One pint whipping cream
16 ounce package of swiss cheese, grated
¼ lb. (1 stick) of butter, melted nutmeg

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Put all ingredients in an oven-to-table casserole dish; mix thoroughly.  Sprinkle top with nutmeg.
3.Bake covered for 30 minutes; remove cover and continue baking for another 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Recipe can be found in Taste and Tales of MassachusettsMA front cover 6-08a