Tag Archive for: Taste and Tales of Massachusetts

Hidden Gem in Hardwick, MA

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

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

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