Clammed Up (23 page)
Recipes
Snowden Family Clam Chowder
The Snowden Family Clambake Company serves traditional New England Clam Chowder by the gallon. This recipe has been adapted for home use by Bill Carito, but will be just as yummy.
¼ pound thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 large onion (approximately ¾ pound), chopped
2 large potatoes (approximately 1 pound), cubed
2 bottles clam juice
½ Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pint shucked and minced or chopped clams with their juices reserved (4 cans)
1½ cups whole milk
1½ cups half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion (approximately ¾ pound), chopped
2 large potatoes (approximately 1 pound), cubed
2 bottles clam juice
½ Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pint shucked and minced or chopped clams with their juices reserved (4 cans)
1½ cups whole milk
1½ cups half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Using medium heat, cook the bacon in the soup pot until crispy.
Add the onion and cook 5 minutes.
Add the potato cubes and cook 2 minutes.
Add the bottled clam juice, reserved juices from the clams, and thyme leaves, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are simmering, combine the milk and half and half and gently warm in a saucepan (or microwave) to just past lukewarm.
Add the milk, half and half, and the clams to the pot when the potatoes are tender. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil) and cook an additional 10 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with crackers or crusty bread.
Snowden Family Blueberry Grunt
Most Maine families have multiple recipes for blueberry desserts—duffs, grunts, slumps, crunches, crisps, pies, and coffee cakes. Throughout New England and the eastern provinces of Canada, it’s possible to get into a quite lively discussion about which is which. Whatever you call them, these desserts are delicious. Here’s the one the Snowden family serves at the clambake. This recipe was adapted for home use by the late Maine author A. Carmen Clark.
½ cup water
1 quart blueberries
cup sugar
1 quart blueberries
cup sugar
Topping
1½ cups flour
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup milk
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Grease a deep baking dish or casserole and into this put the berries, sugar, and water.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes while mixing the dough.
Blend the butter into the flour. Add other ingredients and mix in with a fork, making the dough.
Spoon the dough over the hot berries.
Bake for 20 additional minutes.
Livvie’s Lobster Mac and Cheese
Livvie is the real cook in the Snowden family and her lobster mac and cheese is delicious. The sharp taste of the cheese with the sweetness of the lobster meat, and the textures—springy noodles, toothsome lobster, and crunchy panko breadcrumbs—cannot be beat. Livvie uses local cheeses that can only be purchased in Maine, but simple substitutions are supplied.
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1½ cup milk
teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ pound grated Hahn’s End Eleanor Buttercup cheese (or substitute Fontina or Monterey Jack)
½ pound grated Hahn’s End Olde Shiretown cheese (or substitute cheddar)
1 pound cooked lobster meat (approximately four lobsters)
½ cup snipped chives
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1½ cup milk
teaspoon grated nutmeg½ pound grated Hahn’s End Eleanor Buttercup cheese (or substitute Fontina or Monterey Jack)
½ pound grated Hahn’s End Olde Shiretown cheese (or substitute cheddar)
1 pound cooked lobster meat (approximately four lobsters)
½ cup snipped chives
Topping
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
Boil water and cook pasta for approximately five minutes until just barely al dente. Drain well and return the pasta to the pan. Set aside.
Heat the milk to lukewarm (one minute on high power in the microwave).
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a 2–3 quart saucepan. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly for two minutes. Remove from the heat and add milk slowly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.
Return the pan to the heat and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. Pour over the cooked macaroni.
Add cheeses, lobster, and chives and gently stir together until combined. Turn the mixture into the baking dish.
Melt the butter and mix with the bread crumbs until fully coated.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Spoon over the top of the pasta.
Bake for 20–25 minutes. The top should be golden.
Gus’s Clam Hash
Gus doesn’t let anyone into his restaurant unless he knows them, or someone he does know vouches for them. That means you may never be able to taste Gus’s delicious clam hash. But if you follow this recipe, you’ll get very, very close!
2 large Maine potatoes
1 large yellow onion
2 cans minced clams (Gus uses 1 cup of freshly minced clams, but if you buy a good brand of canned, it will be almost as good.)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 strips bacon
1 Tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion
2 cans minced clams (Gus uses 1 cup of freshly minced clams, but if you buy a good brand of canned, it will be almost as good.)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 strips bacon
1 Tablespoon butter
Prick the potatoes with a fork and microwave on high for 5 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
Cut onion in eighths, then put in a food processor and pulse 10 times.
Peel the cooled potatoes and chop them into large cubes.
Put the cubed potatoes in the food processor with the onions and pulse to combine.
Add salt and pepper.
Add the drained clams and cream. Pulse to combine.
In a frying pan, cook the bacon until crispy, then remove and set aside.
Add the butter to the bacon fat in the frying pan.
Add the hash from the food processor and press down into the frying pan.
Cook for 5–6 minutes on medium heat until the bottom begins to brown.
Turn and cook the other side.
Keep flipping to add more crust as desired.
Top with crumbled bacon.
Gabrielle’s Tourtière
Every French Canadian family has a treasured recipe for these famous meat pies, which are often served on holidays. This is Gabrielle’s recipe. It is Julia’s favorite meal.
Pie Crust
3½ cups flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups shortening or lard
1 egg, beaten lightly with a fork
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ to ½ cup ice water, as needed
1 Tablespoon milk (to brush over finished pie before baking)
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups shortening or lard
1 egg, beaten lightly with a fork
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ to ½ cup ice water, as needed
1 Tablespoon milk (to brush over finished pie before baking)
In a food processor, using the metal blade, pulse the flour and salt to combine.
Add the shortening and pulse until reaching the consistency of corn meal.
Add the egg, vinegar, and ¼ cup ice water. Pulse, adding additional ice water, if necessary, until ingredients barely come together in a dough ball.
Turn out onto a cutting board and pat together evenly into a large oblong.
Divide into four pieces. You will need two for the tourtière. You can freeze the other two for later use.
Refrigerate.
Remove from the fridge ten minutes before using.
Filling
2 pounds pork shoulder in 1–2 inch chunks
1 large onion chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups homemade chicken stock, or low-sodium canned stock
3–4 cups diced potatoes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 large onion chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups homemade chicken stock, or low-sodium canned stock
3–4 cups diced potatoes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, using the metal blade, pulse pork to a rough chop (10–20 pulses).
Combine the pork, onion, salt, and stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, stirring often, for 4 hours until all the liquid evaporates.
Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 3–5 minutes until just tender.
Put the cooked potatoes and pork in the food processor. Add spices, and pulse 4–5 times to combine.
Roll out one crust between two pieces of wax or parchment paper and place it in a 9-inch pie plate, then spoon in the filling.
Roll out a second crust and top the filling with it.
Brush the second crust with milk, and make holes with a fork.
Bake for thirty minutes.
Livvie’s Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Strawberry rhubarb jam day is a big day in the Snowden house and part of the tradition is Livvie making her Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Cream Coffee Cake for the family to enjoy later that day.
Cake
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
¼ pound unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
½ pint sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ to 3 cups strawberries, halved, then sliced
2 ½ to 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
¼ pound unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
½ pint sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ to 3 cups strawberries, halved, then sliced
2 ½ to 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces
Topping
½ cup sugar
cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
cup flour2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter. Measure flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and stir together.
In a separate bowl, stir sour cream and vanilla together.
In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together for three minutes at medium speed.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
Alternate adding the flour and sour cream mixtures to the sugar, beating after each addition, until smooth.
Gently fold the fruit into the batter, distributing it evenly. Pour the batter into the baking dish.
Beat the topping ingredients until they come together in large crumbs. Spoon the topping over batter.
Bake 45–50 minutes. Test doneness by inserting toothpick in the center until it emerges clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
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