Milky Maine Steamer Chowder - 1/12/09
The Hudson Valley was hit with a small snow storm this weekend and in my opinion nothing combats the cold weather then a great clam chowder.
I have always preferred New England style, specifically Boston, over the tomato based Manhattan style. But even in New England styles can vary
greatly as you move from south to north. Southern New England is known for clear broth chowder. The Boston area has thicker cream based
chowder that contains salt pork and is thickened with flour. Rhode Island has their own tomato based chowder that is spicier then Manhattan and
without the other vegetables. I actually worked as a cooking in a Rhode Island seafood restaurant that served three styles (clear, red and white). We
made large batches of clear chowder and milk or tomato juice was added at the time of service. Lastly in Maine the style is milky but not thickened
with flour like Boston.
I tried a new cookbook for this recipe, The New England Clam Shack Cookbook by Brooke Dojny. It features recipes and profiles clam shacks up and
down the New England coast. It’s a comprehensive collection of all the classics you’d expect to find at a seaside establishment. They have even
included recipes from my favorite place Shaw’s Fish and Lobster Wharf in New Harbor Maine. Shaw’s did not provide their actual recipe for the
book but the author attempted to recreate it for the home cook.
The list of ingredients is surprisingly short (potatoes, butter, onions, steamers, clam broth and heavy cream). That’s all it takes to make this simple
yet delicious chowder. Clams are obviously an important ingredient and Maine style typically includes soft-shell steamers. The shells are almost
egg shell like and the clam has a neck or foot that sticks out of the shell. For this batch I substituted little neck clams based on availability. Little
necks are the youngest and smallest types, typically about 2 inches in diameter with a hard shell.
I should mention that this was my first attempt at making clam chowder at home. My only other experience was in a commercial kitchen in Rhode
Island. The entire process is really simple and less time consuming then I expected. The clams need to be scrubbed and then left to soak in cold water
for at least an hour. This process should not be skipped since it removes as much sand as possible from the clams. Next the clams and about ½ cup of
water are brought to a boil in a large covered pot. The clams only need about 5 minutes to steam. It’s easy to tell when they are done; if the shells
are open they are done. If the shells do not open after 10 minutes throw them out, you don’t want to force them open either. Also prior to cooking
any clams that are already open should be discarded.
The remaining water in the pot is now your clam broth. I had purchased a jar of clam juice just in case but found it wasn’t needed. The broth from
the pot is then strained through a cheesecloth or clean white dish towel. I find that the towel works the best. It catches all of the impurities and its
reusable unlike the cheesecloth. I strained it several times and was left with a very clear and flavorful clam broth. I ended up with more than the 2
required cups so I actually returned the broth to the heat to reduce it slightly to concentrate the flavors.
Believe it or not the chowder is practically done. Diced onions are sautéed in about half a stick of butter just long enough to become soft but not
browned. Russet potatoes are used for their higher starch content. The potatoes starch is the only thicken agent used in the chowder. The diced
potatoes, broth and about 2 cups of cream are added and left covered to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are finished cooking. The
recipe called for heavy cream but in an effort to make it slightly healthier I opted for light cream. I just left it uncovered for the last 5 minutes to
try and obtain the same consistency. I think it worked. Lastly the chopped clams are added after the potatoes have finished. It’s important to wait
until the end to add the clams, otherwise they will be overcooked and rubbery. That’s it, the chowder took me about 30 minutes to make, not
including the hour soaking time for the clams. I highly recommend letting a chowder, or any soup for that matter, sit overnight to all the flavors to
meld.
The next evening we sat down to enjoy our Maine Clam Chowder on a cold Hudson Valley night. I found that the recipe was a very good replication
of the Shaw’s version. I have been eating Shaw’s chowder my entire life and this was really spot on. Even the substitution of light cream and
littlenecks didn’t alter it that much. I came away with two conclusions from this cooking experience. First this cookbook does a great job recreating
recipes of New England classics. I’ll feel very confident about trying other recipes from this book. Second, chowder is really easy to make for the
home cook and I recommend using your own broth. My first chowder experience was a success, next up Boston style.
Recipe Source: The New England Clam Shack Cookbook by Brooke Donjy
The Hudson Valley was hit with a small snow storm this weekend and in my opinion nothing combats the cold weather then a great clam chowder.
I have always preferred New England style, specifically Boston, over the tomato based Manhattan style. But even in New England styles can vary
greatly as you move from south to north. Southern New England is known for clear broth chowder. The Boston area has thicker cream based
chowder that contains salt pork and is thickened with flour. Rhode Island has their own tomato based chowder that is spicier then Manhattan and
without the other vegetables. I actually worked as a cooking in a Rhode Island seafood restaurant that served three styles (clear, red and white). We
made large batches of clear chowder and milk or tomato juice was added at the time of service. Lastly in Maine the style is milky but not thickened
with flour like Boston.
I tried a new cookbook for this recipe, The New England Clam Shack Cookbook by Brooke Dojny. It features recipes and profiles clam shacks up and
down the New England coast. It’s a comprehensive collection of all the classics you’d expect to find at a seaside establishment. They have even
included recipes from my favorite place Shaw’s Fish and Lobster Wharf in New Harbor Maine. Shaw’s did not provide their actual recipe for the
book but the author attempted to recreate it for the home cook.
The list of ingredients is surprisingly short (potatoes, butter, onions, steamers, clam broth and heavy cream). That’s all it takes to make this simple
yet delicious chowder. Clams are obviously an important ingredient and Maine style typically includes soft-shell steamers. The shells are almost
egg shell like and the clam has a neck or foot that sticks out of the shell. For this batch I substituted little neck clams based on availability. Little
necks are the youngest and smallest types, typically about 2 inches in diameter with a hard shell.
I should mention that this was my first attempt at making clam chowder at home. My only other experience was in a commercial kitchen in Rhode
Island. The entire process is really simple and less time consuming then I expected. The clams need to be scrubbed and then left to soak in cold water
for at least an hour. This process should not be skipped since it removes as much sand as possible from the clams. Next the clams and about ½ cup of
water are brought to a boil in a large covered pot. The clams only need about 5 minutes to steam. It’s easy to tell when they are done; if the shells
are open they are done. If the shells do not open after 10 minutes throw them out, you don’t want to force them open either. Also prior to cooking
any clams that are already open should be discarded.
The remaining water in the pot is now your clam broth. I had purchased a jar of clam juice just in case but found it wasn’t needed. The broth from
the pot is then strained through a cheesecloth or clean white dish towel. I find that the towel works the best. It catches all of the impurities and its
reusable unlike the cheesecloth. I strained it several times and was left with a very clear and flavorful clam broth. I ended up with more than the 2
required cups so I actually returned the broth to the heat to reduce it slightly to concentrate the flavors.
Believe it or not the chowder is practically done. Diced onions are sautéed in about half a stick of butter just long enough to become soft but not
browned. Russet potatoes are used for their higher starch content. The potatoes starch is the only thicken agent used in the chowder. The diced
potatoes, broth and about 2 cups of cream are added and left covered to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are finished cooking. The
recipe called for heavy cream but in an effort to make it slightly healthier I opted for light cream. I just left it uncovered for the last 5 minutes to
try and obtain the same consistency. I think it worked. Lastly the chopped clams are added after the potatoes have finished. It’s important to wait
until the end to add the clams, otherwise they will be overcooked and rubbery. That’s it, the chowder took me about 30 minutes to make, not
including the hour soaking time for the clams. I highly recommend letting a chowder, or any soup for that matter, sit overnight to all the flavors to
meld.
The next evening we sat down to enjoy our Maine Clam Chowder on a cold Hudson Valley night. I found that the recipe was a very good replication
of the Shaw’s version. I have been eating Shaw’s chowder my entire life and this was really spot on. Even the substitution of light cream and
littlenecks didn’t alter it that much. I came away with two conclusions from this cooking experience. First this cookbook does a great job recreating
recipes of New England classics. I’ll feel very confident about trying other recipes from this book. Second, chowder is really easy to make for the
home cook and I recommend using your own broth. My first chowder experience was a success, next up Boston style.
Recipe Source: The New England Clam Shack Cookbook by Brooke Donjy
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