New England Steamers

Steamers are very popular in New England. And Yes! Steamers! You can make it at home! Steamer clams could be purchased at most major supermarkets. Adding this menu on your list for gatherings will be a great idea!

New England Steamers

·      2 pounds of steamer clams

·      water

·      beer

·      melted butter

1.     Rinse and soak the clams very well to remove the sand and grits inside. If you are in a hurry, stir the clams in water with your hand.

2.     Add a little bit of beer into a steaming pot with appropriate amount of water for steaming.

3.     Place the clams into the steamer.

4.     Cook until the clamshell opens. Do not throw away the clam broth left inside the pot.

5.     Serve the steamers on a plate with melted butter and clam broth on the side.

How to Eat

1.     Use your fingers to remove the shell by the siphon and pull off the black skin covering the siphon of the clam. Discard the shell and skin.

2.     Dunk in and rinse in the leftover soup from the pot to remove lingering sands.

3.     Dip in the melted butter and eat. And repeat!

4.     Here are pictures of how I serve steamers on a table.

New England Corn Chowder

This incredibly delicious corn chowder is almost as popular as clam chowder here in New England. The key is to use fresh corn off the cob but the frozen ones would work too! 

New England Corn Chowder

·      4 cobs of corn, cut the kernels off the cob (keep the husk)

·      50g, about 3 pieces of thick bacon, cut into 1cm width strips

·      1 onion, minced

·      3 potatoes, cubed into 1-2cm width

·      2 tablespoons of flour  

·      2 cup or 480cc of chicken broth 

·      1 cup or 240cc of milk 

·      ½ cup or 120cc of heavy cream 

·      salt

·      pepper

·      oil

1.     In a heated pot, fry bacon strips and minced onions with some oil.  

2.     When the onion pieces become transparent, add two tablespoons of flour and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. 

3.     Add the chicken broth into the onion and bacon mixture. 

4.     Add cubed potatoes into the soup. Place the lid on the pot and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. (optional: add the corn husks into the soup for extra flavor)

5.     When the potatoes are cooked, add milk and heavy cream into the soup.

6.     Add corn. 

7.     Bring the soup to boil and season with salt and pepper. The soup is ready to serve when the corn is completely cooked through!

Blueberry Sauce

This blueberry sauce would come in handy for breakfast! Simply pour it over your pancakes, waffles, cheesecakes, or even on a plain yogurt. You can use either fresh blueberries or frozen ones.

Blueberry Sauce

·      100 grams of blueberries

·      2 tablespoons of brown sugar

·      1 slice of lemon

1.     Place the blueberries in a pot. Add the brown sugar and mix using a spatula.

2.     Add the slice of lemon and turn on the heat.

3.     Once it starts the boil, turn down the heat to low. Boil down until the sauce thickens.

4.     Pour it over your pancake, waffle, cheesecake, yogurt, or anything you like!

Here is a picture of my rare cheesecake with Maine wild blueberry sauce.