This post hearkens back to a simpler time… pre-first-day-of-Kindergarten, -5th-birthday-party, -big-girl-bed-transition, 2-yr-old-croup, -hurricane/3-day-power-outage, and -earthquake/aftershocks…which was actually less than a mere three weeks ago.
Kitchen Clambake (Click here for Recipe)
The subject of said reflection: a summer clambake with some of my best friends in the world. This is a simple, completely delicious and totally festive experience. Shockingly, despite the circling laps of five children under five, the grown-ups of this gathering were actually able to enjoy a reasonably relaxed, family-style meal, shelling seafood at our own paces while a basket of crusty bread made its passes up and down the table. This meal’s service is refreshingly low key, and so is the preparation! Most of the work was done in advance, including browning the fresh kielbasa and cleaning the potatoes, corn, shrimp, clams, and mussels, so that all that had to happen in the presence of guests was some sautéing of leeks/onions, and then the layering of ingredients in a big, fat lobster pot. This pot did not actually contain lobsters, as both the pot’s title and recipe would suggest. I ask for your forgiveness there, and I don't mean to deceive. But with the goodness from the other ingredients, magnified with a rich white wine sauce singing with the salty essence of the sea, I, for one, found nothing lacking.
Some clambake and low country boil methods include halved corn cobs. We steamed them separately in order to feed the kids in advance. So they were served on the side, along with two baguettes that had been thrown in the oven to warm for 5ish minutes before sitting down.
Tasty desserts came courtesy of our friend Jess and included awesome homemade vanilla ice cream dotted with mini M&Ms and a gorgeous, tangy key lime pie. That scrumptious recipe from Barefoot is actually already on the blog!
Bon voyage, summertime. Till next year.
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