Friendship Sloop 'Chrissy' - All 'Chrissy' Photographs by Alison Langley

A few years back I actually owned a Friendship Sloop. Named the Coast O’ Maine, it was a 36′ wooden gaff-rigged sloop built in 1967 in Ipswich Mass. It had a sordid history including the original owner dying at sea after being hit by the boom and knocked overboard to being used by 3 convicts as an escape vehicle on the Piscataqua River on the Maine/NH border. It now resides up near or on Lake Ontario from last reports.

The friendship sloop dates back before 1900 and was originally used as a lobster/fishing boat on the coast of Maine. In this article in Wooden Boat Magazine, Harold Burnham is featured. Great story. I met Harold a few years ago while a Friendship Sloop owner and member of the Friendship Sloop Society. Click the link to read the story “Lobstering Under Sail”.

Harold Burnham Lobstering on the friendship sloop ‘Chrissy’ out around Gloucester, Massachusetts

Link to Friendship Sloop Society

Why not send someone a great valentine’s gift this year by ordering something from Legal Sea Foods of Boston. I’ve eaten at several Legal Sea Food Restaurants including the famous LTK ( Legal Sea Foods Test Kitchen) on the famed Boston Harbor waterfront. The food is awesome. Their chowder is good too, but I’d put mine up against theirs anytime. You can find my chowder recipe on this website or you can order up some from Legal’s great line of seafood available on-line.

Add some “steam” this Valentine’s Day with a Legal Sea Foods Lobster Dinner. Shop Legal Sea Foods today.

Back in the mid 1980’s my wife and I stayed at an inn in South Brooksville, Maine. It was named the Buck’s Harbor Inn. The house is still there but the inn closed at some point in the last 20 some odd years. Seeing the house brought back some fond memories of our stay in that little town known more for it’s hospitality to schooners and their guests than anything else. The Buck’s Harbor Marina is still there serving the thousands of sailors that cruise into the tiny sheltered harbor every sailing season. We first discovered it when we took a cruise aboard the Nathaniel Bowditch in the very early 80’s. We fell in love with the town so we went back as landlubbers and stayed for a few days at the inn.

South Brooksville is near Ellsworth which in turn is near Bangor, so you need to travel a bit up the coast to get there. If you’ve ever been to Castine to the Maine Maritime Academy then you’d know how far it is from New Hampshire or Boston or Southern Maine. I’ve been to Castine more than once too with my daughter who had visions of attending the Maritime Academy a few years ago. But back to Buck’s Harbor and the Buck’s Harbor Inn.

One rainy day we didn’t have much to do, so I found myself in the kitchen with the owner. Being an aspiring chef back then I asked if I could help with the prep for the evening’s meal at the inn. They served dinner by reservation almost every evening during the season. I don’t know if they were open in the off-season. It’s been too many years to recall such a minute detail, however the rest of the story is as clear as if it had happened yesterday. While doing some prep we obviously were talking about the inn, cooking and the evening’s menu. The conversation went to my clam chowder which I was eager to talk about even back then. She said she had some room on the menu for my chowder as long as it tasted good enough. Well I was up to the challenge for sure! She told me to go shopping for the ingredients, that she’d pay for them and the chowder would be on the menu that evening if she approved it. So… off to Ellsworth I went! I was back within an hour and I was making my ‘famous in my own mind’ clam chowder.

About an hour later I’d finished the chowder. I’d used Gorton’s Minced Clams or Snow’s I forget, but they were canned clams for sure. I’d bought them at Shaw’s in Ellsworth. This is an important part to this story so pay attention. That evening everyone in the dining room was treated to clam chowder. We were amongst the dinner guests that evening at the inn. The dining room was full for the one time seating. Out came the chowder and of course it was not announced that I was the maker of the chowder until all had had their fill. Several diners requested seconds as it was announced their was plenty. Before the main course was served the owner came out and announced that one of the guests had made the chowder. Well a local fisherman whom I’d met a day or two earlier was among the guests that evening and he was in on the ‘clam scam’ as I like to call it. The guests raved about the chowder which made me feel very good of course, but they were all raving about the freshness of the clams! Knowing they were in clam country, they were just under the assumption I’d dug them myself. The local fisherman from Cape Rosier helped the story along by saying he and I had dug the clams that morning over in the clam beds off Cape Rosier. We laughed hysterically afterward as we’d ‘enhanced’ the clam chowder story and pulled it off. It was pretty spontaneous at the time, but he was quite the character and his story was as big as Maine itself.

So the clam chowder was a success. It was served at the restaurant until it closed as I’d left her the recipe. The ’clam scam’ story has probably been forgotten, but it still lingers in my memories of our stay at the Buck’s Harbor Inn.

Hand-crafted canvas on wood canoe from Maine

“The Wood and Canvas American Beauty is a 13 foot version of the popular 17 1/2 foot Atkinson Traveler. In keeping with its Maine Guide canoe lineage, the Beauty is an excellent all-purpose canoe. It tracks very well, yet its modest rocker and short length ensure easy maneuverability. Designed primarily as a solo tripper, it can also be used as a tandem canoe. Its light weight and ease of carrying make it an excellent canoe without the extra size and weight of the traditional model.”

This is the description of the hand-crafted canvas on wood canoe we had made for our daughter’s graduation present when she graduated from UNH (U of New Hampshire) back in 2005. We actually ordered the canoe in the summer of 2003 at Wooden Boat Magazine’s Annual Wooden Boat Show in Rockland, Maine after seeing the incredible hand work and attention to detail done by Northwoods Canoe Co., 336 Range Rd, Atkinson, ME 04426. This canoe is very light and it is gorgeous. Right now it’s in a storage unit in New Hampshire while our daughter is living in Seattle in a tiny apartment. She’s used it a few times and it will be here waiting for her to reclaim it at any time. I just had to mention this company. I don’t know what kind of a backlog they have at any time, but we were on a year and a half waiting list back in 2003. They were not mentioned as exhibitors at the 2009 Wooden Boat Show, but their website is up and active. If you are looking for a really well built canoe or you need a restoration these are the guys. You’ll probably have to wait, but the wait will be well worth it.

Rollin Thurlow taking the 13' American Beauty hand-crafted canvas on wood canoe for a spin.

Click Link Below for YouTube Video:

Canoe maker Rollin Thurlow discusses his craft and the heritage of the wood and canvas canoe.

The very best slow cooker for today’s busy family.

I’ll be trying this slow cooker as soon as it arrives. My crock pot disintegrated a while back and I need a new one and this Slow Cooker Mate™ is way more versatile than my old one . I may have found what I’ve been looking for. Let me know what you think in the comments section below. – Muckraker

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© Southwestern Style Lobster Corn Chowder or Maine Lobster Corn Chowder

Asparagus Chowder Recipe with Bacon

This is an original copywrited recipe by ‘A Notch Above Home Chef Services‘. You are free to copy for non-commercial usage.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bacon chopped into tiny pieces
• 2 large bunches of asparagus to be used as follows:
• All the tips of the asparagus spears – about 2 inches of the top of the spears – cut pieces in half – set aside
• Cut the remaining asparagus stalks into small pieces and set aside separately from tips
• 3 scallion stalks finely diced
• 1 large shallot finely diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves finely diced
• 1 medium leek finely sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of salted butter for grilling asparagus
• 1/8 lb of butter (half of one stick) Optional
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper puree (about 1 whole roasted red pepper)
• 8 medium red potatoes
• 1.5 – 2 quarts light cream (depends on how you like your consistancy – I recommend you start with 1 qt and add as needed)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup semi-dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 leaves finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 Large Stock Pot (8 quarts)

Putting it all together:

1. Puree the whole roasted pepper and set aside
2. In a large skillet first saute the asparagus tips in the butter until tender – medium low heat – do not burn the butter
3. Take the asparagus tips out and set aside and repeat step 2
4. First slowly saute the bacon until crisp
5. Add wine and the cut up stalks of asparagus
6. Add the scallions, shallot, celery, garlic and leeks as asparagus stalks saute.
7. Cook down until almost all the liquid is gone and stalks are tender remove from heat.
8. Add all the herbs to hot mixture and stir in. Do not cook anymore.
9. Place the entire contents of the pan (includes asparagus, scallions, shallot, celery and garlic) into food processor or blender or a tall container if you are using a hand mixer
10. Take 2 potatoes and clean for bad spots, dice and place in boiling water. Cook until falling apart soft. Puree these potatoes with the contents of Step 7
11. Scrape this entire mixture into the stock pot.
12. Take 6 potatoes, dice in small bite size pieces, boil until tender.
13. Drain and add to stock pot
14. Add cream and 1/8 lb of butter to stock pot
15. Add grilled asparagus tips and pureed roasted red pepper to stock pot
16. Bring mixture in your pot to a bubbly slow boil stirring often to keep the dairy and potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the stock pot.
17. As soon as the mixture comes to the slow boil take off heat immediately.
18. Do Not Freeze for future use. The potatoes will disintegrate and lose flavor. Store tightly sealed in fridge if you are not going to serve immediately.

Serves probably 8-10 in large size bowls.

Vegetarian Asparagus Chowder Recipe with Dairy

This is an original copywrited recipe by ‘A Notch Above Home Chef Services‘. You are free to copy for non-commercial usage.

Ingredients:

• 2 large bunches of asparagus to be used as follows:
• All the tips of the asparagus spears – about 2 inches of the top of the spears – cut pieces in half – set aside
• Cut the remaining asparagus stalks into small pieces and set aside separately from tips
• 3 scallion stalks finely diced
• 1 large shallot finely diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves finely diced
• 1 medium leek finely sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of salted butter for grilling asparagus
• 1/8 lb of butter (half of one stick) Optional
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper puree (about 1 whole roasted red pepper)
• 8 medium red potatoes
• 1.5 – 2 quarts light cream (depends on how you like your consistancy – I recommend you start with 1 qt and add as needed)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup semi-dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 leaves finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 Large Stock Pot (8 quarts)

Putting it all together:

1. Puree the whole roasted pepper and set aside
2. In a large skillet first saute the asparagus tips in the butter until tender – medium low heat – do not burn the butter
3. Take the asparagus tips out and set aside and repeat step 2 with the cut up stalks of asparagus
4. Add wine and the cut up stalks of asparagus
5. Add the scallions, shallot, celery, garlic and leeks as asparagus stalks saute.
6. Cook down until almost all the liquid is gone and stalks are tender remove from heat.
7. Add all the herbs to hot mixture and stir in. Do not cook anymore.
8. Place the entire contents of the pan (includes asparagus, scallions, shallot, celery and garlic) into food processor or blender or a tall container if you are using a hand mixer
9. Take 2 potatoes and clean for bad spots, dice and place in boiling water. Cook until falling apart soft. Puree these potatoes with the contents of Step 7
10. Scrape this entire mixture into the stock pot.
11. Take 6 potatoes, dice in small bite size pieces, boil until tender.
12. Drain and add to stock pot
13. Add cream and 1/8 lb of butter to stock pot
14. Add grilled asparagus tips and pureed roasted red pepper to stock pot
15. Bring mixture in your pot to a bubbly slow boil stirring often to keep the dairy and potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the stock pot.
16. As soon as the mixture comes to the slow boil take off heat immediately.
17. Do Not Freeze for future use. The potatoes will disintegrate and lose flavor. Store tightly sealed in fridge if you are not going to serve immediately.

Serves probably 8-10 in large size bowls.

The Secret Clam Chowder Recipe is a Secret No Longer

Steve’s Famous New England Clam Chowder with 4 Variations

The secret is out. This is my clam chowder recipe.  The one I call the heart stopper. The one with the cream, the fat and all the taste! This chowder recipe has evolved over the years to what it is today. I don’t guarantee you’ll love it, but I honestly think you will.

Ingredients:

4-5 quarts of fresh littleneck clams (about 2 cups cooked and chopped)
(save broth after cooking to cook potatoes in)
(Substitute for littlenecks – 2 cups of canned minced clams, chopped clams or baby clams or a combination of any or all, then well drain (save juice from canned clams to cook potatoes in)
1 tablespoon of granular garlic or two garlic cloves mashed and finely chopped
6 strips of bacon very finely chopped (freeze before chopping)
1/2 medium sweet onion finely chopped
1-1/2 lbs of red potatoes diced (less than 1/2” pieces, peeled if you wish. I just cut out the bad spots if there are any.)
2 cups of finely chopped potatoes (in addition to the 1.5 lbs)
2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon of ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon of ground rosemary
1 quart of heavy cream
1/4 lb of salted butter
1/2 cup of sour cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oyster crackers

Preparation of littleneck clams:

Wash the littleneck clams (they can be sandy) and place them in a large pot along with water (6 cups). Cover the pot and steam clams just until opened, about 6 to 10 minutes depending upon the size of the clams. Drain and shell the clams, SAVE the broth. (You may want to wash the clams in the broth after shelling to remove any additional grit.) Mince the clams and set aside. It is IMPORTANT to filter the clam broth either through coffee filters or cheesecloth before using. Set aside for cooking with potatoes. Rinse your pot. You’re not done with it yet.

** If you decided to use canned clams this is the point where you get out the can opener and drain the minced clams and save the juice from the cans. It’s ok to do it this way. I do it all the time.
Now that you’ve prepped your bacon, potatoes, clams, onions and chopped basil you are onto the final preparations for your chowder.

Final Preparations: Two simultaneous steps. Chowder Base and Potatoes:

This is your chowder base:

In a medium sized frying pan slowly cook the chopped bacon until almost crispy. Add the chopped onions and slow cook until onions are fully cooked but not browned. Stir in the herbs (basil, thyme and rosemary) while the onions are cooking. When done add butter and sour cream and turn off burner and remove pan. Let the butter and sour cream melt slowly.

This is the potato part:

On another burner you are going to cook the potatoes in your big pot. Place ALL the potatoes in your pot. Add the clam broth (or clam juice from cans) until it barely covers the potatoes. (You do not need to completely cover the potatoes.) Add some water if necessary. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Slightly soft is good. (about 12-15 minutes) Do NOT drain.

NOW… to the cooked potatoes you add the heavy cream, the chowder base (the stuff in the frying pan) Reheat the chowder until it is the temperature you prefer. Serve in your favorite chowder bowls with oyster crackers on the side. (Optional – Top off bowl of chowder with a leaf of basil and a dollop of sour cream if you want it to look fancy.)

Serves 8-10 depending on the size of your bowls.
Total Prep and Cook Time approx. 1 hr.

Variation #1 on the clam chowder recipe. This one with Half & Half or Light Cream. It only has some of the fat and it still tastes great. It’s  just not as thick!

Ingredient changes:

*1 quart of Half & Half or Light Cream (change from main recipe)
*1/4 lb of salted butter (change from main recipe)
*1/4 cup of sour cream (change from main recipe)

Variation #2 . Substitute the half & half/light cream with whole milk. This reduces the fat content in the chowder a little bit more. At this point the flavor will still be very good but the richness of the flavor begins to fade. You may like this variation if you’ve been on a low fat diet because you won’t miss the butter fat. You may also reduce the butter and sour cream or eliminate it, but flavor wise, I would not recommend it.

Variation #3. DAIRY FREE. You may use soy milk, rice milk or hemp milk in place of the dairy. It will have a different taste from the dairy based chowders, but if you are used to this type of substitution it will still be very tasty. Remove butter and sour cream from the recipe also.

Variation #4. For a clear broth clam chowder REMOVE from the recipe all milk, cream, half & half, non dairy substitutes, butter and sour cream. Pat down the bacon after cooking so it is dry and crispy. Pulverize the bacon in a mortar & pestle with your herbs. Sauté your onions in a small amount of extra light olive oil or corn oil. Add them to the potatoes with your pulverized mixture of bacon and herbs. The only additional ingredient for this recipe is clam juice which you will need when you replace the dairy products. So buy about 32 ounces of bottled clam juice. There is a clam base you can purchase which you would just add to water to taste as a substitute for clam juice.

*** The product I know is called “Better Than Bouillon”. There are several types of bases available.

Better Than Bouillion Clam Base

To Purchase “Better Than Bouillon” Click HERE

Disclaimer: Everyone cooks a little differently therefore there may be different results. If you screw this up it isn’t my fault. It’s happened to me, so it could happen to you too. Good Luck anyway! – Any images on this site are only representative of final products and do not represent any recipes found on this site.

These chowders are also Gluten Free. There is no flour in the recipes. Gluten Free Recipe Books Available. Gluten Free Cook Books CLICK HERE

HUGE NOTE: Please check the ingredients when using a clam base from a jar. It may contain wheat.
For Atkin’s Diet Atkin’s Diet Books or South Beach Diet South Beach Diet Books followers please refer to their websites for substitute recipes. By possibly eliminating the potatoes in these recipes it may qualify under both diets. Substitutes for some of the ingredients may be available. Check your ingredients carefully before making any determinations.

Last year for a Christmas present our daughter’s boyfriend gave us a Lobster & Clam Bake from a company in Maine. He won a lobster trap at some raffle and was allotted a certain number of lobster and clam dinners for a year. The lobsters were crawling in the box when they arrived and the littlenecks and mussels were fresh and alive also. There was dessert and there were lobster tools too. What a feast we had! What a great gift it was too. Thanks again Joe!