Clambake 101: North Coast Style

Quintessential fall in CLEVELAND = CLAMBAKE time!  We just had our 3rd Annual KrausHouse Clambake last night; a (finally) DRY but CHILLY affair!  And as always, our family and friends were the best company to entertain!  I recently found out that unless you reside in Northeast Ohio or the Northeastern Atlantic coast, or you are an avid Elvis fan, clambakes are pretty much an unknown commodity .Which, to me, is a DAMN SHAME! Because 'Bakes really are one of THE BEST party formats around...better than any summer BBQ, or potluck, or brunch or buffet.  If you're unfamiliar with a clambake, here's the basics for a do-it-yourself - you take clams, chicken, potatoes, corn and maybe some crab legs or lobster (regional location plays a part in the bake ingredients), layer them in a giant steamer or pot and bake it for a couple hours.  Meanwhile, everyone here enjoys the best things FALL on North Coast has to offer - drinks, munchies, football, gorgeous scenery and crisp, cool air.  It is one of the most laid back and enjoyable type of party you could have.  We're fortunate enough to have an AMAZING family-owned catering business that has been in the community forever, Maple Heights Catering, and they do Redi-Pack clambakes for an incredible price.  They pack up the bakes in a large steamer & provide you the burner; we hook it up to a regular propane tank from the grill and steam away!  They are the BEST PLACE in Ctown to get a clambake!  We get some additional goodies from our favorite family-owned butcher, K & K Meats, to round out the spread - and VIOLA! an amazing feast is ready to go!   If I've piqued your interest on trying your own clambake, wherever you may be, here's the format for our annual party :)

MENU

Clambake from caterer includes:

-1 dz. middle neck clams

- 1/2 chicken

- 1 sweet potato

- 1 ear of corn

- coleslaw

- dinner roll

*The caterer also provides add-ons: extra dz. clams, crab legs, lobster tails, steaks, mussels for additional price.

We add in: (click on the food to see the recipes I used)

- Ribs

- Italian sausage w/ onions and peppers (you could also do kielbasa and sauerkraut)

- Cabbage and Noodles

- Hungarian hot peppers stuffed with sausage

Cut off the tops of the peppers, and remove seeds and ribs. You can either keep the peppers whole or cut them in half.  Stuff with ground Italian sausage (mild is best) and layer in a crock pot.  Cover with jar of marinara sauce and cook on low in crock pot for about 2 hours or so. 

- assorted appetizers

* Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip (from Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook - my entertaining BIBLE)

*Jalapeno Popper Dip (I used the ingredient instructions for this recipe, but made it entirely in a medium-sized crock pot. I threw in the cream cheese, heated it up a little bit and then added the remaining ingredients and mixed it well. I coated the panko bread crumbs with olive oil and spread them out on top and let the crock pot do the work.  Make sure you turn it to low to maintain heat.)

We have everyone BYOD (whatever beer, wine, alcohol or reg drink they choose) and a dessert. Although, we do provide a small selection of common liquor (Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, flavored vodka, etc) and pop for guests. And this year, I made a KrausHouse Clambake signature cocktail, Captain Morgan's Hot Spiced Cider. And it was a big hit! Because #1, it's GOOD and #2, it was COLD outside!
Here's the recipe:

Captain Morgan's Hot Spiced Cider

- large jug of apple cider

-bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum

-5 cinnamon sticks

-one apple, sliced across in thin slices

- 3/4 tbs. nutmeg

- crock pot

-shot glasses 

*Serves about 10-15, depending upon cup size and how much your guests fill their cups!

Pour apple cider into crock pot. You may not be able to fit the entire jug of apple cider into the crock pot (but that's ok, I am SURE you will need to refill the crock pot!).  Add apple slices, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg and stir.  Set crock pot to HIGH and warm for an hour.  Turn crock pot to low to maintain warmth once you are ready to serve. Put the crock pot out with a ladle for guest to serve themselves, with the bottle of Captain Morgan's and shot glasses right beside the crock pot. I had guests add their own amount of Captain Morgan's to their drinks. Guest who aren't drinking will still be able to enjoy the warmth of the cider without the "fuel"!! 

I will definitely be making this again next year and probably doubling the recipe! It was soooo gooood!

We round out the fun with a Cornhole Tournament which ALWAYS gives more than a few laughs, some competitive ribbing and bragging rights for a whole year....and some cash to the winners! Cornhole is a uniquely Ohio game which I am fairly certain has it's origins in the Cincinnati-area. The Hubs had played it for years when he lived and worked at Miami University.  When we moved to back down to Cinci for a few years, we were so excited to bring it back to Ctown and introduce it to our family and friends.  By the time we moved back home, thanks to the HUGE amount of Cleveland-area college age kids who go to Miami and OSU,  it had successfully made it's way up to Cleveland and can be seen at cook-outs, parties, tailgates, etc. everywhere! It's a fun combo of horseshoes and skee-ball with beanbags! 

I'm already planning next year's 'Bake...what to add, what I need, what I don't need!  And I've already started "conversations" with Mother Nature about the weather next year.  "Thanks for the DRY night, but MAYBE just a little bit warmer...."  I don't dare get too demanding!

Pin It