Family Recipe Friday (January 23, 2015) -- Clear "Rhode Island Clam Chowder"

[Like her husband (our older son, Jonathan), our daughter-in-law, Pamela Booth Winkler Tew, has family roots in Rhode Island. When Pam told me not long ago about the clambake club her extended family ran for decades in Newport -- and the wonderful clam chowder that they produced there -- I immediately thought a Family Recipe Friday guest post by Pam was needed in order to capture her memories and to preserve the recipe.  I am delighted that Pam agreed to do a post about her family food memories and that she could share the family clam chowder recipe that is so cherished. I think readers will be delighted too if they are fans of the clam chowders of New England and clear Rhode Island clam chowder in particular.  Thank you Pam!]

When I think about my family history and what kinds of things have been passed down through generations, all of my memories, along with the stories I’ve heard, are centered around food.  

My father was born in Newport, Rhode Island, where his mother, Elsie H. [Booth] Winkler (1919 - 2002), my maternal grandmother, was raised.  Most years we gather in Newport for a Booth family reunion with as many of the descendants of my grandmother and her four brothers as are able to attend.  

Some of my fondest childhood memories happened at these Booth family reunions, not the least of which was indulging in the amazing seafood sensations of Kempenaar’s Clambake Club.  Kempenar’s was run for 20 years by the Booth Family - first by my Great Uncle Donald, and then by Cousin Jack.  The star of the show at Kempenar's was Kempenar’s Clambake Club Clam Chowder -- not creamy, not tomato based, just pure clam chowder -- the clams were the star of the show! 

Jonathan and I were lucky enough to have my father and my Uncle Richard (supervised by Newport native, Cousin Ed) make Kempenaar’s Clambake Club Clam Chowder for our wedding in July 2012.

For Christmas 2011, my father created a family recipe book and gave it to my siblings and me - it chronicles all of the recipes that warm my heart.  And at the center is the Kempenar’s Clambake Club Clam Chowder recipe.  I have to say, I thought this was a secret that was to never be revealed, but surprisingly (and thankfully) - he had it all along!!  And here it is . . . 

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Photograph of example of a Rhode Island clear clam chowder from http://www.amancooks.com/rhode-island-clam-chowder

Photograph of Kempenaar’s Clambake Club photographer and date unknown.

Recipe courtesy of the Booth family and Jim Winkler's recipe book gift to his daughter Pam.

N.B.  “It must be noted that while Kempenaar’s Clambake Club Clam Chowder was a definite hit at Jonathan and Pamela’s wedding, the stars of the show on that occasion were the lovely bride and her groom!”  John D. Tew

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Copyright 2015, Pamela Booth Winkler Tew

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Family Recipe Friday (March 7, 2014) -- Sailor's Duff, A Wonderful Winter Dessert (But Excellent Anytime!)

Family recipe card for "Sailor's Duff." The card is probably 75 years or more old.

Family recipe for the sauce topping referred to in the upper right corner of the Sailor's Duff recipe.   The sauce recipe was added to the back of the Sailor's Duff card perhaps 20 years ago by my wife, Molly. 

This steamed molassas pudding dessert is a family favorite that came down to us through Molly's Canadian maternal line. It is made by request several times a year and is the consistent choice for a birthday dessert by at least one member of the family. So far as I know, Sailor's Duff has been enjoyed as a favored dessert by at least four generations at this point. Through this post, the recipe is hereby formally passed on to our daughter-in-law Pamela so one member of her household can get this dessert more often than he is used to and so the next generation can be introduced to it when the time comes in the not too distant future.

The history of Sailor's Duff is unknown to us, but a little surfing of the internet does disclose that it is known among those cultures that enjoy various steamed puddings (often made in a "pudding bag" although this recipe uses a mould).  

If you noticed the British spelling of "mold" you will have a clue that steamed pudding "duff" recipes are popular in the UK, New Zealand, and Canada among other places. The association with sailors is thought to relate to the fact that the ingredients are pretty basic and could be items easily found and carried aboard a ship. The molasses in the recipe is a bit of an indicator that such recipes are fairly old and from a time when molasses was a more common and preferred sweetener than sugar.  Sugar did not become more popular than molassas and more common as a sweetener until around the turn of the last century and the time of the first World War. It is said that the word "duff" is actually a pronunciation of "dough" from northern England. 

This recipe is one handed down from Molly's mother and her mother -- and probably Molly's grandmother's mother too -- all of whom were born and raised in eastern Canada (Ontario) where Sailor's Duff is apparently a fairly common dessert. The old family recipe card is well used as can be seen above, so the recipe is transcribed below for the ease of the interested cook. The preferred sauce with the Duff is the "Creamy Sauce" starred above -- so much so that in over thirty-five years I do not think I have ever had Sailor's Duff with the alternate "Foamy Lemon Sauce!" 

Sailor's Duff

                    2        Tbsp. melted butter                                              2        Tbsp. brown sugar

                    1         egg with yolk                                                     1/2      cup of molasses

                    1 1/2   cups of flour                                                       1         tsp. baking powder

                    Salt (to taste)                                                                 1/2      tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl mix the butter and brown sugar.  Add the remaining ingredients, except the baking soda, and mix thoroughly. Take the 1/2 tsp of baking soda and dissolve it in 1 Tbsp of hot water.  Add to other ingredients and beat until well incorporated.  Add 1/2 cup of boiling water.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour into a well-buttered mould (Molly uses a metal mixing bowl). Cover the mould with wax paper (be sure to use a large piece of wax paper that can be rolled over itself around the edge to stay in place) and then steam cook the mould for about 1 hour or until it appears done (an inserted knife comes out clean). [To steam cook use a pot larger than the mould, place the mould on a rack placed in the bottom of the pot, and keep about one inch of water in the bottom of the pot for steaming.] Time it so the Duff is served warm with the following Creamy Sauce ready to be spooned generously over each helping of the Duff.  

           Creamy Sauce

                  1        egg                                                                        1         tsp. vanilla

                  1/2     cup confectioners sugar                                        1/4     pint whipping cream

The sauce should be made just before serving the Duff. In one bowl whip the cream and set it aside. In a separate bowl beat the egg completely. Gradually add the confectioners sugar.  Add vanilla and beat until well mixed.  Fold the whipped cream into the egg, sugar, vanilla mix.  Serve generously over the top of a serving of warm Duff. 

A very good photograph of what this recipe
for Sailor's Duff with Creamy Sauce looks like.

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Recipe and cards from the Fennell/Jeffs/O'Kane/Tew line of women.

Photograph of a serving of Sailor's Duff with Creamy Sauce taken from http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/21186809/article-Ahoy--Pudding-lovers--Sailor-s-Duff-a-huge-hit-in-Kunetz-house?instance=breaking_news

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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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Family Recipe Friday

Being new to blogging and to GeneaBloggers, I am slowly making my way through consideration of the many helpful ideas and tips on the net.  When I read today’s Blogging Prompts on GeneaBloggers, the “Family Recipe Friday” reminded me of what would be a nice follow-up to yesterday’s post here on “The Prism.”  Presented below is a winter recipe delight sure to warm the cockles of a Rhode Islander’s heart (especially if some cockles are thrown into the chowder pot) -- Thomas Tew’s Blackfish Chowder!  

No, it’s not the chowder of that 17^th Century rascally pirate Thomas Tew, but rather one Thomas Horswell Tew (1819 – 1874), a wood carver, Odd Fellow, and manager of the beach houses at Easton’s Beach in Newport, Rhode Island during the mid-1800s.

In 1994, E. Jean (MacDonald) Scott of Middletown, RI published a 122-page genealogy of her husband’s Tew family.  Her husband, the grandson of Laura E. (Tew) Scott, was a descendant of Richard Tew and his wife Mary (Clarke) Tew who came to America from Maidford, England in 1640 (and had a daughter born along the way who was, appropriately, named Seaborn Tew).  Mrs. Scott’s  paperback book has the delightful title, A Few of the Tews of Newport, Rhode Island.  [I had the privilege of corresponding with Mrs. Scott while she was compiling the genealogy and contributed in a very small way to her database.]

Mrs. Scott was a careful compiler who also took the effort to include interesting pictures, brief stories and the recipe below.  Her book is a little treasure that I had made into a hardback some years ago in order to better preserve it.  The book is well worth obtaining if you are lucky enough to find one and if you have any interest in or connection to the Tews of Rhode Island.  Mrs. Scott gives endnote credit for the following recipe to Clementine Paddelford, author of the 1960 book How America Eats* and traveling food columnist for the New York Herald Tribune and This Week (a nationally syndicated Sunday magazine from 1935 – 1969); but Mrs. Scott also informs us that the recipe was provided by other Tew descendants – John and Esther Benson of Newport.

* You can get a signed collectible 1960 edition on Amazon.com for $400 + shipping!

Thomas Tew’s Blackfish Chowder

3 4-pound Blackfish            3 quarts fish stock                        ¼ lb. salt pork –sliced

1 quart onions                      1 quart peeled diced potatoes (8 to 10)

1 quart canned tomatoes     1 lemon                                       1 ¼  tsp. poultry seasoning --

½ tsp. ground clove              1 tsp. sugar                               (sage, basil, marjoram, thyme)

pinch of cayenne pepper      salt to taste                                    1 cup red wine

1 Tbsp butter or margarine

Clean and scale the blackfish** leaving the heads on because the head contains good gelatin.  Wrap the fish in cheesecloth and put it into a deep pot covered with water.  Simmer over a low fire until the fish is tender enough to flake from the bones (allow about 12 minutes to the pound).  Remove the fish, save the stock (which should measure about three quarts) and flake the fish from the bones.  In a heavy iron skillet fry pork until golden and then add the pork to the fish stock -- retaining the fat.  Add onion to the fat and fry until limp and pale gold then add to stock also.  Take a half cup of the stock and rinse out the frying pan to get every last bit of the flavor, then pour into the chowder.  Add potatoes and tomatoes.  Simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Wash a lemon and slice thinly (discarding the ends).  Quarter the slices and place in a saucepan then cover with water; simmer slowly.  After 10 minutes (DO NOT LET IT COME TO A BOIL OR THE FLAVOR WILL BE BITTER!), add the seasonings, stir a few times and add to the chowder pot.  Add the flaked fish.  If you think more lemon is needed, add juice to taste.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Just before serving add the wine and butter or margarine.  Heat until very hot, but do not boil!  Serve in deep bowls with pilot crackers [and a glass of Thomas Tew Rum if desired -- see January 2, 2013 post].   Yield is about 10 servings.

**  Blackfish or tautog is also known as the “poor-man’s lobster” and is found in salt water from Nova Scotia to Georgia.  “Tautaug” is said to be a native Narragansett word and is found in Roger Williams’ Key to the Indian Language.  See, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautog  The tautog image above is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, taken or made as part of a public employee's official duties. 

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Copyright 2013,  John D. Tew

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