The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-16
CLANS AND cLhmB4KEs.
A Bivnive which the Tsouesties. Dorfde,
but Which Eptcures Esteem.

Says the old provcrb: When wine is in
wit out-whch remotely suggests that when
oysters nre out clame are In. The common
superstition makes the "r" months only
healthy for oysters. or rather for those who
eat them though good oysters Of certain sorts
can be as easily obtained, and as safely and en-
Joyably eaten In July as In January.
But commonly, in warm weather, the clam,
like Bottoms play before the Duke, IA pre-
ferred." Now the clam, ~ compared with his
more aristooratio remote relation, the oyster, Is
a tough fellow. But properly treated he Is
good fellow. Nothing oan be better as prelude
to the soup In summer than q full dozen to each
diner, male or female, big or litue. OF the
am sllest sort OF hard CLANS on the half she'll
they should not be bigger than ones tn umb
nail. As positive appetizers they are ahead Of
the conventional half dozen oysters on the half
she'll. the delightful o venture to cooler weather
dinners. But for the coo ked clam--it IL fried,
FILTERED, stewed, or roasted. This is the city
cookery of the olsm a. exhibited, especially IN
hotels and restaurants. + ryins or frittering Is
mere folly, furnishing for tho stomach an al
most indigestible mass OF fancy leather. and
greasy. pasty flour: stewinR Is permissible only
when the CLANS, hard or soft, are cut up, and
then simmered, rather than stcwed. over q
slow Are (which will keep them TENDER. and
served up very hot on toast; while roasting, ac-
cording to the city formula. means having the
CLANS on tue CRATE bars over blazing hot hard
coal IRE till they open, shrivol, lose all their
"lquor," and turn out for tho table tougher
than old Joe Bagatock.
Far away from the city. along the Sound shore.
or almost anywhere on the whole New England
coast-in these rem Ote and rural regions only
can the clam properly he SAID TO he cooked. IL
is not fried, nor frited. nor stewed nor strictly
speaking, roasted; but-bic-sed institutional
H. bnked. There are genuine Cas,ronomists in
this city who know exactly when and where o
get this best OF bivalves In true y, Election.
Aside rom these, those Toyal eaters, n not
nned Epicureane, calling Themselves The Fat
Mems Club" after their forced meat bril- In Irv-
Ing III III fla winter look next for their COnnect-
cut clam bake In the summer. And toward the
end ~ August. or thereibout. on given day
each nuO. $40. or tOO FOUNDER removes by railway
his adlpOse and appetite to Stamford, Green
wfch, NorwAik, Bridgeport, or elsewhere along
the Connecticut shore. and amid his equally ca
pacious cOmpanlone, absOrbs and afterward
assimilates, not his dozen, or two dozen, but his
full bushel a bnked clans.
The clans NAV he hard or soft, or both but
for hard CLANS the method OF baking Is this A
smooth place on the sandy beach Il swept clean.
The clans are set close together the an trp edge
down, covering nayban, space OF ~ or 81 feet
long, and OF 10 feet Wide. and with tue broad
hinged ends up. looking for az the world Ike
garden walk neatly paved With white PEBBLES
over all la strewn LAYER Of light brush, dry
bark, or, best ~ all brOken-up orange or lemon
boxes. 4 quick, hot flro ~ this ligh; material
speedily cooks the clans, which. by this meth
cd, keep closed. aud retain their hquOr. They
eq a. e the s"s song fa as ten
1hore are nigh feasts OF this Kind all summer
long. aud all along shore, on Long Island as well
as In Connecticut; but perhaps the paradise Of
clam bakers on the entire New England coast IL
at Rocky Point. on Narfagansett Bay. say half
way down from Providence t. Newport. Both
these places send during the season. and almost
daily,whole regiments OF pcnick srs Co the Point
which are there served, II IL confidently assert
ed, with perfection not to he equallcd clsc-
where. Taking any one Of dozen Or twenty
places or ovens along the bench aud tue process
IS as follows; There l. a large noofing u close
laid cObble stones. over which huge wood FIRE
l. built and suffered to burn down Till the stones
are red hot. Ihs ashes are rak ed OF and = tain
mat Of seaweed Is spread. Tnen bushels OF
CLANS In "A LAYER, sny a foot thick: pDot nor thin
spresd Of soaweed. and then layer Of sweet
corn ears, tomatoes. not infrequenty spring
cpickens, win more CLANS ana sometimes lob
ster-, To - NIL in " add to crown and cover ali a
thick seawecd Overcoat to Keep In the steam.
In THIS condenser things generally are left To
swelter. stew. steam, and above all bake, the
tAvors 81 the various comestibles CONF Cling,
the olluns and chickens deriving something
from the corn, tho corn getting n good deal
moro from the CLAIMS. all the good things steal
Ing and giving odOr," the seaweed giving favor
20 the whole, TIL ihe sxperienced supsrinten-
don't OF the heap-call not "A man who holds
such des,inies IN his hands a " cook knows
tnat the bake Is complete.
Then from along the beach, from the grove In
the rear. from adjacent places, hastil, gather In
the pickniCker, and assemble at the long some.
what primitive pine tables the hotel an,
or uuuer the sheds open ON all Sides to catch the
land OF bay breeze. Then things genCr tlly :"
and clans parti cula riy are hauled from tne hot
heap and quickly transferred To tue close by
tables AT tuis point Rocky Point the eating
begins and continues in the essentially local
style. fingers taking the place OF forks. Here.
too, the soft shell long clam Is preferred, and
preGoinnAte-. Tho only sauce, save tho appe-
lite, T. a mixture OF mcltei butter and vinegar,
a cup Of wnicn stands nOnr each pl lte. Into
TINS the 70 lstcr dips the clam defuy hello In bis
fingers, conveys It to mia mouth, rolls his eyes
skyward In ecstacy or gratitude, and sw lows the
lrst Of his succeeding hundred or two Rocky
Point dainiies, the like to which tue best New
port hotel table cannot furnish. A. "a summer
uehcicb the property prepared Rocky Point
clam, served Ia lie pristine purity, IS the straw
berry VI the sea