I recently returned from a 5 day vacation out to the East coast to get together with family. It was a fun filled 5 days full of laughter, reminiscing, a few margaritas….okay, more than a few, and food. Oh, the food. When my family gets together you know the days are going to be filled with plenty of great food! With 21 of us, and only the use of a home kitchen meals had to be simple affairs with as much cooking done outside as possible. Grill Night consisted of burgers, bratwursts, hot dogs for the kids and venison burgers for the more adventurous. Mexican Night featured soft tacos stuffed with marinated and grilled flank steak and chicken breasts and a pico de gallo sporting a trio of chiles, poblanos, anaheims, and cayenne for a little more heat. Sunday lunch saw the serving of a family favorite, chicken and homemade egg noodles served over mashed potatoes.  One night the kids in the group made funnel cakes, with the help of a few adults, but the big event was held on Saturday night – the Seafood Boil. With only 2 propane burners dinner was served in 2 courses. The first course consisted of Corn on the Cob and Steamer Clams. For those not familiar with Steamers, they are the clam of choice, in New England for a traditional clambake or for use in clam chowder. These medium sized clams are sweet and mild with just a hint of salinity to remind you of their home in the ocean. After being scrubbed and rinsed, they are often held in saltwater with cornmeal added to it to cause them to expel more of the sand they have ingested. Next they are steamed or boiled open and poured out onto large platters where guests help themselves. Since these clams spend almost their whole life buried in the sand it is traditional, after freeing the clam from its shell, to dip it in some of the clam broth, used in cooking, to rinse away any remaining sand, before dipping them in melted butter and eating.

Our second course found us dining on American Lobsters and Shrimp. The lobsters were cooked simply in salted water while the shrimp were cooked in water seasoned with Old Bay and Beer. I have eaten lobsters from around the world, taken from both cold waters and warm waters, but in my opinion none compare to the American Lobster. I have yet to find another species of lobster as sweet and tender as those found on the east coast of North America. Accompaniments were simple; a spicy cocktail for the shrimp and more melted butter for the lobster. For a shellfish lover like me, it was heaven on earth, and to serve anything else would have merely been a distraction.

This got me to thinking about how simple foods can be as exquisite as the most complex chef inspired creations. As chefs and gourmands we often forget this and need to be reminded every once in awhile. Awe-inspiring meals don’t always have to mean slaving away in a kitchen for hours while you hope the souffle won’t fall or the butter sauce won’t break. Sometimes it means just allowing the food to speak for itself. This becomes easy when you search out local foods in their peak season.

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