For this week’s Heinen’s Sunday Supper, the couple behind the gorgeous new seasonal recipe blog, The Modern Farmette, is taking us on an autumn trip to coastal New England. Barrington area photographers Ben and Miranda Gustafson share a passion for cooking with farm-fresh ingredients. No matter what’s on their grocery list, they say shopping at Heinen’s offers an endless source of inspiration.
A New England-Inspired Meal with Modern Farmette
by Ben & Miranda Gustafson
Every fall we find ourselves dreaming of the East Coast beauty & charm. There’s something very special about autumn in Maine. The mild weather, stunning fall beauty, and smell of a fire burning in the fireplace make us daydream of cooking a family dinner in our quaint Cape Cod cottage.
Food has a way of transporting you to another place – we think it’s beautiful. We believe in bringing family & friends together around the table through healthy, farm cooking favorites. Think of it as healthy comfort food; food you’re familiar with, bursting with new flavors and fresh ingredients.
Since we couldn’t make a trip to Maine this season, we decided to bring a little East Coast to the Midwest. This warm and healthy chowder is a comforting classic, perfect for a cozy, autumn evening with family.
We decided to have a little fun with this chowder recipe and used these cute potatoes. You can use any potato of your choice; though we recommend Yukon gold.
The real secret to amazing clam chowder? Good clams and white wine!
New England Clam Chowder
Yields: 6 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Bottle of White Wine
- 1 1/2 pounds live littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1/2 pounds salt pork or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup clam juice
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1 1/2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Hydrated sun dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh chopped chives (garnish)
- Oyster crackers (garnish)
Method:
- Bring clams, 1 cup water, and 1 1/2 cups white wine to boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook until clams open, about 8 minutes (discard any that donʼt open). Transfer clams to a plate and let cool slightly. Pull meat from shells and roughly chop.
- Combine pork and 1/4 cup white wine in a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and pork has begun to brown and crisp, (about 8 minutes). Add butter, onion, celery, garlic, and 1/4 cup white wine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.
- Add clam juice, milk, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, (about 15 minutes).
- Strain, blend liquids. Return both liquid and strained soup to dutch oven and add heavy cream. Heat until simmering. Add clams and sun dried tomatoes. Season with salt & pepper. Garnish with chives and crackers.
Spinach, Blueberry & Goat Cheese Salad with Sweet Vinaigrette
Salad Ingredients:
- Fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
- New England blueberries
- Diced dried apricots
- Blueberry goat cheese
- Slivered almonds
- Sugar
Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- 3/4 tsp. salt
Method:
- Toss greens in a large bowl. Add blueberries and dried apricots.
- Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a separate dish and stir.
- In a nonstick skillet, toast almonds with a spoonful of sugar over medium heat, until caramelized (about 5 minutes). Be sure not to burn almonds. Once the sugar begins to caramelize, it goes quickly!
- Drizzle with sweet vinaigrette and garnish with goat cheese.
Maine Blueberry Scones
Yields: 8 scones or 16 mini scones
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
- 8oz dried blueberries
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup milk
Method:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter.
- Stir in blueberries and lemon zest. Mix milk and egg in a small bowl; stir into flour mixture until moistened.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round (or cut dough in half and roll each put into a 1/2 inch thick round to make 16 mini scones). Cut into 8 wedges and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Heinen’s Grocery is located at 500 N. Hough Street, between E. Main Street and Route 14 (next to Meatheads) in Barrington, Illinois. They’re open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit Heinens.com.
About the Authors
Ben and Miranda are a husband-wife food styling & photography team located in Barrington, Illinois. Together, they combine their love for cooking, baking and photography with a farm to table approach.
Stay tuned for more of Miranda & Ben’s work in our Heinen’s Sunday Supper series at 365Barrington.com. In the meantime, you’ll love exploring their website where they beautifully share seasonal recipes, family meals, appetizers and desserts sprinkled with a touch of culinary inspiration from around the world at TheModernFarmette.com.
