Clam Boil

For 12 people you will need:. Buy soaked and washed steamer, or soft-shelled, clams [Mya arenaria] as soon as possible before the boil; buy a few more if you think people will eat a lot of clams (it is better not to have steamed clams left over, but they can be shucked, put in the refrigerator and eaten as chowder or fried the next day). Tie the clams into four cheesecloth bags, and keep cool. Quarter the potatoes; leave the skins on. Blanch the onions in boiling water for five minutes to make removing the skins easier. Cut a deep cross in the root ends. Steam the potatoes and onions together for 25 minutes before-hand. Divide between two platters and keep warm, covered with foil, in the oven. Boil the sausages before-hand. Divide equally between two foil packages, and keep warm in the oven with the platters of potatoes and onions. At serving time arrange the sausages over the potatoes-and-onions. Shuck the corn, cutting each ear in half. The Portuguese rolls will serve very well as hot-dog rolls for the sausages. Cut each roll in half, and split each half part-way through. Divide between two serving platters. Warm the can of brown bread in the sun. Remove from the can and slice into half-moons. Divide between two serving plates. Melt the butter in a double boiler to keep it warm. At serving time divide among about 8 small glass bowls and place them among the places at the table. Divide coleslaw between two bowls. Prepare the steaming broth in two steamer pots (the kind with black porcelain coating, hopefully with a lower boiler with a spigot--otherwise you will need to have a colander at the bottom to keep the clams out of the broth). Put into each pot: 2 cups water, 1 can beer, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 minced clove of garlic. Divide the bags of clams and the corn between the two pots and steam for 15 minutes. Divide the steamed clams among three serving bowls, and the steamed corn between two platters. Empty the clam juice into a tureen, and give each guest a paper coffee-cup with clam juice. Place everything (except the dessert and coffee for now) onto the table where guests can easily reach. Have mustard, relish, pickles, salt and pepper on the table. The proper way to eat a clam is to remove it from the shell with the fingers, peel off the black skin of the neck, dip into clam juice, then into melted butter, and slurp. Remember to have two bowls for the used clamshells and corncobs; empty them into the trash when needed. One generally eats the clams and drains ones plate before eating the sausage, potatoes, onions, corn, coleslaw, and brown bread, but the order doesn't matter. Clear the table before serving the pies and watermelon. Drink beer, wine, soft drinks, or anything else people want with the clam boil. Have coffee at the end.