S’More to it Than That!

by Chewy

Why anyone would want to camp in this weather is beyond me. But, hopefully, cooler weather will finally reach us and once again our nature lovers will want to pack up the tent, and all the gear that goes with it, and hit the trails. Unless you plan on eating off the yield of the land  ( a true Man, Woman, Wild adventure), food will require a great deal of forethought. Not to be overlooked are your campfire desserts.

Growing up, we did a lot of camping.  Compared to other campers, we had pretty deluxe accommodations. A three compartment tent consisted of the children’s wing, parent’s boudoir and a spacious “no man’s land” in-between. My dad created quite the traveling kitchen and dish washing system. It was almost like home. No it wasn’t. No electricity, no indoor plumbing, no refrigeration. It is why I don’t camp today!

It was, however, a great family bonding experience and I did learn a few culinary lessons germane to the outdoors. First, baked potatoes are better if you don’t leave them in the fire too long. This results in oblong charcoal briquettes. Great for starting another fire but not so much for dinner. Second, those little white round things in the fish flesh are worms. THROW THEM AWAY! Preferably bury them a great deal of distance from the camp site. Bears don’t mind the worms and, along with the disgusting fish, will grab a to-go snack from your food reserves. Third, s’mores can pass as a complete meal if all the prior events occur. Once again, never underestimate the power of the dessert!
As delicious as they are, s’mores can become a bit mundane if your dessert selection is limited to these as a nightly ritual. After a while, the time it takes to roast the perfect golden marshmallow becomes a bit tedious leading to sloppy cooking procedures. These fall into two categories. Under cooking, a gratuitous waving of the marshmallow over the flame and the flash roast, a deliberate flaming followed by the extinguishing, either by blowing it out or wildly waving around of stick. Here’s an alternative to the procedure. Grab a flour tortilla, sprinkle some mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows on it and wrap like a burrito. Seal in some aluminum foil and place on coals until melted. Check frequently, a lesson learned from the potato debacle. Open carefully and let cool a bit.

© Agg | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

When you think éclair, you think campfire right? Although taking some forethought, a campfire éclair provides an alternative dessert on a stick (the traditional campfire cooking utensil).  You’re going to need some refrigerated bread stick dough (such as Pillsbury), vanilla pudding (grab a 4-pack of the already made snack packs)  and a container of chocolate cake frosting. Wrap your dough around the end of your stick in a coil and roast over fire until golden brown (golden brown is the ultimate goal of all fire roasted items).  Gently slide your bread coil off the stick. You now have a ready made center receptacle for the pudding. Spoon it in or get all fancy and pipe it in through a plastic baggie with tip cut from corner. Spread with the chocolate frosting.

Our final entry is shortcake-on-a-stick. You can make the dough ahead of time and bring it with you if you have sufficient refrigeration. If not, save this for the patio campfire. For the dough you will need 2 cups of Bisquick, 4 tablespoons of melted butter and ¼ cup of heavy cream. Mix and roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Flatten balls to ¼ inch and wrap around the end of your prerequisite stick. Then roast over your fire until when? Yup, golden brown. Crumble into a bowl and cover with those fresh berries you foraged from the woods. Remember, not ALL blue berries are blueberries!

After a hard day of pitching the tent, swatting the bugs, inflating the air mattresses, swatting the bugs, hanging the food (remember the bears, raccoons and other critters like people food too), finding a water source, swatting the bugs and FINALLY getting that fire started, you can bask in the warm glow and  relish your golden brown dessert!

Come on Baby, Light My Fire

by Chewy

 I think everyone has some fascination with fire, a little pyromania deep inside that’s mostly controllable. Why else do we spend hours staring into the flames in our fireplaces? Why else is candlelight the most romantic of all lighting? Why are our most beloved memories of camping involve sitting around a camp fire? And why did I have to switch to battery operated flames? Because my adult children could NOT stop playing with the candles at the dining table and I feared for the safety of the tablecloth, table and by extension, my home and skin!

     Fire is fundamental to life in many ways but none more so than cooking. Your great chefs prefer the flame of a gas stove, weekend BBQers take pride in their ember control, and hard core campers cook everything on a stick over a blaze. For many world wide, the open flame is their only source for cooking. So it should come as no surprise that eventually the flame would migrate from under the pan to INTO the pan for more visual enjoyment. Function and beauty. This procedure is referred to as flambé, a process in which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames. Anyone who has experienced a tableside presentation of flambéing can appreciate the anticipation when the alcohol is ignited resulting in the “ahhhhhh,ooooohhh” effect of the blue-tinged flames. If it’s a dessert, like cherries jubilee or bananas foster, then it is the grand finale to your meal.

     The most dramatic use of flame I have ever seen was at the local restaurant, The Seventh Inn. Sadly this establishment burned down (I’m not kidding and I’m not pointing fingers) but it lives on in my memory. It was an after dinner dessert cocktail created table side. The various spirits were combined in a stemmed glass and an orange was peeled in one continuous spiral. The peel was held over the glass, spiraling several inches into the stemware. Cognac was dribbled down the spiral and ignited with the resulting flame traveling down the orange peel with full combustion once it hit the glass. I didn’t care what it tasted like, the show was worth the whole cost!

     Interestingly, it’s not just for show as alcohol ignition actually changes the chemistry of the food, resulting in a complex chemical reaction. Not all alcohol is acceptable. Too much (Everclear or 151) and you may be calling 911. Too little (wine or beer) and it will just put the match out. The optimum alcohol content is 40% (80 USA proof, rum, cognac, liqueurs). Throw in a little cinnamon and add a little bang to the show when the powder ignites.

     Now that you are all incited to start flambéing, I am including some tips that will help you retain your eyebrows, arm hair and residence.

1. Use extreme caution, you’re dealing with a liquid that is on FIRE!
2. Do NOT carry the dish while flaming.
3. Keep a large metal lid on hand to cover dish if things get out of control.  A fire extinguisher is not the chemical reaction you’re going for.
    
     With these cautions in mind, let’s get down to business. You’ve chosen your proper alcohol level liquid and may now proceed to actual creation.

1. Warm your liquor. Cold liquor will NOT ignite. Place in a high sided saucepan and warm only to the point where small bubbles form on edges. DO NOT BOIL. You will lose all the alcohol and there goes your fun.
2. Choose a long handled skillet, pan or chafing dish.
3. If you have a serving cart this is the time to use it, as flambéed guests don’t leave with a good taste in their mouths.
4. NEVER pour liquor from bottle to pan. Remember the orange peel account? It can work in reverse with the flame following the stream back to the bottle and BOOM!
5. Remove your pan from heat source before adding liquor.
6. Once liquor is added do not delay lighting. Do this with a LONG match or BBQ lighter and always ignite fumes at edge of pan and not the liquid itself.
7. This is NOT the time to lean over the dish as you may light more than the fumes!
8. Let it cook until the flames disappear and serve immediately.
9. Practice before your guests come and you’ll perform flawlessly to a standing ovation.