Category Archives: Camping

Camping food can be easy, healthy, and gourmet.

Campfire Roasted Beet Salad

We woke up to a windless morning, and bluebird skies, it was absolutely perfect. Our little Chili Pepper was a dream, she kept us warm and cozy all night. One of my favorite parts of a camping trip is waking up by feeling the early morning sun shine in on us. The ground is dewy under our toes, and the air is crisp. There is nothing like getting the stove going, brewing a pot of coffee, and taking it all in. Something about the clean outdoor air, wrapping itself around the first cup – intoxicating!

After filling up on many cups of coffee, corn griddle cakes with blueberries, and the fresh ocean breeze, we hitched up the Chili Pepper and headed north. Our plan was to find a farmers market as well as a new camping spot. Our final destination was somewhere around Mendocino, no real plan, just somewhere. We drove through gorgeous country sides that were dotted with small farms, gentle rolling hills and peeks at the blue ocean. It was perfect except for one thing; the farmers market search was grim, again.

After driving a couple hours, we turned a bend, and there was a blessing in front of us. A big sign stating that today was the Albion Community Market, from 2 – 4pm. We had an hour to kill, so we continued north in search of a campground to call home for the night. Just north of Mendocino, we lucked out and found the Russian River Gulch. They had a couple campgrounds left, and we could have our pick. We picked number 19; it was intimate, and surrounded by thimble bushes that were nearly ready to burst with summer berries. We felt lucky. We loved campsite number 19 and Chili Pepper fit in perfectly. Now to hit Albion.

 

 

Albion is a small community of about 200 people, just south of Mendocino. They say an English sea captain by the name of William Richardson, built his home and sawmill in this spot, and named it after his homeland, back in the 1840s. The area became a logging community after the Southern Pacific Railroad starting coming through in the early 1900s. Today, Albion is a sleepy little village, with a great sense of pride.

 

 

The Albion Community Market is a renegade market but the sense of community is very relevant.  As soon as we walked up, we could tell that everyone kew everyone, and that this Sunday afternoon was the day for the local folks to catch up while getting some shopping done.  Smiles were all around us.  Children were running and playing in the grass.  It felt like being home, the way one would hope for a community market to feel.

We fell in love with LR Farm, Rosa had ruby red beets and summertime squash that were screaming at us to bring them home.  As we worked our way to pay we noticed newly picked heads of creamy butter lettuce as well as crisp cucumbers.  They soon became a welcome addition in our market bag.  On our way out, Snag End Farm “snagged us” as Tim had baskets of baby sized potatoes that were too cute to pass up.  We knew they would be perfect with our morning eggs and sausage on a stick.  yes, we filled up another huge bag full of these gems, before heading back to camp.

 

Once back at camp, the temperature was dropping, and dusk was beginning to break. We popped open a bottle of red wine, Lenny started a roaring camp fire, and I began preparing dinner. I decided on roasting the beets in the hot embers of smoky wood. Once they were tender, I thinly sliced them, and then drizzled a small amount of olive oil over the top. I finished the salad with feta, a sprinkle of fresh mint, and a splash of cassis vinegar. The smoky beet salad was the perfect companion to a grilled steak and the delicious Spanish wine we were drinking. (recipe below)

If you are traveling in the Mendocino County area, and would like to explore the area’s farmers markets, here is a list, that may be helpful:

Friday:

  • Mendocino, May 6 – October 28, 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Saturday:

  • Gualala, May 21 – November 5, 9:30am – 12:30pm
  • Ukiah, May 7 – October 29, 8:30am – 12:00pm / November – April, 9:30am – 12:00pm
  • Boonville, May 7 – October 29, 9:30am – 12:00pm

Sunday:

  • Redwood Valley, June 12 – October 9, 9:30am – 12:30pm
  • Albion, 2:00pm – 4:00pm (cannot find a website)

Monday:

  • Laytonville, June 13 – October, 2:30pm – 5:30pm

Tuesday:

  • Ukiah, June 7 – October 25, 4:00pm – 7:00pm

Wednesday:

  • Fort Bragg, May 4 – October 26, 3:00pm – 6:00pm

Thursday:

  • Willits, Year Round, 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Want to see more of our California Road Trip 

Recipe: Campfire Roasted Beet Salad

*serves 2

  • 3 medium beets, peeled
  • olive oil
  • cassis vinegar, balsamic works as well
  • 1/4 cup feta
  • mint, handful, minced
  • salt
  • pepper

Lay beets on a large piece of foil, drizzle with some olive oil, and sprinkle a little water on them. Wrap the foil tightly. Once the fire of your grill has reached about 400, the embers will be a bright orange color, lay the foil packet near them but slightly off to the side. You will hear the olive and water sizzling; this is okay. It will take about 30 – 40 minutes until they are fork tender. You will need to move the packet around every so often, to redistribute the heat. We did have to move them to the grill top, as the fire got too hot. Once the beets are fork tender, remove from the heat, and set aside for about 5 minutes. Slice thinly. Lay on a serving plate. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and a splash of the vinegar. Sprinkle the feta and mint over the top. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve. Eat.

Chipotle Grilled Corn

Preparing for a camping trip does not have to be painful or time consuming.  A few years ago we were hitting the road every other weekend, and wanted to be ready on a whim.   No scrabbling around the house, throwing stuff together;  everything in its place, ready to go.

We keep a large canvas travel bag filled with the necessities for setting up our weekend get-away.  It is not a fancy bag;  we found it at a five-in-dime type of store, and it only cost us $20.00.  It is great because not only is it large enough for all of our gear, but it has wheels, which makes it easier to get around.  Inside we keep the following gear:  a tent, a tarp (goes under the tent), a roll-out mat, 2 therm-a-rests, 1 blow up mattress, 3 sleeping bags, and 2 fold out chairs.

The next important part of camping is being ready to cook a meal that you would eat at home, without bringing half of your kitchen.   As well we were tired of the waste we were creating by using paper products on every trip.  Our kitchen gear had to be easier and more environmentally friendly. We purchased a large plastic storage container;  they are easy to find at Target, Walmart, or Kmart.  As with our above gear bag, this is always stocked and ready to go.  Inside we keep the following items:  1 two-burner propane stove, 4 propane containers, 1 moka pot, 1 stove-top frother, 1 enamelware percolator coffee pot, 2 small cutting boards, 2 medium sized saucepans, 2 plastic plates, 2 small plastic bowls, Ziploc full of utensils, 2 knives (one for dicing/cutting and a bread one), 1 medium plastic serving bowl (great as a mixing bowl as well as for serving salads), 1 box of foil, a roll of paper towels (Ziploc and some garbage bags are stuffed inside the tube), bamboo skewers, 2 marshmallow forks, 2 small glasses for wine, 2 medium glasses for water, 2 coffee cups, and a portable grate (grill top). As well there is a Ziploc bag filled with a small container of dish soap, a sponge, a couple SOS pads, a brush for dishes, and a flour-sack towel.  This sounds like a lot of stuff, and expensive;  but it isn’t.  Most of the items were things we had at home, but weren’t using.  The plates, glasses, and serving bowl, I found at Target at the end of the summer and did not pay more than a $1.00 for each item.  The utensils, pans, and knives were stuff we weren’t using any longer, and instead of giving away, we added them to the camping box.  We did purchase the stove and the percolator coffee pot.  Everything fits nicely instead the box, and the only items I add before a trip, is a cast iron pan, and a griddle.  Granted this is for two of us;  but, you can do the same for a family.  My mother kept a medium sized trunk full of the same items, probably even a few extras.  With a little pre-planning, and creative thinking, you can be ready to go at the drop of the hat.

Last week we decided to take a week long holiday, as it may be our only time to do so this year.  We wanted to keep it affordable, and we didn’t want to get on a plane.  We have been looking at Teardrop trailers as a purchase;  but, thought we should try it out a few times before doing so.  We found this knitchy little place called Vacations in a Can, and booked one of their teardrops for the week.  Originally our intentions were to drive south, in search for Farmers Markets, write, shoot photos/video, bike and relax.  Since we had to pick up the teardrop north of the city, and since Lenny has not seen some of the Northern coastline, we switched our directions.  We have no real plans, just playing it by ear as to where we will sleep.  We are still doing the things we intended to do, just a different venue.

After picking up the Chili Pepper (name of our cute little teardrop) we headed towards Bodega Bay.  The drive was gorgeous;  blue bird skies, cliff-dropping beaches, flowers in all shades of summer, baby calves nursing from their mothers, and simple living.  It was towards the end of the day, and our plan was find a campground, drop off the teardrop and then head 30 minutes inland, to the Occidental farmers market.  We needed to pick up some vegetables and fruit, as well we heard there was live music.  The perfect way to begin our holiday.  There are quite a few campgrounds in and near Bodega, but we had our hearts set on Wrights Beach.  As we drove by all of the other campgrounds, and saw the full-signs, a bit of “OH NO” started settling in.  As we came up to Wrights Beach, we saw the sign, FULL.  Even though, the sign said it was full, we decided to ask;  just maybe there was a small spot for our Chili Pepper.  NO!

Unfortunately, there were not any campgrounds available in or near Bodega Bay, so we had to head North.  The drive was gorgeous, but, the outlook for a place to sleep was getting grim, as we itched our way North.  Just past Timber Cove, we turned a corner, and saw Ocean Cove, and a vacancy sign.  It was not the intimate campground we had hoped to stay at;  but, the folks running it were friendly, it was affordable, and available.  We lucked out as most campers preferred to stay more inland (there is a reason why) and we got an ocean view campground, that was the perfect fit for the Chili Pepper.  Gorgeous views all day long.  The only draw-back, beach camping gets windy at night, I mean really windy at night.  Lucky for us, we weren’t tent camping this time, as I am sure the tent would have blown away with us in it while we were sleeping.  By morning, our spot was fog free, with clear blue skies all around us, and no wind, at all.  Absolutely perfect.

Saturday morning we decided that we would spend one more night at Ocean Cove.  We were anxious to starting writing, and shooting our first Farmer’s Market write-up as well we needed something to go with our blue-cheese burgers, that we were going to have for dinner.  After a couple cups of coffee and breakfast, we decided to head back to the Bodega Bay area in search of a market.  There was farm country around that area, it wouldn’t be that hard.  Right?  We drove, looked online when we could connect, one article would say a market was open Saturday, another would say Sunday.  We finally headed into Sebastopol as there was suppose to be a Farmers Market either on Saturday or Sunday.  Turns out it was not on Saturday.  It was looking grim, and we did not want to go more inland.   So, we found the next best thing, Whole Foods.

Picked up some sweet white corn, tomatoes and blueberries;  we were set for the day at least.  We decided to take a different route back to Ocean Cove, and along the way we found fresh cherries and peaches being sold alongside the road, almost as good as a market.  So, we didn’t find a market, at least we had a great adventure trying too, as well as had some delicious, sweet white corn to have with our dinner.  Oh, we also found out, after returning to our campground, that there was a farmers market in Duncan Mills on Saturday afternoons;  we had just missed it.

Do you enjoy camping?  Tips you’d like to share?

Follow along on our road trip – will update when we have connection.

If you are traveling in the Sonoma County area, and would like to explore the area’s farmers markets, here is a list, that may be helpful:

Friday:

  • Occidental, year around, 4:00pm – dusk
  • Sonoma Farmers Market, year around, 9:00 am – noon

Saturday:

  • Duncan Mills, May – October, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Gualala, May – October, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
  • Healdsburg, May – November, 9:00 am – noon
  • Petaluma, May 24 – October 25, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
  • Santa Rosa, year round, 8:30 am – noon

Sunday:

  • Sebastopol, April – December, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
  • Windsor, May – November, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Tuesday:

  • Guerneville, year round, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • Healdsburg, June – October, 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm
  • Valley of the Moon, May – last Tuesday of October, 5:30 pm – dusk

Wednesday:

  • Santa Rosa, year round, 8:30 am – noon
  • Santa Rosa, May 21 – August 27, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Thursday:

  • Cotati, May – September 11, 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
  • Windsor, May – November, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Addresses for all markets.

Recipe:  Chipotle Grilled White Corn
  • 2 ears white corn, silky threads removed, husks still attached
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle powder

Mix the butter with the chipotle powder.  Pulling the husks out of the way, rub the butter all over the corn.  Wrap the husks back around the corn, snugly.  Before putting on the hot grill, I emerge the corn into a bowl of water, quickly, just to lightly wet.  Put onto a hot grill.  Cook the corn, turning about every 5 minutes;  do this for about 15 – 20 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is.  The husks will be slightly burned, but the corn will be warm, buttery, and sweet.

 

 

 

Campfire Mushrooms

One of our favorite things to do is get in touch with nature.  By this, I mean camping.  We love to load up the car with our gear, maybe toss in the road bikes and/or climbing gear and head somewhere.  There is nothing more relaxing than unplugging from the city grind, breathing in fresh air, and cooking over an open campfire.

When we camp we do not deny ourselves a good meal, by eating freeze dried, prepackaged food;  after all, it is car camping, and a cooler full of fresh food is easy to bring a long if you follow our tips.  We even bring homemade creme brulee!  Or make Paella, over the campfire.  The key to planning out your “gourmet” camp excursion is to plan your menu, and pack everything before you leave town.  We learned the hard way once, by waiting until the last grocery store before we headed into primitive land;  the food choices were grim, and we were disappointed.

We are usually gone three nights, so we have to plan three meals a day, away from home.  This may sound like a lot of food, but it really isn’t.  A typical camping trip menu for us may look like this:

Lunches:  Friday afternoon (the drive), Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (the drive home).  Turkey or Roast Beef sandwiches and a potato or macaroni salad,  as well as freshly cut carrot/celery sticks.  I will pick up about a 1/2 pound of each meat, thinly sliced, from the deli.  I will bring pita bread, mustard, sprouts or a head of lettuce, cheese (which has been thinly sliced at the deli) and mustard.  I make the salad the day before leaving, it packs easily.

Breakfast:  Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  One morning we will have cornmeal griddle cakes with sausage patties.  Another morning will be eggs with sausage patties, and the last morning will be yogurt with fruit, nuts, and coconut nectar.  To prepare beforehand, I pre-make my cornmeal griddle cake mix and store it in a large mason jar.  I buy a pound of ground pork sausage, season it with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme leaves.  Fruit, I bring blueberries, blackberries or bananas, along with either pecans or walnuts.  Coconut nectar, I make before hand and put it into a small jar for easy transport.

Dinner:  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  One evening we usually have steak or tri-trip with Campfire Mushrooms.  Another meal may be grilled chicken and vegetables, or grilled burgers.  Sausages also make a great meal, just add some grilled onions with red peppers and put it on a baguette.  I always have grilled vegetables of some sort as well as a salad.

Dessert and Snacks:  Lots of fresh fruit and nuts to snack on.  Usually bring either homemade cookies or maybe homemade marshmallows with the fixings for smores as well as our token creme brulee.

Beverages:  We are not juice or soda drinkers, so we bring a lot of water, as well as a some lemons and limes to toss in for flavor.  A bottle of pre-made ice tea is also nice to bring along.  Coffee and tea for the mornings.  As well as some beer and wine for later in the day.


There you have it, a sample menu for one of our camping trips.  Our next camping post will be all about how to shop and package your food for your get-away.  It is simple!

Do you like to camp?  Have a favorite campfire recipe you’d like to share?

In the meantime, check out our Campfire Mushroom recipe.  The ingredients pack easily, it is simple to make, and it goes nicely with a grilled steak, tri-tip or even a burger!  We recently went camping in the Tahoe area with some of my family, as well as our friends Danielle and M.  We only got to spend a couple nights as we got snowed out;  but, we still had a chance to make these delicious mushrooms one evening and Danielle’s jerk chicken the last night before the storm.

Recipe:  Campfire Mushrooms
If you like this recipe, check these out:

“Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France CheeseRösleEmile HenryRouxbe and ManPans.”

Balsamic Grilled Vegetables – Get Grillin Event

Grilled Potatoes – Get Grillin Event

What are you waiting for?  Time to get your grill on!

 

Daring Cooks: Paella with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes: Arroz marinero con setas, sepia y alcachofas

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Olga of Las Cosas de Olga and Olga’s Recipes is our hostess for this month’s Daring Cooks Challenge.  I was excited to see that she chose one of Jose Andres’ recipes, for the obvious reason, after all he is Jose and because we love the cuisine of this part of the world.

August has been a very busy month for us, so I was not sure when I would get a chance to make this dish at home.    Now when I say busy, I am really not even sure why I am saying busy.  Work is terribly slow, reminds me of 6 years ago when we started the company, never the less, we are busy trying to get busy.  I guess you could really say, the past few months have been challenging for us.  We are in the process of making decisions about work, where to live and basically the next step in our lives – BIG!  Anyhow, while we have this extra down time (not working a whole heck of a lot), we have been taking a long weekends, to head to the mountains to camping, regroup and to enjoy some warmth.  You see … San Francisco is not the city to be in if you love warm summers.  Anyhow, I knew or at least I hoped this recipe would be perfect for one of our weekend excursions……

We planned this cookout according to a “group” camp weekend up in Tuolumne.  We are very adventurous with our camp cookery but we have never made anything remotely like Paella.  This would be a challenge – maybe!

We checked into our bear equipped camp late last Friday, yes, I said bear equipped.  As  mentioned this was suppose to be a “group” camp weekend, so we had to check in with a ranger, who proceeded to tell us Smoky and the gang had just waltzed through our site about 2 hours before.   Now bears are kind of like sharks in my book, it is fine if they are around where I am playing, just don’t play on my playground!  We got to our site .. no other peeps were there!  So we did the next best thing, popped open a bottle of red wine, set up camp and got our camp fire going;  did I mention … it was freezing!  It was time to tackle Paella!

The easy thing about eating “gourmet” or “very well” when you are camping is to be prepared.  I pre measure everything  I am going to use before leaving.  I freeze the items that can be frozen and the rest we keep on ice in a small cooler.  As well we have a box that is filled with a couple pans, a couple plates, utensils, glasses, etc…  It is basically ready to do at the drop of a hat.

I was a little nervous about making a paella while camping so I prepped a little more than I usually would.  For instance I made the Sofreigit before leaving the city and froze it.  This definitely helped with the actual cooking.  As well I used canned artichokes since the fresh ones were pretty pricey – $3.49 each!  Next time, I will spring for fresh.  Not only was it romantic to cook over the campfire, but it was a lot of fun … sizzling calamari, sauteed mushrooms!  I used a brown short grain rice, you know, to keep it healthy.  The problem with cooking rice at altitude, it took ALONG time, a whole bottle of white wine, and 2 cups of water and the entire jar of Sofreigit.  I think the best part of the evening was Lenny making the alioli by using his “big cannons” and a mason jar.  He came very close but not quite there … regardless, it is a must for this dish!

Be sure to check out our highlights of the adventure as well as all the other Daring Cooks.

Highlights from the High Country!

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Recipe:  Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Equipment:

  • 1 Chopping Board
  • 1 knife
  • 1 medium saucepan
  • 1 Paella pan (30 cm/11” is enough for 4 people. If not available, you may use a simple pan that size)
  • 1 Saucepan

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 4 Artichokes (you can use jarred or frozen if fresh are not available)
  • 12 Mushrooms (button or Portobello)
  • 1 or 2 Bay leaves (optional but highly recommended)
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • 2 Cuttlefish (you can use frozen cuttlefish or squid if you don’t find it fresh)
  • “Sofregit” (see recipe below)
    300 gr (2 cups) Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well) – about 75 gr per person ( ½ cup per person). Please read this for more info on suitable rices.
  • Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
  • Saffron threads (if you can’t find it or afford to buy it, you can substitute it for turmeric or yellow coloring powder)
  • Alioli  – optional

Directions:

Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.   Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights.  Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.  Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.

Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.  Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.  Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.  Add all the liquid and bring it to boil. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.  Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.  Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”).  Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.

Sofregit (a well cooked and fragrant sauce made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and onions, and may at times different vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms)

Cooking time: aprox. 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 small onions, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
  • 4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Salt
  • Touch of ground cumin
  • Touch of dried oregano

Directions:

Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.  Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)

Alioli is an optional part in the recipe. I highly recommend you to try traditional one. Alioli is served together with the rice and it gives a very nice taste.

Alioli (Traditional recipe)

Cooking time: 20 min aprox.

Ingredients:

  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • Pinch of salt
  • Fresh lemon juice (some drops)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential)

Directions:

  • Place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt.Using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.)Add the lemon juice to the garlic.  Drop by drop; pour the olive oil into the mortar slowly as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle.  Keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous circular motion in the mortar. The drip needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go. Keep adding the oil, drop by drop, until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your allioli gets too dense, add water to thin it out. This takes time—around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar—to create a dense, rich sauce.

Campfire Cookery

Camping does not mean you have to have food that you need to hydrate, nor food that comes from a can and you heat  up.  One can eat well while camping by being a little prepared and ingenious!

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The beginning of Sunset while we cooked & sipped on wine.

We had such a great time camping in the Sierras a couple weeks ago, that we have decided to head up for a couple nights.  We have some fun things planned like, sunning, reading, biking and of course eating – wait until you see this!  In the mean time we wanted to share some highlights from the last trip and when we get back this weekend we will let you know how you can eat well, while getting away from it all!

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Julie and Julia’s Food Blog of the Day: Honoring Julia Child with Creme Brulee

In case you have been living under a frying pan for the past few months and are not familiar with Julie and Julia, it is the newest foodie movie coming out on August 7th.  It is the story of Julia Child and Julie Powell and how their lives intertwined 41 years apart from each other.   It is a movie, based on a book, which was based on a food blog.  I am sure this will be a must see within the entire food blog community!

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We were overjoyed when Kristen Tarnol, part of the marketing team over at Columbia Pictures contacted us to be one of their featured Food Blogs on the Food Blogs of the Day (thanks, Joy) segment of the Julie and Julia site.  This was an honor, after all we would not only be in spirit with one of the best, Julia Child, but also in the company of some of the brightest raw food talent out there.

Julia Child holds a special place in our hearts.  There are many reasons for us to love her:  she grew up in San Francisco, which is our home;  she lived in Cambridge, Mass, which is where Lenny grew up, well Somerville is right next door to Cambridge; she did not begin her cooking career until she was in her 40′s, I did not start this cooking site until I was in my 40s; she was a spy with the OSS, I have always had this secret desire to be an agent with 007;  she lived in Paris, we dream about the day when we will have an apartment there and split our time between two countries;  and she did not believe in “diets”, she ate it all, we both feel one should not diet but instead enjoy all food, whether it is cream, butter, red wine or cocktails before dinner!  Julia, brought French cooking to all American homes, during the era we were growing up.  We both remember watching her in awe as she flipped omelets in the air to introducing her chickens before roasting them;  she was fun, messy and “real”.  Julia was definitely a breath of fresh air for the cooking community.  Years after the French Chef she stared with Jacque Pepin in Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, which was equally as entertaining!

Forty one years later, Julie Powell, started a blog, before most of us even really knew what a blog was.  She was going to chronicle her journey through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 365 days and 536 recipes later, she had a book published and now a movie!

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When we were asked to be featured as one of the food blogs on the movie site, besides saying a big YES, my mind went wild trying to figure out which recipe to make.  Would it be the quiche recipe that inspired me to actually make a quiche?  Would it be a roasted chicken?  Or maybe something more complicated and classically French such as beef bourguignon?  Then, we found out that our debut date would be the 28th of July … I knew we would not have enough time to be as elaborate as we had hoped, since we were leaving for a long weekend of camping trip.   Now the question was, “what Julia recipe would be appropriate for a camping trip!?!   There was only one that came to mind, a classic Creme Brulee.   According to Julia, France, Britain and Spain all claim to have invented this dessert, my two cents ….it is a classic Julia recipe.

We take creme brulee on all of our camping trips.  We tried to recount this past weekend as to why we do it?  We really cannot remember, it is just sort of our thing to do.  As well we wondered, did Julia Child go camping and if she did would she take this luscious dessert?  I normally use a different recipe but was thrilled to find a Julia Child recipe, it was equally as easy as well as delicious.  And yes, it is really easy to take creme brulee on your next camping trip, just follow our steps below!

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Recipe:  Julia Child’s Creme Brulee

3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup superfine sugar, I process refined sugar until powdered.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the cream into a stir in the vanilla bean and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover the pan, and let steep for 30 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the mixing bowl until the yolks are thick, pale yellow, and form a fat, slowly dissolving ribbon when dropped from the whisk back into the bowl. Remove the vanilla bean from the hot cream.  Temper the yolks, by slowly stirring the warm milk into the yolks, until all the cream has been added and the mixture is well mixed.  Skim off any bubbles from the surface of the custard. Arrange  ramekins in a baking pan and ladle the custard into each, leaving 1/4 inch at the top for the glaze. Set the baking pan in the oven and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake the custards for 30 – 35 minutes, until the tops are set but the custard in the center is still soft to the touch. Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven, and lift the ramekins from the hot water. Let them cool briefly, and then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, over night.  Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of the powdered sugar over each custard and smooth it gently with the back of a spoon, forming an even layer of sugar that completely covers the surface.  Using a cooking torch, melt the sugar until it starts to caramelize.  Serve.  Eat.

* if you want to take camping, do not do the sugar coating until you are ready to eat them.  After baking and chilling, wrap each custard well with foil.  Then seal in a zip lock container or bag and put in your cooler.  Before eating proceed with the sugar and caramelizing step.

If you cannot wait until August 7th to catch a glimpse of the new movie this trailer will definitely wet your taste buds – Bon Appetite!  As well you can follow Julie and Julia on Twitter for more culinary capers.

has gone ….

Camping, Cooking, Food and Wine, Grilling, Tents, Sleeping outside, Cooking outside, ribs, chipotle, homemade marshmallows, smores, wilderness
Camping! You will not want to miss this one. Do you remember our trip last year? You can only imagine what we have in mind this year.

Be sure to come dine with us next week to find out what!

Have a great weekend.

Smores and Creme Brulee

…… camping would not be complete without smores & …. home-made creme brulee?! The creme brulee became an added tradition last year & the recipe is from Fringale!