On the menu tonight: Beef Wellington with horseradish Bearnaise; parmesan butternut squash puree; tarragon mustard roasted Brussels sprouts.

This view from my cooking rock, though not what most would find spectacular, was particularly wonderful because of what you CAN'T see...other people, mostly.  We had an entire inlet and bay all to ourselves, and our nearest camping neighbors were an entire island away.  This was a very pleasant surprise, since when we put in at the beach that morning, we were surrounded by dozens of other kayakers and canoers...including an entire Boy Scout troop and their whole adult entourage.  What a huge relief to find that 99% of the entire population staying on the lake that night chose to go east; two of us chose to go west. 

On the menu tonight was one of my favorite things ever -- Beef Wellington.  You can't really do it justice over a backpacking stove, so instead I chose to deconstruct it at home, and then reconstruct it (to a point) on the plate at our campsite.  Recipes will follow in the coming week, but this spin on Beef Wellington might (MIGHT) even make Gordon Ramsay, the king of Beef Wellington, proud -- or at least not make him drop ten F-bombs over the sight of my rustic camping version.  The squash puree and roasted Brussels sprouts are regulars on our fall camping menus; both are always reliable, they travel well, and they're easy to pair with just about anything.  Recipe links will be live this week.

One of my favorite Twitter feeds is @_TFL_, The French Laundry, Thomas Keller's 3-Michelin Star restaurant in Yountville.  Not that we'll ever, ever be able to go there or anything...I mean, it feels like we're stealing just by walking by and smelling what is coming from the back door of the kitchen.  We've done this, more than once...usually as we're walking to the only restaurant in Yountville that we could ever afford, Bistro Jeanty, a wonderful little place that serves authentic rustic French country food.  While the majority of the patrons there seem to treat it like the Denny's of Yountville, for us it's a very-special-occasion indulgence, and we've never been disappointed.

This was the main dish on our recent beach picnic. At first I was worried about doing duck because in the past I've managed to seriously screw it up -- probably one of the easiest gourmet foods to cook, yet I somehow turned it into what I can only describe as smelly squishy leather. Not kidding.

But now I know where I screwed up -- a good duck breast needs to be cooked over medium LOW heat, so that all the fat is rendered beautifully, not burned off.  The other key is to just trust yourself -- when the recipe below says "cook for 10 minutes without peeking," it means "cook for 10 minutes without peeking." Trust that everything is working out just fine under there, and when your 10 minutes is up (yes, use a timer), flip it over.  If it looks a little underdone, you can always carefully spoon the rendered fat up and over the top of the breast to keep it cooking a bit longer, but don't flip it back over. 

When it's done, take it off and let it rest before slicing.  This recipe is perfect for those of us who are impatient -- the time it takes to cook the potatoes and the sauce is just the right amount of time the duck needs to rest.  Don't skip ahead in the recipe -- follow it in order, and instead of trying to save time by slicing the duck while you wait for the potatoes to cook, do something else...have a glass of wine, clean up your previous course, etc.  When we cook outdoors, I try to plan my meals so that while something is cooking (something that doesn't need my immediately and constant attention, like these potatoes), we can be eating a different course.  If you use my beach picnic menu, start cooking the duck when you start eating your soup...that way, the multi-tasker inside you will be thrilled that you're eating, the duck is resting, and the potatoes are cooking, all at the same time.

I found some amazing maitake and chanterelle mushrooms while shopping for duck, so I added them to the pan right after cooking the potatoes and sauteed them briefly.

This is another great gourmet dish that translates well to cooking and eating outdoors.  With just a little preparation, the soup may be finished quickly, right at your campsite or dining spot.  When I make this at home, I use fresh oysters because a) I have time to shuck them, b) I don't have an excuse not to shuck them, and c) if, say, I should happen to stab myself with the oyster knife, maybe in the palm of my hand, maybe because it went straight through the towel I was so carefully using to shield my hand and wrist, I'm at home and can deal with the blood and then going in for maybe a stitch and another tetanus shot.  Totally hypothetically speaking, of course.

When cooking this on the beach or at a campsite, I opt for pre-shucked oysters -- I either shuck them at home (leaving enough time to get my hand wrapped and go in for that tetanus update, you know, just in case, not that I've had to do that or anything...) and place them in a small jar with their liquid and enough champagne/water to cover them; or if you have a well-stocked fish counter, you could purchase a jar of pre-shucked oysters if you're in a real hurry.  Be sure to carefully strain them, regardless -- you need to be sure to remove all the sand, grit, and shell bits that may have made their way into the jar.

I apologize to all my vegetarian friends for this post.

I'd never had foie gras before, and while some may find it insane that my first taste would be at my own hands, the secret is out -- this may be the easiest gourmet food to make yourself, EVER.  A restaurant in San Francisco is currently serving something extremely similar to this for $82/plate...way out of my price range, for sure.  While foie gras isn't cheap, these two servings cost about $13...total. Of course, the figs came off the tree in our yard so they were free, but still...that's an amazing savings.  At $45/pound, most people are scared away from trying to cook foie gras themselves; however, one appetizer serving (which, seriously, is all you need of this Richest Food on the Planet) is about 2-2.5 oz, so it's definitely affordable.

Foie gras, incidentally, does not come in a can. If you have foie gras in a can, it's a pate or some other mixture, and it will NOT sear! Even if your stepson brings you home a really great little tin of it from one of his trips to Paris and you can't read any of the french on the tin, trust me...it's not the kind of foie gras that sears (and no, I did not make this mistake because I can read french, but I know others who have done this). So don't make this rookie mistake...it will turn to mush...delicious, liquefied mush, but still, it's mush. Foie gras for searing comes from a very nice butcher, and will be wrapped in paper. It looks like slightly discolored, firm butter. If you know your butcher or you aren't worried that he or she will find you annoying, frustrating, and silly, try to ask for a center cut rather than an end cut.

When I made this, I prepared the mostarda at home, but saved the searing for our dining site...just a tiny portable stove and a tiny skillet is all it takes.  Dress the greens and plate the dish right before serving.  If you're so inclined, the classic pairing of foie gras and a good sauternes will knock your socks off.

A beach menu differs from a mountain menu is two distinct ways -- first, weight isn't such an issue, since (in most cases) you're not going to be doing a lot of serious hiking to get to your picnic spot. And second, it's sort of a travesty to not eat seafood of some sort or another, and seafood is generally something we avoid while hiking in the mountains.

This menu assumes you are willing to cook as part of your picnic; if not, the food will need to be prepared ahead of time and kept warm.  The soup especially should be assembled on the spot, even if you don't want to cook it right there on the beach.

Recipe links will be live as they're published.  Enjoy!

Starter -- Delicata squash and sage biscuits
Salad -- Pan seared foie gras with fig mostarda and sauternes
Soup -- Champagne oyster soup with cucumber pappardelle
Entree -- Seared duck breast with fresh blackberry sauce and duck fat potatoes