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Deconstructed Beef Wellington with Horseradish Bearnaise

11/3/2015

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My most favorite favorite food from as far back as I can remember is Bearnaise sauce (yes, a sauce is a food, especially when eaten by the *ahem* spoonful). I don't even remember when I first had it, but I do very clearly remember eating so much of it one night when I was six that I actually made myself sick (ok, side story: we never went out to eat as kids, but our family had this weird thing where my parents would take one kid out to a nice dinner as a reward for not biting our fingernails.  I never bit my fingernails, ever.  I think I picked at them, but never bit them. But still, for some reason I got to go to some nice restaurant anyway when I was six, and I remember clearly having steak with Bearnaise sauce.  And parsley.  I loved the parsley on the plate more than the steak, I think).  I would eat Bearnaise on anything.  My French grandmother probably made it for me first, but I think my father made it after that.  He probably used a package of Knorr mix, for all I know, but it didn't matter -- I loved loved LOVED the stuff.

These days I make my own Bearnaise, but it's a rarity because of the amount of butter involved. Still, occasionally, something just screams for it -- like Beef Wellington, my second most favorite favorite food ever.  (Third in line is sauteed mushrooms, followed by Cassoulet - which, ironically, is cooking downstairs right this very moment).  And nothing could be simpler to prepare when camping than my deconstructed version of Beef Wellington with Horseradish Bearnaise.  Honest.

Since we often camp in places where campfires are illegal, and since I don't tend to carry a Girl Scout box oven around with me, we generally avoid things that must be baked.  So in order to enjoy beef Wellington when we're outdoors, I figured out a way to turn the "Wellington" part into a biscuit of sorts.  A true beef Wellington usually has duxelles (a mixture of sauteed mushrooms and shallots), prosciutto or sometimes pate, and occasionally a coating of mustard on the beef filet.  I've taken all these things and turned them into a pie or biscuit you can create at home, leaving only the grilling of the filet for the campsite -- which is super easy to do and only takes a few minutes.  Just reheat the Bearnaise, reheat the biscuits, and grill the filets...that's it.  Super easy, practically no clean up involved, and so much better than the hot dogs or foil packets that your camping neighbor is probably having...
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Seared Duck Breast with Fresh Blackberry Sauce & Duck Fat Potatoes

10/26/2015

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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.
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Champagne Oyster Soup with Cucumber Pappardelle

10/23/2015

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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.


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Pan Seared Foie Gras with Fig Mostarda

10/22/2015

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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.
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Split Pea Soup

11/28/2014

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Day 28 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...

Anyone who knows me is probably scratching her head right now -- peas?!  Seriously?!

I hate peas. HATE peas. But I learned last weekend that my husband loves split pea soup, yet was willing to give it up when he married me, knowing very well how much I absolutely despise peas.

I felt horrible about this -- so yesterday I made a huge batch of this stuff, just for him. It didn't smell terrible, I must admit...still, I'm not going to start eating peas, but at least now I know I can make a pretty darned good split pea soup, whenever he has a craving. The ginger makes it especially tasty.

When making this for a camping trip, you may either cook the entire thing at your campsite, omitting the blender step -- this will give you a semi-smooth soup, still just as tasty as the version below. However, you may want to make the entire thing at home, blend it to a super smooth texture, seal it, and reheat it at your campsite.  Either way, the results are terrific.
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Moroccan Chickpea & Tomato Soup

11/27/2014

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Day 27 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...

I made just enough of this soup yesterday for myself. One big bowl, just for the photo below. I had no plans to share -- I mean, considering the fact that this is day 27 in a row that we've had soup in this house, it's not like there aren't SIX different soups in the fridge at this very moment.

But which soup did kid #3 really beg for? I mean, REALLY beg for? Was he happy with the other SIX kinds I offered him?  No. He smelled my Moroccan Chickpea & Tomato Soup, and, with his huge, 16-year-old "Mom, how can you say no?" eyes, managed to get the entire bowl from me.

So here it is, apparently kid #3's favorite soup of the month, so far. If keeping this recipe vegan isn't important to you, it's also great with an added cup of cooked/shredded chicken or lamb, and chicken stock in place of the vegetable stock.

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Black Bean Soup

11/25/2014

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Day 25 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...

Black bean soup recipes are a dime a dozen -- but the added fresh chilis in this one make it special.

Any fresh chili will do; we have poblano peppers exploding in the backyard (did you know that if you forget to pick them, even poblano's will eventually turn red? Me neither...) so that's what I used today.
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Turkey Corn Chowder with Herb Dumplings

11/24/2014

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Day 24 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...home stretch!

This title is a bit misleading -- when most people think of chowder, they think of creamy, fat-laden and sometimes goopy stuff, not suitable for everyday eating but maybe, just maybe, an occasional indulgence.

But not this one. With less than 300 calories per serving, and zero cream, this is an everyday staple, perfect for the last day of a camping trip when you have various small bits of this and that leftover. While the recipe calls for specific vegetables, feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand. I hate carrots and green beans, so they're absent from this soup -- but if you've got 'em, use 'em.

This soup can also be easily altered for vegetarian diners by replacing the turkey with tofu and the turkey stock with vegetable stock. Almond milk or soy milk may be used instead of the regular milk, and the butter may be tossed in favor of vegetable oil. The parmesan may also be omitted -- just add a bit more flour to compensate, or your dumplings will be especially sticky.

If you don't hike or camp with fresh herbs, substitute 1 T dried herbs for the 1/4 cup fresh ones in the dumplings.
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Pesto Antipasto Soup

11/23/2014

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Day 23 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...

This one is a little odd, but it's a perfect way to serve antipasto on a camping trip if you don't want to mess with cheese, crackers, and meats. Only the stock requires refrigeration, so if you freeze it before leaving, you won't have to worry about it at all. You can also skip the immersion blender step, if you'd rather make this entire thing at your campsite.

Be sure to rinse the olives and peppers before adding them to the pot, though -- our first crack at this recipe was a total failure because it tasted like vinegar and nothing else! Rinsed, though, this soup takes on a rich, Italian flavor, perfect for a first course either at home or in the woods.

We have mutant basil plants growing in the yard, so every fall we make a year's worth of pesto concentrate (which is homemade pesto, with a fraction of the oil). We freeze it into logs, and then slice off as much as we need. When adding it to recipes, I don't add extra oil; but if using it as a stand-alone pesto sauce, I'll mix equal parts pesto base and olive oil. Feel free to use jarred pesto sauce in this recipe, but try to squeeze out as much excess olive oil as possible...you could even use that oil to saute the onions.

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Wild Mushroom Soup

11/21/2014

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Day 22 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...

We don't do cream-of-anything soup here. I'm sure it's because when I was a kid, my mom used to make this dish she called "Chicken Spaghetti," which everyone else in the family loved, but even now just the memory of the smell of it cooking makes me throw up a little.

It consisted of cooked chicken, a few cans of cream-of-something-unidentifyable soup, curry powder, cooked spaghetti, and slices of velveeta cheese on top that, rather than melt, turned black under the broiler.  Maybe some canned chilis, too -- I don't remember. I never ate it.

Anyway, I still remember the sound that an emptying can of cream-of-garbage soup makes, thanks to this dish. Scarred for life, I am.

So this soup is NOT cream of mushroom. It tastes like it might have cream in it, but it doesn't. The last thing I want to do on a camping trip is worry excessively about keeping my cream cold enough, so we don't even go there.

The creaminess is due to a little trick I discovered -- gently sauteed chopped onions and cauliflower, when blended thoroughly with an immersion blender and a little stock, creates a wonderfully creamy texture, nearly equal to any cream-based soup I've tasted. Of course this little substitution doesn't work when you're making something like pumpkin pie, but try it out the next time your savory recipe calls for cream.


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Wilderness Table by Danielle Storm is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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