Kick up your camping meals to 5 Stars!

[Kebamo]

Ok here is a twist on the regular cuizine found at most campsites. Just because you are roughing it, doesn't mean that your taste buds should suffer. These recipes will make your camp meal go to a 5 star meal, with a little planning and a have fun mindset. Enjoy these meals and as Emeril would say Kick up your food a notch

Campfire Trout with Herbs and Bacon

4 small butterflied whole trout (8 to 10 ounces each)
Chef's Salt and Pepper Mix
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
Generous handful of mixed herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, chervil, and tarragon
4 pieces thinly sliced smoked bacon or turkey bacon

Build a campfire and place a grilling rack over it.
Open the grilling basket and place it over a cutting board. Lay trout in the grilling basket opened up like a book. Sprinkle flesh generously with salt and pepper mix. Distribute lemon slices and herbs evenly among trout, laying ingredients on the left half of the fish.
Close the right half of the trout over the filling. Secure each fish by wrapping a slice of bacon around its middle section. Sprinkle outside of each fish with salt and pepper mix, and close the grilling basket.
Set the grilling basket over the campfire, directly on the grill rack. Cook, flipping grilling basket occasionally, until trout are nicely browned, bacon is rendered, and each fish's flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat, open the basket, and transfer fish to a serving platter.
Note: You can make this dish indoors by preparing the fish as directed above and placing them on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet under a heated broiler. Cook for 5 minutes or until flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
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Fire-Charred Green Beans with Cajun Dipping Sauce

Charred beans pair with a mustard-mayonnaise dipping sauce for a fireside appetizer that couldn't be easier.

For the dipping sauce:
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, purchased or homemade
1 teaspoon Chef's Salt and Pepper Mix

For the beans:
1 pound whole green beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Before you leave home:
Make the dipping sauce by combining mayonnaise, mustard, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper mix in a small mixing bowl, stirring until well combined. Transfer mixture to a small, airtight plastic container.
At the campsite:
Build a hot campfire, and place a grilling rack over it. Toss green beans with oil, and season well with salt and pepper mix. Place beans in a large grilling basket with a handle, and set on the grilling rack.
Cook until beans are charred and blistered on the bottom side, then flip the basket to char the other side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side depending on your fire's heat.
Transfer charred green beans to a platter, and serve with Cajun dipping sauce.
Note: This recipe can also be made indoors. Heat the broiler, and place beans on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Place under broiler, occasionally turning the baking sheet, until beans are blistered and charred, about 5 minutes
============================================
Hot Campfire Couscous with Zucchini and Pine Nuts

2 medium zucchini
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium clove garlic, thinly sliced
Chef's Salt and Pepper Mix
3 cups dry Israeli couscous (Israeli couscous has larger, pearl-shaped granules and is more glutinous than the smaller, more grainlike North African variety)
4 1/2 cups water
1 sprig thyme
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons Zante currants

Rinse zucchini, trim ends, and slice a 1/4-inch-thick vertical plank from one side of each squash, taking care to avoid the seeds in the core. Rotate the cut side downward onto the board and repeat so you have four planks per zucchini. Reserve cores for another use. Cut each plank into 1/4-inch cubes (you should have 1/2 cup of diced zucchini). (If camping, this can be done up to a day in advance.)
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan placed on a camping stove set to medium heat. Add garlic and season well with several pinches of salt and pepper mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, but not browned.
Add couscous and stir to coat each granule with oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until couscous is golden brown and toasted, about 5 minutes.
Add water and thyme sprig and bring to a simmer. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until couscous is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in zucchini; return lid to pan. Allow to sit 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
Stir in pine nuts, currants, and remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Taste couscous and, if necessary, season with more salt and pepper mix.
=========================================
Strawberry "Shortcake on a Stick"

(Sure, classic shortcakes are great, but they're a little hard to whip up when you're roughing it outdoors. Instead, shape the shortcake dough around a skewer (or cleaned-up wooden stick) and cook it over the open flame. No, it won't cook evenly"”some parts of the shortcake will get charred, while the center will remain doughy and slightly undercooked"”but that's the charm of it all.)

1 pound (about 3 cups) strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 cups Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus extra for drizzling

Before you leave home:
Rinse strawberries and hull them by removing the green stem. Quarter berries and combine with sugar in a bowl; toss to thoroughly combine. Transfer to an airtight plastic container and set aside to macerate until ready to use, at least 20 minutes or up to 48 hours.
At the campsite:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet or pot over the fire. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Mix Bisquic All-Purpose Baking Mix with heavy cream and melted butter in a bowl until dry ingredients have been slightly moistened.
Press a handful of shortcake dough into a sausagelike shape around a cleaned stick or a metal skewer with a handle until it stays attached on its own. Cook over an open flame, rotating often, until the outside is evenly golden brown and some parts are slightly charred, about 10 minutes. (If you have too much dough on the stick, it will start to slip off as it cooks.)
=========================================
Boozy Campfire Cheese

(This easy haute-camping treat makes a great midnight snack just as the fire is dying down. It's pretty satisfying to sop up molten cheese with hunks of crusty bread while in the woods.)

1 (7- to 8-ounce) wheel soft-ripened, bloomy-rind cheese, such as Camembert or Brie
1 tablespoon pear eau de vie or brandy
1 loaf crusty bread, such as pain au levain, baguette, or sourdough

Unwrap cheese and set in the center of a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, about 12 by 12 inches. Perforate cheese by pricking it a few times with a fork, then sprinkle liquor over the holes.
Close the foil by wrapping the sides up around the cheese and sealing it at the top. Place wheel in the embers of the campfire, at the edge of the fire where the logs are smoldering and covered with a layer of gray ash (not in a direct flame). Cook, turning wheel occasionally with the tongs so all sides spend some time near the embers, until cheese is soft and melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from the fire and place on a plate. Open foil packet, and scoop out cheese with hunks of crusty bread.
Note: You can make this dish indoors by preparing the cheese for cooking as outlined above, then placing the foil packet on a baking sheet inside a 450?F oven for about 10 minutes.
=============================================
Camping Pancakes

3 1/3 cups Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup currants
2 cups beer (any pale lager such as Corona, Budweiser, or Heineken)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for cooking
Butter and maple syrup, for serving

Combine baking mix, nuts, and dried fruit in a large bowl, and mix until evenly combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beer, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just moistened. (Don't overmix or the pancakes will be tough. The batter should be lumpy.)
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat on a camping stove or over a campfire fitted with a grilling grate. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it; if the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, and swirl to coat. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter into the pan for each pancake. (You should be able to fit 3 to 4 pancakes at a time.) Cook until pancakes rise slightly and form lots of bubbles on top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until bottoms are golden brown, about another minute.
Repeat with remaining batter, adding 1 tablespoon oil between batches if the pan seems dry. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.
==========================================
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Egg Salad and Bacon

These sandwiches are great when the bread is toasted or grilled, but it's not necessary.

8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices pain au levain or other hard country bread (about 1/2 a loaf)
12 stalks grilled asparagus (about 1/2 a bunch)
8 grilled scallions, cut in half
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
3/4 cup Egg Salad Gribiche *

Top 4 slices of bread each with 3 stalks of asparagus and 2 scallion halves (trim the length of asparagus and scallions as needed). Spoon 3 tablespoons of Egg Salad Gribiche over the vegetables and sprinkle crumbled bacon top. Top with remaining slices of bread and serve.

*Egg Salad Gribiche
6 freshly hard-cooked large eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped cornichons
1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped chervil

Peel the hard-cooked eggs and separate the whites from the yolks, reserving each separately.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a wire whisk to mash the egg yolks until they resemble cornmeal, about 1 minute (some pea-size pieces will remain). Add mustard and continue mashing until it is well incorporated.
Add the oil to the yolks, pouring in a thin, steady stream while constantly whisking. Stir in vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Finely chop the egg whites and add to the yolk paste. Add cornichons, capers, and herbs, and fold together until evenly combined. Taste egg salad and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Karl

[Kebamo]

Ok here is a twist on the regular cuizine found at most campsites. Just because you are roughing it, doesn't mean that your taste buds should suffer. These recipes will make your camp meal go to a 5 star meal, with a little planning and a have fun mindset. Enjoy these meals and as Emeril would say Kick up your food a notch

Campfire Trout with Herbs and Bacon

4 small butterflied whole trout (8 to 10 ounces each)
Chef's Salt and Pepper Mix
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
Generous handful of mixed herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, chervil, and tarragon
4 pieces thinly sliced smoked bacon or turkey bacon

Build a campfire and place a grilling rack over it.
Open the grilling basket and place it over a cutting board. Lay trout in the grilling basket opened up like a book. Sprinkle flesh generously with salt and pepper mix. Distribute lemon slices and herbs evenly among trout, laying ingredients on the left half of the fish.
Close the right half of the trout over the filling. Secure each fish by wrapping a slice of bacon around its middle section. Sprinkle outside of each fish with salt and pepper mix, and close the grilling basket.
Set the grilling basket over the campfire, directly on the grill rack. Cook, flipping grilling basket occasionally, until trout are nicely browned, bacon is rendered, and each fish's flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat, open the basket, and transfer fish to a serving platter.
Note: You can make this dish indoors by preparing the fish as directed above and placing them on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet under a heated broiler. Cook for 5 minutes or until flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
================================================== ====
Fire-Charred Green Beans with Cajun Dipping Sauce

Charred beans pair with a mustard-mayonnaise dipping sauce for a fireside appetizer that couldn't be easier.

For the dipping sauce:
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, purchased or homemade
1 teaspoon Chef's Salt and Pepper Mix

For the beans:
1 pound whole green beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Before you leave home:
Make the dipping sauce by combining mayonnaise, mustard, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper mix in a small mixing bowl, stirring until well combined. Transfer mixture to a small, airtight plastic container.
At the campsite:
Build a hot campfire, and place a grilling rack over it. Toss green beans with oil, and season well with salt and pepper mix. Place beans in a large grilling basket with a handle, and set on the grilling rack.
Cook until beans are charred and blistered on the bottom side, then flip the basket to char the other side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side depending on your fire's heat.
Transfer charred green beans to a platter, and serve with Cajun dipping sauce.
Note: This recipe can also be made indoors. Heat the broiler, and place beans on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Place under broiler, occasionally turning the baking sheet, until beans are blistered and charred, about 5 minutes
============================================
Hot Campfire Couscous with Zucchini and Pine Nuts

2 medium zucchini
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium clove garlic, thinly sliced
Chef's Salt and Pepper Mix
3 cups dry Israeli couscous (Israeli couscous has larger, pearl-shaped granules and is more glutinous than the smaller, more grainlike North African variety)
4 1/2 cups water
1 sprig thyme
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons Zante currants

Rinse zucchini, trim ends, and slice a 1/4-inch-thick vertical plank from one side of each squash, taking care to avoid the seeds in the core. Rotate the cut side downward onto the board and repeat so you have four planks per zucchini. Reserve cores for another use. Cut each plank into 1/4-inch cubes (you should have 1/2 cup of diced zucchini). (If camping, this can be done up to a day in advance.)
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan placed on a camping stove set to medium heat. Add garlic and season well with several pinches of salt and pepper mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, but not browned.
Add couscous and stir to coat each granule with oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until couscous is golden brown and toasted, about 5 minutes.
Add water and thyme sprig and bring to a simmer. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until couscous is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in zucchini; return lid to pan. Allow to sit 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
Stir in pine nuts, currants, and remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Taste couscous and, if necessary, season with more salt and pepper mix.
=========================================
Strawberry "Shortcake on a Stick"

(Sure, classic shortcakes are great, but they're a little hard to whip up when you're roughing it outdoors. Instead, shape the shortcake dough around a skewer (or cleaned-up wooden stick) and cook it over the open flame. No, it won't cook evenly"”some parts of the shortcake will get charred, while the center will remain doughy and slightly undercooked"”but that's the charm of it all.)

1 pound (about 3 cups) strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 cups Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus extra for drizzling

Before you leave home:
Rinse strawberries and hull them by removing the green stem. Quarter berries and combine with sugar in a bowl; toss to thoroughly combine. Transfer to an airtight plastic container and set aside to macerate until ready to use, at least 20 minutes or up to 48 hours.
At the campsite:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet or pot over the fire. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Mix Bisquic All-Purpose Baking Mix with heavy cream and melted butter in a bowl until dry ingredients have been slightly moistened.
Press a handful of shortcake dough into a sausagelike shape around a cleaned stick or a metal skewer with a handle until it stays attached on its own. Cook over an open flame, rotating often, until the outside is evenly golden brown and some parts are slightly charred, about 10 minutes. (If you have too much dough on the stick, it will start to slip off as it cooks.)
=========================================
Boozy Campfire Cheese

(This easy haute-camping treat makes a great midnight snack just as the fire is dying down. It's pretty satisfying to sop up molten cheese with hunks of crusty bread while in the woods.)

1 (7- to 8-ounce) wheel soft-ripened, bloomy-rind cheese, such as Camembert or Brie
1 tablespoon pear eau de vie or brandy
1 loaf crusty bread, such as pain au levain, baguette, or sourdough

Unwrap cheese and set in the center of a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, about 12 by 12 inches. Perforate cheese by pricking it a few times with a fork, then sprinkle liquor over the holes.
Close the foil by wrapping the sides up around the cheese and sealing it at the top. Place wheel in the embers of the campfire, at the edge of the fire where the logs are smoldering and covered with a layer of gray ash (not in a direct flame). Cook, turning wheel occasionally with the tongs so all sides spend some time near the embers, until cheese is soft and melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from the fire and place on a plate. Open foil packet, and scoop out cheese with hunks of crusty bread.
Note: You can make this dish indoors by preparing the cheese for cooking as outlined above, then placing the foil packet on a baking sheet inside a 450?F oven for about 10 minutes.
=============================================
Camping Pancakes

3 1/3 cups Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup currants
2 cups beer (any pale lager such as Corona, Budweiser, or Heineken)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for cooking
Butter and maple syrup, for serving

Combine baking mix, nuts, and dried fruit in a large bowl, and mix until evenly combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beer, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just moistened. (Don't overmix or the pancakes will be tough. The batter should be lumpy.)
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat on a camping stove or over a campfire fitted with a grilling grate. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it; if the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, and swirl to coat. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter into the pan for each pancake. (You should be able to fit 3 to 4 pancakes at a time.) Cook until pancakes rise slightly and form lots of bubbles on top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until bottoms are golden brown, about another minute.
Repeat with remaining batter, adding 1 tablespoon oil between batches if the pan seems dry. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.
==========================================
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Egg Salad and Bacon

These sandwiches are great when the bread is toasted or grilled, but it's not necessary.

8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices pain au levain or other hard country bread (about 1/2 a loaf)
12 stalks grilled asparagus (about 1/2 a bunch)
8 grilled scallions, cut in half
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
3/4 cup Egg Salad Gribiche *

Top 4 slices of bread each with 3 stalks of asparagus and 2 scallion halves (trim the length of asparagus and scallions as needed). Spoon 3 tablespoons of Egg Salad Gribiche over the vegetables and sprinkle crumbled bacon top. Top with remaining slices of bread and serve.

*Egg Salad Gribiche
6 freshly hard-cooked large eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped cornichons
1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped chervil

Peel the hard-cooked eggs and separate the whites from the yolks, reserving each separately.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a wire whisk to mash the egg yolks until they resemble cornmeal, about 1 minute (some pea-size pieces will remain). Add mustard and continue mashing until it is well incorporated.
Add the oil to the yolks, pouring in a thin, steady stream while constantly whisking. Stir in vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Finely chop the egg whites and add to the yolk paste. Add cornichons, capers, and herbs, and fold together until evenly combined. Taste egg salad and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Karl

[CAUTION GONNA FLY]

great info.. we ate very fresh trout in Cherokee NC.........just salt and fresh ground black pepper,butter wraped in foil.... freaked my wife out when she seen us clean the fish ,wash them and grill...4 minutes ago he was an a stringer..