Recipe for gourmet camping
Who said camping has to be hard ground, twisted sleeping bags and Knorr's instant pasta dishes? Here's a recipe for gourmet camping in Burgundy.
Wednesday 10 August 2011
I've just scoffed a goose terrine and a fine bottle of Burgundy. In this version of fine dining, there are no snooty waiters, no starched table cloths – in fact no table at all – and no cutlery, glasses or any other standard accoutrement associated with such delicacies.
Ingredients for this dining experience:
-one Swiss Army knife
-one mug
-one artisanal terrine from the region around Auxerre
-one bottle of reasonably priced Henry de Vézelay Pinot Noir 2009
-one fresh baguette
-optional chair, plate, cherry tomatoes, local cheese
Dining ambience:
-roosting birdsong
-mating frog calls
-crickets
-water feature (open spillway)
Preparation:
-shopping itinerary: if the ‘travelling salesman' algorithm can't be used to plan an efficient route for visiting cellars and towns in Burgundy, then I suggest you head south for about an hour, taking in recommended sites, then do the same in the easterly, northerly and westerly directions until back to base. You should also:
-take time to visit artisanal shops with local produce (tell them the wines you bought or ask for recommendations on wines to accompany your terrine/cake/cheese, etc.)
-key to the preparations is the right mental state: make sure you are both tired and hungry as hell (I went on a two-hour bike ride around the nearby vineyards and back roads, taking in the terroir, you could say, before visiting the cellars
-back at the campsite: open the bottle and then go and have a shower to wash off the road and freshen up. By the time you're back, the wine is ready for drinking
-open your jar of goose/rabbit/duck/pork … terrine
-tear off a large piece of baguette (big enough to tear the roof of your mouth) and smear a ridiculous quantity of tasty congealed meat onto the bread
-wash it back with a gulp of Burgundy from your mug
-repeat above step (perhaps adding a cherry tomato or two to lighten the meatiness if you can't handle it) until you feel totally stuffed and satisfied with life!
Afters:
-a handful of mixed unsalted nuts, dried fruit and broken pieces of plain chocolate
-more wine
Then all you need to do is rinse the cup, wipe the knife and crash in your (wonderfully spinning) tent
Joy.
