Now that Winter has overtaken the Midwest (forcing me to wear a minimum of two pairs of wool socks at a time), we have lots of time to catch up on the many things we’ve been meaning to post. Our Pudgey Pie Maker (featured in every photo of this post) is such a delight, and makes car-camping fantastic. You should probably find one, and add it to your camping gear. I have fond memories of baking pies and sandies over the campfire as a child. On this particularly chilly November trip, this caste iron magician not only held our cranberry apple pies, but it also served as an egg skillet. Yummy.
Pie Crust
1.5 c. Flour (I used 100% WW)
8 T (unsalted) Butter
3-7 T Ice Water
Cut the butter into the flour and use a pastry cutter (aka pastry blender) to mix until you’ve come upon a mealy consistency. Think meal worm territory (or maybe that’s gross?…. think granules of sorts). Add ice water (a table spoon at a time) until the dough comes together. Press into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight). Roll prior to your trip and re wrap in plastic wrap). Freeze and put in your cooler prior to leaving (I often forget to bring the things I’ve prepared–its annoying).
Pie Filling
Approximately 3-5 pieces of Fruit, sliced
Approximately 1/2 c. dried fruit or fresh cranberries
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger (all ground/grated) to taste
Sugar to taste (I recommended no more than 1/4 c.)
1-3T flour (or corn starch)
Mix all together and store in the fridge. Pack in your cooler and assemble when the fire is hot. No need to butter your Pudgey Pie Maker (there is a lot of butter in the crust). Set in high heat in the fire, and check/rotate regularly to avoid burned edges.
EEEP! I almost forgot! We also added spicey sausage to our Fremont-Fermented Bean Dip. SO yummy! This provided the bulk of our protein. One day, Trevor will expand upon this recipe. Until then, play around with cooked beans, onions, peppers, salt and a sourdough starter. Basically, you can’t go wrong.
On this trip, we lost light and heat quickly, but [thanks to near-perfect company and delicious food (along with a great lantern and lots of spare gear and wine)] had an unforgettable and fantastic trip with the dearest of friends. We often reflect on how fortunate we have been to enjoy the outdoors with so many lovely people. It seems like so many of the conversations that evoke change in our lives have occurred beneath the cover of trees and sky—this trip was no exception.
sownandsoured 