FIRE IT UP!

GOT YOUR campsite reservations at Doheny, Dockweiler or Leo Carillo? Or, since trout season is here, maybe you’ve snagged a lakeside spot in the eastern Sierra? Prime tent or RV spots may be harder to score than a table at the hottest new restaurant -- but once you’re there, fire ring at the ready, the food can be just as fabulous. More so, when you factor in appetites whetted by ocean- or pine-scented breezes.

Our camp cooking menu -- pan-fried trout, bean and fennel salad with crumbled bacon, buttermilk biscuits cooked on a stick and baked-in-the-coals fruit crisp -- is also great for day-trippers planning to linger into the evening around the campfire.

We’re not talking backpacking; these recipes are designed to make the most of a couple of time-honored kitchen-on-the-range tools: a cast-iron skillet and a Dutch oven. But you don’t have to bring along the kitchen sink. The camp cook’s keys to success are smart planning and on-the-spot ingenuity.

Along with my hiking boots, a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is the first thing I pack. It’s probably the most versatile tool in a camp kitchen. In the morning, of course, it’s what we use to make bacon and eggs or pancakes. Before cleaning up and setting off on a hike, I prepare the first dish for the evening meal, a bean salad with crumbled bacon.

Fry up some bacon in the skillet, then crumble the strips into a bowl, reserving the grease (bacon grease is wonderful -- it’ll keep at room temperature and is much more flavorful than shortening). Use a little of the reserved grease to quickly saute a couple sliced fennel heads and minced garlic, then add them to the bowl. Rinse and drain a couple cans of beans -- I like the white kidney, or cannellini, beans (Italians call them the “bean lover’s beans”) because they’re rich and buttery, and canned beans are perfect because they’re already cooked and easy to store. Toss the beans with the salad, then stir in a little lemon zest and juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste with a pinch of cumin, salt and pepper and a dash or two of hot sauce. Cover the salad and store it in a cool place until ready to serve.

In the evening I ready a fresh batch of coals and start preparations for the trout and biscuits. I stuff whole trout with a few lemon slices, some capers and a couple sprigs of parsley. They’re seasoned and dredged in a cornmeal-flour mixture, then covered loosely -- ready to go into that skillet when the coals are right.

Before the trip, I combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a resealable plastic bag. The dry mix is multipurpose and can be used for everything from hot cakes in the morning to cobbler in the evening. Right now, it’ll work great for some biscuits.

Take some dry mix and cut in a little of the reserved bacon grease. Stir in some buttermilk, making sure all of the ingredients are combined. Normally, the dough would be ready to go right now -- just portion, shape and bake. But a stronger dough is needed for the biscuits to bake on a stick directly over the hot coals. Knead the dough a good minute to make sure the structure is strong.

When the coals are super hot, each camper threads some dough onto a long stick. The sticks are either fresh-cut (“green”) or have been soaked so that they don’t burn while the biscuits toast. It’s a pretty fun way to prepare a dish, just the same as toasting marshmallows or roasting weenies. The biscuits are toasted just a few inches over the hot fire, turned occasionally for even coloring. They puff up and turn a rich golden-brown, sliding off the stick easily when done.

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Checking the heat

About THE time the biscuits are done, the coals will be ready for the trout. Heat the skillet a few minutes, then add a little more of that reserved bacon grease. Place two to three trout in the pan, careful not to overcrowd. Make sure the pan is not too hot -- you should be able to hold your hand 6 inches above it for several seconds. Keep the bottom of the pan moist with a thin film of bacon grease; the fish should sizzle gently as they fry for several minutes on each side.

When you’re ready to sit down to dinner, prepare a small batch of coals for baking the dessert, a summer fruit crisp. Peel and quarter ripe peaches (they may be a little bruised from having been packed, but that’s fine), toss them with some fresh blackberries, a little orange zest and a drizzle of maple syrup and a dash of almond extract.

As with the biscuit mix, the dry ingredients are easier to manage if measured out before the trip. For this dessert, a blend of ground almonds, oats, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg go into the bag. At camp, mix in some maple syrup and softened butter and the crust is ready to go.

The crisp is assembled and baked in a camp-style Dutch oven, an indispensable tool for the outdoor cook. It’s a small, squat, heavy cast-iron or lightweight aluminum oven with a flat lid and three stubby legs. Coals are spaced on top of the lid and between the legs, heating the oven evenly so it cooks like a traditional home oven (the number of coals regulates the temperature inside). A trusty camp oven will cook stews, roasts -- even a loaf of bread.

The crisp bakes while dinner is finished and dishes are cleaned; it’s ready when the sweet aroma of the peaches is almost too much to bear.

Dessert is served as we savor the rest of the evening over the rich glow of the campfire. Beach or mountains, for me it’s all about a little fresh air and the gift of good friends. The real world might as well be a million miles away.

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noelle.carter@latimes.com

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Pan-fried trout

Total time: 40 minutes, plus heating time for the coals

Servings: 6

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 (10 to 12 ounces each) trout, scaled and cleaned

2 lemons, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons capers

12 sprigs parsley

Bacon grease, butter or shortening for frying

1. Prepare coals in a fire pit or grill. Meanwhile, in a shallow baking pan, mix the flour and cornmeal with one-half teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon black pepper.

2. Season the cavity of each fish with a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Place three to four lemon slices, 1 teaspoon capers and 2 sprigs of parsley inside each cavity; seal with a toothpick.

3. Season the outside of each fish with a good pinch each of salt and pepper, rubbing the seasoning evenly over each fish. Dredge each fish in the flour mixture and set aside in a cool place while the coals heat.

4. When the coals are completely covered with a thin layer of white ash, spread them in the ring or grill, leaving some mounded in the center. Heat a cast-iron skillet on a rack a few inches above the coals. When the skillet is medium hot (you will be able to hold your hand 6 inches above the skillet for several seconds), place a couple tablespoons of bacon grease (or butter or shortening) in the skillet and allow it to coat the bottom completely.

5. Place two or three fish in the skillet -- do not crowd the pan -- and fry on one side until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Allow the fish to sizzle gently but consistently; if it fries too quickly, the skin will burn before the fish is cooked. If the pan is too cool, move it closer to the coals; if too hot, move the pan farther from the coals. Add additional grease as necessary to keep a light film on the bottom of the pan. Turn the fish over and fry the fish on the other side, another 6 to 7 minutes. Repeat with the remaining fish. Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately.

Each serving: 424 calories; 39 grams protein; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 21 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 193 mg. cholesterol; 619 mg. sodium.

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Fennel and white bean salad

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Note: Adapted from a recipe by Jeremy Jackson.

8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 -inch pieces

1 large (or 2 regular) fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons minced fronds, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) white beans, drained

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Zest of 1 medium lemon

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons best-quality olive oil

Tabasco, or other vinegar-based hot sauce, to taste

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare your coals using a chimney starter. The coals will be ready when each briquette is glowing slightly and has a thin coating of white ash. Spread the prepared coals in your fire pit or grill. Adjust your grate or rack a few inches above the coals.

2. Heat a cast-iron skillet for a few minutes until hot, then add the bacon and saute until crisp, stirring occasionally. Strain the bacon and reserve 2 tablespoons of the grease in the pan to cook the fennel (save the additional grease for another use). Place the strained bacon into a medium bowl.

3. Add the sliced fennel to the pan and saute until it just starts to brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the fennel and garlic from the heat, and add to the bacon.

4. Gently stir the beans into the fennel and bacon mixture, then stir in the minced fennel fronds, lemon juice and zest, cumin and olive oil. Season with a couple dashes of Tabasco and one-fourth teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Serve immediately or within a couple of hours.

Each serving: 280 calories; 15 grams protein; 31 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 18 mg. cholesterol; 418 mg. sodium.

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Buttermilk stick biscuits

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: Makes 6 biscuits

Note: The dry ingredients can be combined ahead of time and stored in a plastic bag. Use green sticks at least one-fourth-inch thick and 3 feet long, or similar-sized bare wooden dowels that are free of paint or stain and have been soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons bacon fat, butter or shortening

1/3 cup buttermilk

1. Prepare coals in a fire pit or grill. The coals will be ready when they have all caught fire and are glowing a rich red.

2. While the coals are heating, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. With a fork, cut in the bacon fat until the mixture resembles small peas. Stir in the buttermilk until thoroughly combined, and knead for 1 minute.

3. Using floured hands, divide the dough into six pieces. Mound dough over the tip of each of six sturdy sticks, and spread the dough over the tip (resembling a cattail), so that it is about 4 to 5 inches in length and 1-inch in diameter.

4. When the coals are glowing red, spread them in the pit or grill. Place the prepared sticks 4 to 5 inches over a hot fire, turning for even cooking, and cooking until the outside of each biscuit turns golden-brown and the inside is fluffy, 8 to 10 minutes. The biscuits should slide easily off the sticks when done. If the outside is browning too quickly, move the stick a little farther from the heat; if the biscuits are taking too long to cook, move them a little closer. Serve with butter, maple syrup, jam or honey.

Each serving: 120 calories; 3 grams protein; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 252 mg. sodium.

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Peach, blackberry and almond crisp

Total time: 30 minutes, plus heating time for the coals

Servings: 8

Note: Use Grade-B maple syrup if possible for richer flavor. This recipe calls for a 4-quart (10-inch) camp-style Dutch oven. The finished crisp is great served with a drizzle of heavy cream.

2 1/2 pounds ripe peaches, peeled and quartered

2 pints blackberries

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided

3/4 teaspoon almond extract, or 1 tablespoon almond liqueur

Zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup oats

2/3 cup almond meal or finely ground almonds

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons softened butter

1. Prepare the coals without starter fluid in a chimney starter: For a 4-quart (10-inch) Dutch oven, you will need 27 coals hot enough to have formed a thin coating of white ash over the surface of each coal.

2. Combine the peaches and blackberries in the Dutch oven, and toss with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the almond extract and orange zest.

3. Separately, combine the flour, oats, almond meal, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the softened butter, then the remaining maple syrup, until you have a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle the crumble over the fruit, then cover with the lid.

4. Place the oven over nine of the hot coals (evenly spaced), and evenly space 18 coals over the lid. Cook until the crumble topping is a rich golden color and the fruit is soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 299 calories; 6 grams protein; 42 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 23 mg. cholesterol; 222 mg. sodium.

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Campfire close-up

Go behind the scenes as The Times’ test kitchen heads to the beach for the camp-cooking photo shoot. See the video at latimes.com/food.