Camp Cuisine: Wild in the Country

In the world of fishing camps, there is no take-out food. No carry-out roast chicken or pasta salad. No bakeries. All you get is wonderful wilderness, bald eagles, stunning sunsets and shimmering lakes. And home cooking.

Home cooking is alive and well in fishing camps--the only game in town. And it’s the way cooking used to be: old fashioned, unsophisticated, good tasting.

Fried fish, barbecued pork chops, bacon and eggs, wild blueberry hot cakes, grilled cheese sandwiches with buttered homemade bread, cream of tomato soup--these are the foods when life is enjoyed in the great outdoors.

Desserts are in a category unto themselves. Forget diets and restraint. Judy Ottoson, for 18 years the cook in the Kishkutena fishing camp, has a repertoire of great dessert recipes handed down from her mother, who held the job before her.

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I especially enjoy the chocolate chip crisps, the tart plum (or rhubarb) meringue torte and the Kishkutena camp cake, a hit from the ‘50s.

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These are chocolate chip cookies as they used to be: thin, crisp and somewhat delicate.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CRISPS

1/2 cup unsalted butter

6 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

In bowl use mixer to cream butter, brown and granulated sugars, egg and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until combined. Use wooden spoon to stir in chocolate morsels.

Spoon rounded teaspoon of dough onto lightly greased baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake on center oven rack at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Cool completely on cooling rack. Can be kept as long as 5 days at room temperature in airtight container and up to 3 months in freezer, wrapped airtight. Makes 5 dozen 3-inch cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

45 calories; 22 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

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Ottoson was given this recipe by her cousin. Actually a bar cookie, it sports rhubarb in the early summer and the same quantity of any tart plum in August and September. Both fruits contrast with the sweet meringue and neither requires peeling. Once the meringue is baked on the cookie, it must be served within a few hours as meringues weep on standing, especially on humid days.

RHUBARB-MERINGUE TORTE

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

Sugar

Salt

Flour

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 large stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch dice, about 4 cups

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

In bowl use mixer to cream butter, 2 tablespoons sugar and dash salt until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups flour. Combine well. Spread dough evenly over bottom of greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Work by hand through piece of plastic wrap to make dough as even as possible. Bake at 350 degrees until firm but not well browned, about 15 minutes.

In bowl use mixer to beat egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and evaporated milk until smooth. Spread over top of warm baked crust. Sprinkle diced rhubarb evenly over filling. Bake at 350 degrees until mixture sets, about 40 to 45 minutes. Can be set aside several hours at room temperature before baking meringue.

In bowl use mixer to whip egg whites and dash salt until whites hold shape and are still glossy but not stiff. Add 1/3 cup sugar by tablespoons with mixer running. Mix in vanilla. Spread over cookie base, which can be hot, warm or room temperature.

Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cool. To serve, use sharp knife to cut into squares. Use metal spatula to transfer to serving plates. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

521 calories; 110 mg sodium; 169 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.51 gram fiber.

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Normally I’m not one to resort to cake mixes and instant fillings but Ottoson’s version of a ‘50s 7-Up cake is moist, nicely textured, slightly lemony and tastes absolutely delectable with the pineapple topping. It’s even better the next day.

KISHKUTENA CAMP CAKE

1 (1-pound, 2 1/4-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant lemon pudding

4 large eggs

3/4 cup oil

1 1/4 cups lemon-flavored soda such as 7-Up (10 ounces)

Pineapple Topping

In bowl use mixer to combine cake mix, lemon pudding, eggs and oil until smooth. Mix in lemon-flavored soda. Transfer to greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Use rubber spatula to spread batter evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and wood pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes on rack before frosting.

Spread Pineapple Topping, either hot or warm, over warm cake. To serve cut into squares. Makes 1 (13x9-inch) cake, about 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

467 calories; 393 mg sodium; 56 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 58 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

Pineapple Topping

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine eggs, flour, butter, sugar and pineapple in 1-quart nonaluminum saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice.