Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors

by Robin Donovan

No more hot dogs and baked beans!
 
Finally, a guide for lovers of both good food and the great outdoors. Campfire Cusine is a cookbook for the growing number of hikers, campers, and backpackers who are making healthy, tasty, and satisfying food a high priority in their lives. It offers more than 100 simple but inspired recipes for meals that can be cooked at a campsite or in any other outdoor setting—all made from fresh foods, never relying on ready-made food products. Enjoy Spicy Orange Chicken, Grilled Steak Tacos, Bourbon-Glazed Salmon, Lemony Couscous Salad, Cinnamon Baked Bananas, and more!
 
Armed with Campfire Cusine’s step-by-step, practical guidance on meal planning, shopping, and equipment selection, everyone from die-hard gourmets to novice cooks will be fully prepared to eat well in the outdoors. 

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Travel

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

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Reviews

[todd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Campfire Cuisine is subtitled Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors. When I came across the description I was excited at the thought of expanding the range of options for our regular canoe wilderness excursions into the BWCA and the Quetico. What a letdown. The author clearly never portages his food, let alone thinks about carrying provisions for a multi-day hike. The recipes are fit for car camping where the SUV has room for the oversized Coleman cooler. Large amounts of dairy and other liquids are routinely used with a casualness that suggests the author didn’t have to carry ingredients any farther than from the refrigerator to the patio. There are needless sections on food safety (Discard any cans of food that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted. Really? I never knew.) and how to pack a cooler. We are also reminded to wash our hands and equipment after cutting raw meat and are provided with a list of safe cooking temperatures courtesy of the USDA. I almost bailed out before the recipes when I reached the checklist of things needed for a campfire that included: sticks, twigs, or other kindling material. I perhaps should have. The important ingredient list includes compound butters, flavored oils and vinegars (“raspberry, fig, tarragon, and so on”). There are seven different aioli formulations, each of which can be made at home beforehand. Huh? Who’s carrying all this stuff? When you finally get to the recipes, they are far from inspiring. Breakfast includes “Real Homemade Pancakes,” (pack some Krusty’s), lunch has Tuna and Olive Salad Sandwiches (everything from a can or jar) and dinner has the worst looking Cioppino recipe ever. Most of the efforts look subpar to anything one would find in a year’s worth of Sunset magazines. It is a hint about how artificial these “camping” recipes are that about half of them are followed with a box describing how to make them at home (don’t use grill, use cooktop). At the end of the day you’d be better off firing up the grill in the backyard, pitching a tent and keeping your Joy of Cooking handy. That way, at least, you wouldn’t have to worry about whether you packed your cooler correctly or not.

[Krister Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family of three have recently begun short (1, 2, or 3 night) car camping trips. Though my wife and I have both done a bit of camping years ago, I would rate us as novice campers at this point. So, we are relearning about camping gear in general and haven't checked out very many books on camp food. Having said that, this book, if it has done nothing else, has gotten us excited about having good and fun food on our trips. I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but there are plenty I'm interested in, and others that have sparked my imagination to come up with my own. The practical information the begins the book is helpful to beginner campers, perhaps, but less so for others.

[Relic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the easy recipes and the ones I've tried out have tasted great. I also like the fact that some of the dishes can be pre-made and then just warmed up while camping. This book will be coming along on many camping trips!

[Corban Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, which was interesting since I am not the *biggest* fan of camping in the world. Robin Donovan's recipes showed that you can eat quite well while off the grid in a way that will enhance the experience. Some of the recipes had.....a little too much going on for my taste (see what I did there?) but they did open my mind to the possibility of trying different flavor combinations, and that was a welcome thought exercise for sure.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good outdoor cookbook. It doesn't go into techniques a lot, so you should have a basic understanding of how to cook in a rustic environment. This has great ideas on what to make for entrees.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has what the title suggests; gormet recipes for around the campsite. Not all have to be over a fire, but I think they may all require car camping to allow for the bulk of the ingredients.

These recipes sound amazing, and I am looking forward to trying out the savoury s'mores.

[Ryan Ogham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple, easy-to-understand guide for healthier and more satisfying campfire cooking. It's got a decent introduction, complete guides, illustrations and anecdotes. I like it, and I like how thorough the instructions are without being too cumbersome to read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

some good inspiration for my upcoming camping trips - simple and doable and with some great tips

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine this scenario:

You are going on a camping trip with your family and a few friends. You are responsible for planning all of your family’s meals and snacks.

What does your menu look like?

If your shopping list is full of clichéd choices such as hotdogs, canned goods, and marshmallows to put on a stick, perhaps it’s time for a menu makeover!

If so, Robin Donovan is here to help.

In Campfire Cuisine – Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors, Robin teaches you how to take outdoor cooking to a new level!

Robin is an experienced camper who believes in eating well, no matter where you are. Robin believes that “outdoor cooking doesn’t need to be elaborate in order to yield stunning results.” In Campfire Cuisine, she demonstrates that philosophy by providing over 100 tasty recipes with instructions for cooking the recipes outdoors – and tips for making them at home!

Imagine spending a night under the stars, then:

* Waking up to the sweet aroma of Bananas Foster French Toast or a hearty Veggie Polenta Scramble.

* Returning from your mid-morning hike where a refreshing Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich and Parmesan Baked Apples await you.

* Enjoying an evening meal of tasty Coconut Shrimp or Grilled Steak with Five Spice Rub.

* Ending your day with a bounty of Baked Chocolate Bananas or Rum-Baked Peaches.

Seriously, the dishes in this book sound so scrumptious, you will want to pitch a tent in your own back yard!

But, this book contains more than just a collection of mouth-watering recipes. It’s an indispensable guide to feeding your family in the wild!

Robin will help you distinguish between what is essential to take on your trip, and what is really nice to have.

* She’ll help you choose the right cooking gear for your family, based on your needs.

* She’ll teach you how to buy and store food for your trip, how to pack your cooler correctly, and how to safely store your food.

* She’ll even provide you with a shopping list template, a menu planning form and meal plans to help you get started!

Robin says that “Good food, simply prepared, tastes good.” Camping Cuisine delivers on that promise!

Aside from the tiny print, I really loved this book.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this last year and made some recipes from it that I really enjoyed, then sort of forgot about it (on my kindle) after Summer ended. I went back and actually read the whole thing this summer and have been cooking from it more while camping and at home. Lots of really enjoyable recipes that are pretty easy, but really tasty and use real food instead of some of the weird things you find in "camping recipes". If your idea of tasty camp food is boxed mac and cheese, ramen, or oatmeal for every meal, then this is probably not your book. But if you like tasty food and don't mind spending a little more time making it (half an hour for most things, maybe a bit more depending on how much prep you do before hand), this has some great recipes for good food. Favorites so far have been baba ganoush, beer braised pork and onion skewers, sausage, egg, and polenta skillet, and garlic & herb mushrooms. Yum!!

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished making my way through the recipes - I really like this book! Most of the recipes are indeed something I'd consider making at home, though not exactly what I'd think of to take into the woods with me.
Though many are fairly complicated - aka I'd have to upgrade my equipment in order to make some of these dishes for more than 2 people - I think the number of recipes that you can partially prepare before you leave make this great for a 1-3 night camping trip. So, if you're craving delicious food while out camping, or even just need something to do with the time gap between tent setup and bedtime, this is fun.
Really excited to try the Fish cooked with Curried Couscous sometime soon!

[Traci Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not attempted making a recipe yet, but I have found many that are mouthwatering. I was a bit concerned when I received this book, because I don't camp, but the recipes make great dishes for at home or for the next potluck. The directions are clear and if a recipe calls for something discussed earlier in the book, it gives you the page number right there, so it is easy to reference. I'm very excited to try some new recipes for dinner next week!

[Leanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great cookbook! It also has some meal planning. The recipes are pretty simple, but sound mouthwatering and healthy. I probably will not camp in the near future, but most of these recipes are great for grilling at home. I love that there is also some prepare ahead instructions. It cuts down on the time for a single meal. The camping experience at the beginning of the book was a great intro to why this book is nice to use.

[Rairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fun recipes. Scored me bonus points with my friends and family on a recent trip. I think I've made a friend for life with the cheesy s'mores and my almost 3 year old niece stole cucumber salad from my plate when she ran out of hers but my favorite was bananas foster french toast. Nom.

[Cristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good opener and uplifting for anyone that wants to cook in the outdoors. Wished there were photos of the dishes.

[Kimberly Stump · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this one in my trailer. I really love the recipe for scones. Some of the recipes are too bougie for my kind of camping, but I still have enjoyed what I've tried.

[LynnG]

decent book, but "fancier" and more industries than I'm looking for :)