I should start with the strong disclaimer that I am SO not a camper. I’m not even really a festival-goer. Most of my workmates love to go to festivals and speak of them with a lot of affection – they tend to gloss over the long queues for the toilets, lack of showers and spending days in incredibly close quarters with your friends. But regardless, I love the idea of outdoor cooking – once we have a bit more of a yard, I would definitely put a fire pit in the back garden to back outdoors, particularly in the summer. It would be a great thing to do as family.
All of the recipes in Campfire Cuisine are geared to be made while out camping, but I would there are plenty of easy and inspirational recipes even if you’re not a big outdoorsy fan – because of the premise, there’s a lot of really simple but flavorful recipes (I was really impressed by the amount of salad dressings – salad while camping?) It’s a great cookbook for anyone who enjoys grilling or easy food. So if you’re more of a “bake it at home” person, never mind – you can still use these recipes, and there are even some quick tips to adjust the recipe at home.
The basic scone recipe came with some suggestions for adaptations – and I loved the idea of the maple syrup scones, which seemed to be a nice breakfast on a crisp autumn morning.
Maple Syrup Scones (from Campfire Cuisine)
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Whisk the buttermilk, maple syrup and egg together.
Slowly mix it into the dry ingredients, making sure to eliminate lumps.
I wanted to add a extra Halloween-y touch, so I greased a silicone Halloween mould and scooped the scone dough into it.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes at 190C, until the scone is a nice golden brown.
They had a lovely little maple taste – the women at work loved munching on these little pumpkins!
I received a free copy of Campfire Cuisines from Quirk Books, but all opinions are my own.
