In Good Taste: Picnic Patter
Picnic Patter
Since reading the following piece in Marlena de Blasi’s book Dolce e Salata, I have the sagging feeling that our family is officially unprepared for any spur-of-the-moment picnic whilst out driving along country lanes in the car.
“Always ready in the boot is a basket fitted with wine glasses, two of our most beautiful ones, plus two tiny bohemian cut-crystal glasses, napkins made from the unstained parts of a favourite tablecloth, a box of old silver, a wine screw, a good bottle of red wine, a flask of grappa, a Spanish bone-handled folding knife, a pouch of sea salt, a blue and white ceramic pepper grinder, plates of varying size, a tiny plastic bottle of dishwashing liquid, two linen kitchen towels….”
Maybe not quite the Civil Defence list of survival items to have on hand, but hey, it sounds good to me.
It seems that we have fewer picnics these days. Are we becoming lazy or less family oriented, or more allergic to insect bites or less tolerant of sand in the sandwich, or just not as romantic as we used to be?
It’s a shame really. If you ever seen the old black-and-white photos at the information centre at Totaranui of the local get-together picnic, you may feel inspired to dust off the wicker basket or cardboard box or whatever is able to transport the bowls and dishes successfully. It doesn’t have to be lavish; a salad sandwich eaten sitting on a rug under an apple tree listening to the cicadas and remembering picnics past can be a lovely way to spend a couple of hours. If sleep is the natural outcome at this stage, enjoy.
From the many accounts written by professional picnic advisers dating back to the early 1800s it seems that they all agree that the most essential picnic accessory is the corkscrew. Mrs Beeton recommends taking three. Strangely, the one thing each of these advisors forgets to mention is the importance of the setting. And it is here that we strike gold, as Golden Bay has to be the most perfect spot of the lot.
Children and adults alike find some sense of adventure in heading off on a picnic, and all food tastes better when eaten out of doors, so with that in mind I offer this last piece of advice: It’s better to take too much than too little!
Lastly, if your carefully planned picnic turns into a cold, wet, windswept catastrophe, your umbrella is blown away and you find yourself amongst a swarm of bees, then take heart from the words of Jane Grigson, who says that the success of a picnic depends on disaster! It always makes for a good story later on.
Bacon and egg pie must be one of our most traditional picnic fares and it still is, for very good reason. It holds together well for transportation and is easy to eat with the hand. Either make your own shortcrust pastry or use puff pastry to line the base and sides of a 23 cm baking dish. Roll out the remaining pastry to form a lid. Prick the lid a few times with a fork and place in a cool place while you make the filling.
Bacon and Egg Pie
Filling:
200g bacon, cut into chunks and fried until nearly crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
7 eggs
A handful of chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper
¼ cup of cream
Glaze:
1 egg yolk extra
1 teaspoon of milk
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Scatter the bacon over the pastry in the baking dish. Crack the eggs carefully over the bacon, trying to keep the yolks whole. If one breaks, don’t worry. Sprinkle the parsley on top and then drizzle on the cream. Add plenty of ground pepper and a good sprinkle of sea salt. To make a glaze, mix together one egg yolk with one teaspoon of milk. Brush some of this onto the pastry rim. Place the pastry lid on top, pressing the edges together; brush the lid with the remaining glaze. Place immediately into the oven and bake until golden brown and it tests cooked (about 30 minutes).
Allow to cool before eating.
Fresh fruit is perfect for a picnic and if paired with a wedge of cheese you have the perfect end to any meal. When it comes to taking cake on a picnic, apparently it simply must be a day old (I can only assume that it becomes more dense and less fragile), however I don’t think anyone will mind if you have whipped this little number up on the day and transport it still safely in its tin.
Peach Streusel Cake
Use whatever luscious fruit you have on hand. Pitted cherries are good, stewed and drained apple, or use a jar of your best jam as a filling instead.
200g self-raising flour
110g ground almonds
110g caster sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
225g butter, chilled and diced
400g sliced cooked peaches, drained
Heat the oven to 180°C. Place the flour, almonds, sugar and cinnamon into the food processor. Add the butter and blend together until you have a crumbly mixture. Remove from the processor and press half the crumble into a 20cm cake tin. Place the peaches evenly over the base and crumble the remaining mixture over the top. Bake for 55 minutes until the top is golden and crisp. Remove the cake and allow to cool. Serve dusted with icing sugar and accompany with softly whipped cream.
Fiona Feasey
