Don’t let shell shock keep you from experimenting with eggs in the outdoors. “They’re backcountry exotic but easy,” says Claudia Pearson, author of a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) cookbook. Take these tips and recipes on your next overnighter for an egg-stra good meal.
For another fun outdoor-oriented egg recipe, see a video demonstration by assistant editor Jennifer Olson (a.k.a. the Backcountry Gourmet) at womensadventuremagazine.com.
Quiche Moraine
A cheesy, veggie-filled entrée that will work for any meal, this easy quiche recipe is an upgrade to more traditional protein-carb combos you crave after-or before-a day on the trail.
Tools: Non-stick frying pan with lid, whisk, utensils, camp stove, small sticks for a 30-minute twiggy fire
Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour 1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt 3 Tbs water
Filling:
1 1/2 cups crumbled, shredded or diced cheese
1 1/2 cup powdered milk
8 eggs (or equivalent powdered eggs)
1 1/2 cups water (more if using powdered eggs)
2 Tbs dried onion
1/8 to 1/4 tsp hot sauce
2 Tbs dried green and red peppers or other dried vegetables
salt and pepper to taste
For crust: Mix flour and salt together. Cut in butter and mix in water to form dough. Press dough into the bottom of the frying pan using your hands or the base of a water bottle.
For filling: Layer cheese over the uncooked crust. Mix dry milk and eggs (or egg powder) in a bowl. Slowly add water, whisking constantly to prevent lumping. Stir in vegetables and seasonings. Pour into crust; cover and bake, using a twiggy fire (see sidebar) 30 minutes or until crust pulls away from side of pan and filling is set. Top with hot sauce. Serves four hungry hikers.
Breakfast Pudding
Created for WAM by NOLS chef-extraordinaire Janet Smithson, this sweet breakfast treat adds much-needed substance to a traditionally carb-only morning meal.
Tools: Pan, bowl, utensils
3 cups water
1/2 cup Cream of Wheat cereal
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs powdered egg
3 Tbs powdered milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
chopped nuts and/or fruit for garnish
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.Gradually add Cream of Wheat, stirring to avoid lumps. Add sugar and stir often, maintaining high heat until the mixture thickens, approximately
2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and powdered egg with remaining cup of water and mix well. Add milk mixture to cooked cereal, stirring constantly. Add cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Cook mixture until it thickens then cool to desired temperature. Garnish with chopped, dried or fresh fruits, and nut or seeds.
TIPS
• When temps are below 70-degrees, frozen eggs will keep cold long enough to stay fresh overnight. Pearson suggests freezing beaten eggs in muffin tins for portion-sized rations you can bag and carry. In warm weather, keep eggs whole but carry them in a hard-plastic egg-case, or in their original carton cut to fit inside a plastic food-storage container. Be sure to cook the entire egg thoroughly.
• If you’re squeamish about food safety (aren’t we all?), pregnant, cooking for kids, or meal-planning for several days consider powdered eggs-an easy alternative that exponentially increases your backcountry cooking repertoire. Pearson recommends Adventure Egg’s pasteurized powder that comes in six-pack sizes, can replace eggs in any recipe, and all but eliminates potential for food-borne illness. adventureegg.com
SKILL
• Twiggy Fire: Cooking quiche-or cookies or cupcakes-in the backcountry requires all-around heat you can’t get from a bottom-up flame. To generate the egg-setting temps you’ll need for our recipe, use your stove and build a twiggy fire on your pot’s lid-be prepared for the permanent soot stain you’ll create. How to: Use pencil-sized or smaller twigs and build a small, pyramid-shaped fire on top of your pot›s lid. Steadily feed the flames while baking.
