Food and dining play a big part in a Gunflint Trail vacation. Clear, north woods air and recreation-filled days build an appetite for hearty, home-cooked meals, often a little on the richer side. Native ingredients like fresh fish just pulled from a lake or stream, wild blueberries, duck, grouse, deer, moose and bear - make an unforgettable feast (and probably a good story, too). Whenever you want to remember the delicious parts of your up north adventure, try one of these recipes, perfect for preparing in the home kitchen. As the Voyageurs would say, "Bon Appetit!"
CASHEW CRUSTED WALLEYE
GRILLED TROUT FILLETS
NUT-COATED WALLEYE FILLETS
SALLY'S CHEESE POTATOES
STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
STUFFED RAINBOW TROUT with MUSHROOM-SHERRY SAUCE
CASHEW CRUSTED WALLEYE
(appeared in August-September 1996 Walleye In-Sider)
Cashew Breading
4 oz. soda crackers (3/4 c. pulverized) or cracker meal
1-1/4 c. salted cashews
1 Tablespoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
3/4 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the steel knife and process until nuts are finely pulverized. Correct seasoning.
Shake the fish fillets in a bag containing all-purpose flour. Shake off the excess flour and dip the fillets into a mixture of 2 beaten eggs, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup liquid (water, beer, white wine, milk, cream, or evaporated milk). Then dredge or shake the fillets in the cashew breading. Place breaded fillets in a pan or plate and set aside until you're ready to fry them.
The fish may be breaded several hours in advance and refrigerated, or it may be frozen for later use.
This recipe that can be easily made travel-ready by simply making the breading mixture ahead of time and bring it with in a large zip-closure plastic bag. You'll also need to bring a separate bag with some all-purpose flour in it for dredging the fillets, and the two eggs (wrap carefully in paper towels and newspaper).
GRILLED TROUT FILLETS
Adapted from "Gourmet Freshwater Fish Recipes" by Dr. Duane Lund, and submitted by Chef Sally Bresnehan at Bearskin Lodge.
2 pounds lake trout fillets, skin on, cut into serving-sized pieces, seasoned with lemon pepper
Basting sauce
1 stick butter, melted
1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dill weed
Place seasoned fillets skin side down on an oiled grill over gray coals or gas flame. Combine the butter, Worchestershire sauce, and dill and baste the fish two or three times while grilling. Cover while cooking. Fish is done when it flakes easily at thickest part. Serves 4
NUT-COATED WALLEYE FILLETS
Adapted from "Gourmet Freshwater Fish Recipes" by Dr. Duane Lund, and submitted by Chef Sally Bresnehan at Bearskin Lodge.
2 pounds walleye fillets, skinned, washed, and dried with a paper towel
2 cups unsalted almonds or cashews, crushed very fine
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 cup water
Cooking oil or butter
Cut the fillets into serving-sized pieces. Salt and pepper to taste. Beat the egg into the water. Dip the fillets into the egg mixture and then coat well with the crushed nuts. Saute fillets over medium high heat in oil or butter,turning once, until golden on each side. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and your favorite tartar sauce.
Serves 4
SALLY'S CHEESE POTATOES
(from Chef Sally Bresnehan at Bearskin Lodge
2# frozen hash browns
1-1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1/2 tsp. Pepper
8 oz. Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced onion
8 oz. Sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
Mix all ingredients together and place in greased baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup corn flakes on top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
Here is a recipe that guests have asked for when staying in the yurts. I have reduced the amounts for the cheese mixture. Otherwise I make quite a bit (I double the recipe) and refrigerate the rest. The stuffed french toast is prepared the night before, wrapped in foil and refrigerated. It is then grilled in the morning at the yurts. Barbara Young, Boundary Country Trekking
Loaf French bread, about 5 inches across; day old (fresh is too hard to slice)
8 oz. Ricotta (may be regular, low fat or no fat)
8 oz. Cream Cheese (may be regular, low fat or no fat)
1/4 cup Apricot Preserves
1/4 cup ground walnuts or pecans
1/2 tsp. each maple flavoring and rum flavoring
Eggs
Milk
Put the ricotta and cream cheese in a mixer and beat until mixed together. Add the preserves; then the nuts; finally add the flavorings. Beat. Put aside.
Slice off ends of bread at a diagonal to expose more bread. Slice the rest of the bread 1-1/2 inches wide at a diagonal. I use two slices of bread per person. When all the bread is sliced, take a smaller knife and make a slit in the middle of each slice being careful not to cut to the bottom or down the sides too far. You want to make a pocket. Make pockets in all the slices you need.
Scoop about a tablespoon or more of the cheese mixture and dollop into the bread pocket. Be careful so that not too much drips out.
In a shallow bowl, make a dipping mixture of one egg per person plus 1/4 cup milk per person. Sometimes I use less milk and have used evaporated milk to make a richer mixture. Beat the mixture.
Get a griddle ready. Spread butter on the griddle and melt. Do not burn. Dip the stuffed bread into the egg/milk mixture. Drip off extra mixture and set on griddle and fry each side until golden. The pieces fry quickly.
We serve the French toast with maple syrup made right here in Cook County. We also serve Swedish sausage and put fruit on the plate and have juice and coffee.
STUFFED RAINBOW TROUT with MUSHROOM-SHERRY SAUCE
Nancy Waver, Trout Lake Resort
Microwave cooking time 11 to 12 minutes
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom pieces
1 can (6-1/2 oz.) crabmeat
1/2 cup or more cracker crumbs or stuffing mix
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 or 8 small rainbow fillets
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Milk
1/3 cup dry sherry
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
Place green onion, 1/4 cup butter and parsley in 2-quart microproof casserole. Cook on High for 3 minutes until onion is transparent. Remove from oven. Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid. Shred crabmeat. Add mushrooms, crabmeat, crumbs, salt and pepper to cooked onion and parsley, mixing well. Spread stuffing over each fillet. Roll fish and place, seam side down, in a microwave baking dish. Set aside.
Place 2 Tbsp. butter in 4-cup glass measure. Cook on High for 45 seconds, or until melted. Stir in flour and salt. Add enough milk to mushroom liquid to make 1 cup. Combine liquid and sherry. Gradually stir liquid into flour mixture, stirring briskly. Pour sauce over stuffed fillets. Cook on High for 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle paprika and parsley over fish. Cook on High for 1 minute. Serve immediately.