OCTOBER 29th 2009:
Denvers first major storm (Winter Storm Warnings in effect 10/28 – 10/30 6pm) with expected snowfall of 6 inches to 2 feet. It happens every year….snow before or on Halloween. But this is wild snow warning for 2 days! I am posting a this as a farewell to summer-fall!
The Fall of Fall 2009…..
Trail Chef Mark of 7 Bar Grille goes on a scenic media shoot for Colorado Destinations.
Where did it go?! Summer then fall and it disappeared quickly. It seems that it flew by and I barely got one day of wheeling in during the summer never mind the short fall season! Fast forward to October 7th, forecast for the weekend is grim, snow! The crystallized water flakes have already been flying as early as the last week of September, “it’s gonna be a gnarly winter” even the longtime locals concur. Cline Media Production contacts me to shoot a segment of Trail Cooking a la 7 Bar Grille style for the weekend. We are tasked with filming two one-minute and thirty second cooking segments to be aired in the Denver Market and possibly beyond. “Let’s wait until Saturday to see what the weather turns out to be!” “Yup…looks like we’ll hold off until Monday as Sunday is not looking to savory!”
Yet once again I thank Adventure Explorer Christopher Columbus as he afforded the opportunity to enjoy a Monday off from my full time job. Monday it is, we’ll meet in Georgetown and head up Guanella Pass, a very scenic graded gravel road that I would typically otherwise not traverse, typically seeking a little more challenging terrain. Cline Media does not have an off-highway savvy vehicle so our choice of locations for the shoot is quite limited, but our choice nonetheless affords us some classic and fantastic Colorado scenery. With the snow flying up in the hills so early it is probably best.
Whenever I have unique projects I always consider the opportunity for education….so my daughter as well I invited Johnson & Wales University culinary students Jesse Albertini and Selema Hamoud join to gain a little non-traditional out of class cooking experience. Really how often does the opportunity to do a television media food shoot on the top of a mountain, possibly covered in snow happen?
The rest of the story…it was snowy, windy and cold down here in Denver. As soon as we started climbing up the first hill on I70 heading west out of Denver it started to clear up and get quite warm?! Only in Colorado! By the time the shoot was over I had lost close to 5 pounds from sweating as I figured cold down in Denver must be colder up there.
We filmed the short segments by Georgetown Lake in Georgetown, Colorado. Originally we had planned to go up to Guanella Pass but due to construction and the road closing at certain times of the day we chose the easier locale.
The menu:
• 7BG Swamp Stompin’ Seared Sirloin Steaks with Lumberjack Stack of Sweet Corn, Bell Pepper, Green onion Pancakes with Southern Comfort Syrup
• 7BG Las Cruces Chile Challenge Spiced Colorado Bone- in Lamb Rib-eyes with Easy Bake Sweet Potatoes and Charred Greens
7BG Swamp Stompin’ Seared Sirloin Steaks with Lumberjack Stack of Sweet Corn, Bell Pepper, Green onion Pancakes with Southern Comfort Syrup
Serves: 4
Steaks:
4 Each 6 – 8 oz. Colorado’s Best Beef All Natural 21 Day Dry Aged Sirloin Steaks
1 – 2 Tablespoons 7 Bar Grille Swamp Stompin’ Bayou Spice (depends on your heat preference)
2 Tablespoons Canola/Cooking Oil
Season the steaks with as much or as little of the Cajun Style Seasoning. Traditional style blackening can be achieved by heating a cast iron skillet and char searing the steaks. Cook until your desired level or doneness: Moo (cold rare “black and blue like sushi YUM!!”, Moo-Warmed Rare – Medium Rare, Moo-Cooked “medium”, Moo-Shoe Leather anything beyond medium really.
For The Pancakes: Make ahead at home, mix all the ingredients up in a bowl, cook, cool and pack to do a quick reheat on the trail. No mess or mixing to deal with out in the backcountry.
2 Cups Favorite Pancake Batter – (we used a dry whole wheat mix for this one as well milk and an egg)
½ Cup Sweet Corn Kernels (Frozen is Fine)
¼ Cup Green Onions Sliced
¼ Sweet Baby Bell Peppers
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a cast iron or non-stick skillet heat some olive oil or canola oil over low to medium heat. Drop a Tablespoon and a half of the mix, let spread out a little. Cook until the pancake begins to bubble and flip to brown on the other side. Set aside on a napkin or paper towel to cool and soak up any excess oil. Pack and freeze them or simply chill them, this will depend on how long it will be until you use them. It’s hard not to nosh on one of them while cooking them they are addicting little buggers.
CAMP COOK NOTE: If you just wanted to prepare the pancakes camp-side follow the same recipe as above and cook the pancakes a la minute (in the moment/minute).
For the Syrup:
1 – 2 Nips Bottles of Southern Comfort (more for thechef)
2 Tablespoons Sorghum Syrup or Maple
Add the Southern Comfort to a pan, bring to a boil to cook out the alcohol for better flavor. Add in the syrup and let simmer for 1 minute. Pull off the heat and allow it to cool. You can reuse the nip bottles to pour back into to use out on the trail. I used a little funnel made from a small Ziploc type baggie, pour in the cooled liquid and snip the corner of the bag.
7BG Las Cruces Chile Challenge Spiced Colorado Bone- in Lamb Rib-eyes with Easy Bake Sweet Potatoes and Charred Greens
The heat of the Chile Challenge and the flavors of the simple sweet potato, and greens bring balance, and at the top of a mountain in the backcountry what more could one ask for.
Serves 4
4 Each 6 oz Double American Lamb Rib Chops (basically a bone in Lamb rib-eye steak)
Chef Mark’s 7 Bar Grille Culinary Modification Tool: Las Cruces Chile Challenge (to your level of heat)
2 Each Large Whole Sweet Potatoes-Baked in an Oven until fork tender. (make ahead)
1 Head Bok Choy or 6 – 8 Heads Baby Bok Choy
Thanks to:
Colorado Destinations; Gary Cline and Cline Media Crew: http://clinecreative.com/
Johnson & Wales Culinary Students: Jesse Albertini and Selema Hamoud
Colorado Best Beef www.cobestbeef.com for providing All Natural Charolais 21 Day Dry Aged Top Sirloin Steaks
American Ranchers and Processors for producing high quality American Lamb www.americanlamb.org
What cooktop are you using??
It is from Snow Peak as is the entire set up.