Perfect picnic food
I've been thinking about picnics, beautiful, relaxing fetes on the grass in the cultivated wilds of local parks. Ahhh, spring!
Now the food must have special qualities: it must travel well, and be simple to serve and eat.
What in your experiences or dreams are perfect picnic foods, beverages, situations, accoutrements, etc? The more the merrier...
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37 Comments:
A loaf of high quality, artisan bread.
An assortment of French or Italian Cheese.
Some Charcuterie.
An excellent bottle of wine.
A picnic for any occasion.
derosa at 8:37PM on 04/13/09
I was raised in the tradition of cold fried chicken for picnics. Never had a picnic (except for school field trips) that had a sandwich until I was an adult.
lemons at 8:47PM on 04/13/09
wine cheese and bread! couldn't agree more.
megannesta at 9:00PM on 04/13/09
I agree with the others on the wine cheese and bread theme but I hit the olive bar and get olives, pickled grape leaves, and other assorted finger nummies.
huneybumper at 10:30PM on 04/13/09
I am with the other folks on the simple-
Wine, bread, fresh fruit, good cheese, cured meats of some sort and a sweet like chocolates or dried fruits instead of fresh. If no wine then a lemonade or sparkling juice/water.
sadiepix at 10:32PM on 04/13/09
A crusty loaf of bread, fresh fruit, a jar of natural peanut butter, a jar of preserves or jam, and bottle of honey. Just keep the lid on the jam and don't make a mess with the honey or you'll be a bee magnet!
cycorider at 10:59PM on 04/13/09
bread + cheese + cured meat or dried fruit
bread + hummus
fresh fruit
I'm convinced my girlfriends and I had the best hiking snacks of anyone when we hit up the Grand Canyon last weekend: cranberry/hazelnut bread, havarti, and perfect dried apricots; green chile cheese bread with spinach hummus; a few oranges; and dark chocolate for dessert. The bf and I also consistently rock the best climbing lunches as well: bread or water crackers, semi-soft cheeses, and smoked salmon.
Take a bottle of wine or some Fat Tire Ale in cans (cans transport way easier and Fat Tire seems to be the best beer available in cans) and call it a day.
joyyy at 12:10AM on 04/14/09
a cooler full of ice, a pitcher of dirty martini's...... a supply of chilled glasses.
roasted eggplant, tomato & goat cheese on a crispy baguette dressed with olive oil.... maybe a few proscuitto & melon slices....
perfectly ripe pears with some kind of bleu....
a bug free environment would be nice, as well.
pooch at 12:19AM on 04/14/09
A picnic set up and eaten on the beach in a dense fog. I actually did this once and it was hilarious - a novel ambiance rarely attainable, made even more challenging as all the picnic items were finger foods. The wine was particularly difficult to open - easy, though after we located the utensils case containing the corkscrew. Then we had to find the wineglasses.....etc., etc.......
cienfuegos at 1:06AM on 04/14/09
Aloaf of bread, cheese and some ham or what ever meat you like. I like beer sot htat would be with me and if there are others thatever they want to drink. A easty pasta salad like penne, with pesto parm cheese, peas, atrichoke hearts, spices. fruit.
pjracz10 at 4:19AM on 04/14/09
Wine and cheese, anything you can stuff into a whole wheat salad/pita pocket. Less messy than sandwiches, as nothing falls out! Maybe a more exotic chicken salad, or baby greens with a yummy vinaigrette. On a non-food note, a cozy cashmere blanket to lay out tops my list!
dharmon at 8:39AM on 04/14/09
I love the idea of an intimate picnic with little more than bread and cheese and wine--but sometimes picnics are more raucous occasions with games and shouting and kidlets etc. Fun finger foods are good for that as well.
On a vaguely related note, when the b/f and I first started dating, we were so poor that 90% of our dates consisted of hikes through local conservation areas and picnic lunches. These inevitably included homemade iced tea, fat ham sandwiches smushed from their ride in the backpack and with sliced tomatoes packed separately to avoid soaking the bread, and my oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies. To this day I can't eat any of those things without remembering the fumbly early stages of dating, stealing glances and trying to look cute while sweating my butt off and trying to talk without sounding out of breath while hiking a trail.
Here's a times article from last summer with 101 picnic dishes if you are looking for more inspiration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/dining/02mini.html?_r=1&em&ex=1215144000&en=71169d616f62f9c5&ei=5087%0A
BananaMonkey at 10:20AM on 04/14/09
Pan bagnat, fruit, chilled rose.
NO_Pam at 10:35AM on 04/14/09
I dream of going to Paris, buying artisan bread, cheeses, fruits, nuts, something to drink and going to a city park to enjoy it all...
MadelynRodriguez at 11:29AM on 04/14/09
Wow, all of this sounds so good! I would say artisan bread for the sandwiches, assorted fruits, home-baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and your favorite drink.
camille at 12:16PM on 04/14/09
All of the above - and a generous thermos of hot toddies if the weather hasn't fully turned yet!
melanzane at 3:26PM on 04/14/09
Smoked Salmon & a six pack of Sam Adams!
tinytim at 4:21PM on 04/14/09
"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou."
Lorenzo at 5:17PM on 04/14/09
Anything heavy enough that the plate wont fly away, and light enough so the plate wont fall away.
CATERPILLARGIRL at 5:34PM on 04/14/09
@madelynrodriguez - keep dreaming and it will happen! I am 63 this year and my dream happened last year, we went to see the Eiffel Tower lights being turned on, took our own things - people were actually walking by selling wine to picnic-ers - it was amazing, write and tell me when you go and I will send you the name of a clean, cheap Hotel within a ten minute walk of the Tower! Vive la France!
bareneed at 5:52PM on 04/14/09
yes, let's move the picnic to paris! i'm all for it.... or barcelona! or roma!
pooch at 6:21PM on 04/14/09
Summer rolls are really great, because they pack well and are easy to eat with hands.
jo_wang at 9:04PM on 04/14/09
fried chicken & cheap beer, both well chilled.
Scoggdog at 2:03AM on 04/15/09
On a related note to summer rolls, vegetable sushi! Futomaki rolls are great for picnics.
Aynsl156 at 11:37AM on 04/15/09
growing up we would always have the same stuff
turkey croissant sandwiches with lots of veggies, grapes, watermelon, sun chips or pretzels, and black licorice ... mmm mmm mmm
now that i am grown though, i would prefer a hot pepper turkey sandwich with avocado, lettuce, pickles, peppers, cucumbers, spicy hummus and olive tapenade
Deeberry at 11:28PM on 04/15/09
could go european with bread, cheese, fruit, and some meat like salami.... or my favorite picnic had indian curry and puris (fried bread).
blizcheetah at 12:15AM on 04/16/09
I like a picnic of hard-boiled eggs (cook peeled eggs in soy sauce for pre-salted goodness), celery with peanut butter or an apple, and a nice wedge of cheese. I also have a strange fondness for finger sandwiches and sausage/mushroom/cheese pastries.
Skythe at 11:36AM on 04/16/09
I love the bread, cheese, sausage, and wine kind of picnic...but I also like to make it a bit lighter and more interesting by bringing fruit (grapes, cut up cantaloupe), salads that can be served chilled/room temp (marinated three-bean salad, tabouleh, couscous salad with pine nuts and roasted vegetables, etc.) and hard-boiled eggs. I love the suggestions about bringing summer rolls and veggie sushi!
Junie at 11:43AM on 04/16/09
Also, hummus and cut up veggies for dipping also travels well and is popular with most people.
Junie at 11:44AM on 04/16/09
Some of my favorites: chicken wings (fried, soy sauce, etc.), cold sesame noodles, banh mi, saltines+nutella+strawberries, orangina, iced tea, and definitely watermelon.
caroliiine at 12:31PM on 04/16/09
Wow, I guess with this group, fried chicken and beer are out of the question?
Raiders757 at 7:11PM on 04/16/09
A big bowl of strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar
bitchinlifestyle at 10:48AM on 04/17/09
@Raiders - If I knew how to make good fried chicken, I would totally do fried chicken and beer! However, my fried chicken sucks...and I'm not the hugest fan of cold, leftover friend chicken. Heresy, I know, but I just don't enjoy the way the skin gets all soggy and floppy.
Junie at 11:43AM on 04/17/09
derosa's picnic looks divine.
I'd go for that!
hungrychristel at 2:19PM on 04/17/09
Stackable bento boxes are great, and they open up the possibilities so you can pack anything from ratatouille to kimchi. But, for simple, clean, easy to transport picnic food that is perfectly delicious, you can't beat empanadas.
Although, if the weather is unfavorable (or even if it's not), you can always stay in and enjoy a completely different kind of picnic at home.
Cheers,
~ Paula
Paula Maack at 5:55AM on 04/19/09
Roasted shrimp and orzo salad, with feta cheese and asparagas.
DELICIOUS at 9:25AM on 04/20/09
I love everything related to meat.
One of my favorites is chicken wing because it is so easy to make yet
very tasty,with good sauce it is delicacy.
I think nothing compete however good steaks
Steak recipes
shai77 at 2:47PM on 10/13/09