Dinner at Jackson Hole
Okay, okay. So I’m not in the cottage this month. I’m at about 7000 feet right now, snuggled into the Grand Tetons, enjoying the crisp air and the spectacular scenery of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I arrived several days ago, and after a short period of adjustment to the altitude, I started hiking. I was joined by friends who shared my enthusiasm for poring over maps, studying topography, and researching the best spots for viewing wildlife. Though it’s early in the season, it’s dropped below freezing every night since we’ve been here, and yesterday we were caught in a semi-serious blizzard in Yellowstone. As they say around here, the difference between a serious blizzard and a semi-serious blizzard is basically whether or not you get out of it and make it home!
It is absolutely true that when it comes to cooking, a good appetite really is the best seasoning. After an 11.3 mile hike around a spectacular glacial lake, climbing 600 feet to the top of a rocky overlook, and chancing a three mile sojourn back into a high altitude canyon just on the chance that we could view a bull moose taking an afternoon nap, even the phone book would look pretty good if it had enough salt on it. For the most part, people come here to do physical things. They climb, they hike, they kayak, they fish, they shoot whitewater rapids, and they parasail. Steak dinners, three-inch thick slices of garlic bread, baked beans, corn on the cob, tossed salads, and chocolate cake are easy to find and very satisfying after a workout in the mountains.
Nevertheless, for the more discerning diner, Jackson Hole has a whole lot to offer. Nothing beats the experience of a hard day’s workout followed by a hot shower, an ice cold glass of dry white wine, and a candlelight dinner in front of the Snake River Grill’s enormous stone fireplace. The difficult part is in deciding between the cannelloni stuffed with a morel mushroom duxelle, or the spectacularly delicious elk loin, which melts in your mouth. For your side dish, choose either the fiddlehead ferns sautéed with grilled ramps in brown butter, or the sweet corn simmered with tender, sautéed chanterelle mushrooms.
Dessert is no contest. I recommend the caramelized banana cream pie in a crust of toasted coconut and almond. Executive Chef Jeff Drew leaves no stone unturned in his insistence on the very finest quality ingredients, and on perfect timing by his staff.
Even at home in the condo, we take some time with dinner. After long hikes at high altitudes, we want something hot and nourishing, but we also want something that does more than just provide us with fuel for the next day’s hike. After we pull off our hiking boots and pour a glass of wine, we haul out the recipes and start peeling, dicing, and chopping ingredients. Soup is always popular. We combine it with good Western Sourdough Bread from a local bakery, tossed greens, and a cheese board. Depending on the recipe, we can make it ahead of time. We use the best and the freshest ingredients that Jackson Hole has to offer. The Cottage Kitchen, it seems, is not really all that far away…
It is absolutely true that when it comes to cooking, a good appetite really is the best seasoning. After an 11.3 mile hike around a spectacular glacial lake, climbing 600 feet to the top of a rocky overlook, and chancing a three mile sojourn back into a high altitude canyon just on the chance that we could view a bull moose taking an afternoon nap, even the phone book would look pretty good if it had enough salt on it. For the most part, people come here to do physical things. They climb, they hike, they kayak, they fish, they shoot whitewater rapids, and they parasail. Steak dinners, three-inch thick slices of garlic bread, baked beans, corn on the cob, tossed salads, and chocolate cake are easy to find and very satisfying after a workout in the mountains.
Nevertheless, for the more discerning diner, Jackson Hole has a whole lot to offer. Nothing beats the experience of a hard day’s workout followed by a hot shower, an ice cold glass of dry white wine, and a candlelight dinner in front of the Snake River Grill’s enormous stone fireplace. The difficult part is in deciding between the cannelloni stuffed with a morel mushroom duxelle, or the spectacularly delicious elk loin, which melts in your mouth. For your side dish, choose either the fiddlehead ferns sautéed with grilled ramps in brown butter, or the sweet corn simmered with tender, sautéed chanterelle mushrooms.
Dessert is no contest. I recommend the caramelized banana cream pie in a crust of toasted coconut and almond. Executive Chef Jeff Drew leaves no stone unturned in his insistence on the very finest quality ingredients, and on perfect timing by his staff.
Even at home in the condo, we take some time with dinner. After long hikes at high altitudes, we want something hot and nourishing, but we also want something that does more than just provide us with fuel for the next day’s hike. After we pull off our hiking boots and pour a glass of wine, we haul out the recipes and start peeling, dicing, and chopping ingredients. Soup is always popular. We combine it with good Western Sourdough Bread from a local bakery, tossed greens, and a cheese board. Depending on the recipe, we can make it ahead of time. We use the best and the freshest ingredients that Jackson Hole has to offer. The Cottage Kitchen, it seems, is not really all that far away…
posted by JTH at 12:00 PM
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