S mores for the serious shopper

7/22/2008

Campfires and s mores go hand-in-hand, but who would guess that you could combine s mores with shopping? That tasty little confection has gone beyond the campfire.

S mores, made of a square of Hershey s Milk Chocolate candy, a puffy marshmallow toasted over the campfire, and a graham cracker square, have been a centerpiece of summer hot dog roasts and campfire cooking for more than 80 years, according to the Hershey s company. The gooey, sweet dessert can also be made over a grill preheated to medium.

There s even more s more fun for this humble, homey dessert.

Last week, I visited the Godiva store at Westfield Franklin Park. I couldn t resist buying their dark chocolate s more for $3.25. The clerk put it in a little gold bag. It was a hot day so I knew it would melt if I walked outside. I had no choice but to eat it as I walked out of the mall. Delicious dark chocolate was drizzled over the two-layer graham cracker, and one end was dipped in dark chocolate. Inside was creamy vanilla bean marshmallow. There was just enough chocolate for great flavor but not too much to make it messy for your fingers or mouth important to the serious shopper.

Godiva Chocolatier also has hand- dipped fruits and sweets. Each day Godiva Boutiques prepare velvety smooth Milk, Dark, and White chocolate to create the coating for these treats.

S mores lovers can go to Hershey s Web site, www.smoresfun.com, for cooking tips and recipes. There are Brownies & Bars, Candies & Snacks, and Pies & Tarts. Try Chocolate Banana S mores with small slices of banana, and Peanutty S mores with a thin layer of peanut butter spread on the graham cracker.

Then there s the idea of gourmet s mores, desserts which I have seen on high-end restaurant menus. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry has a recipe for Lemon Raspberry S more, which takes liberties with the concept the graham cracker is replaced with baked, crisp puff pastry and the filling is lemon curd and marshmallows; this puff pastry s more is heated in the broiler and then topped with the remaining puff pastry triangles and drizzled with chocolate.

In the August issue of Food & Wine, Chocolate S mores Cake was created by San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti. The chocolate cake is prepared in advance and can be kept refrigerated for up to four days.

When camping, a gooey marshmallow topping can be created on a hot plate with a hand-cranked beater, if electricity is available. Broken graham crackers are inserted into the marshmallow and drizzled with melted chocolate. The cake should be served while the marshmallow is still warm.

Some campers will go to great lengths to cook outdoor classics. Whether they use the campfire with a wire grate, a Dutch oven, a cast-iron grill, a spit, or cook a foil-wrapped meal directly over the coals or a camp stove or grill, there are plenty of camp-friendly recipes.

The Scout s Outdoor Cookbook by Christine & Tim Conners (Globe Pequot Press, $19.95) includes Ravenous Scout Leader s Steak Au Gratin, Fire Start Cider, and Tanglewood Peach Pie made with 2 cans Pillsbury Grand s Homestyle Biscuits (5 biscuits) and 1 or 2 fresh peaches cut in fourths plus 5 teaspoons sugar. Each biscuit is topped with of sliced peach, a teaspoon of sugar, and another biscuit; then it is sealed, foil-wrapped, and cooked on the coals. Many recipes are done in a Dutch oven. The book has more than 12 recipes for chicken, including cooking in foil, frying in a pan over a fire, and as a kabob on a stick. You can cook ground beef in an onion (Lincoln Forest Cannon Balls) or bake cornbread or cake in an orange, says Mrs. Conners in a phone interview. There s also a cute Monkey Bread recipe done in a Dutch oven or a variation cooked on a stick. She also has numerous ideas for s mores including the World s Largest S mores cooked in a Dutch oven.

This collection of recipes from Girl Scout and Boy Scout leaders representing nearly every state in the country is available at Boy Scout stores, online, and at bookstores.