There are two drinks in Park City I dream about. One is Pimp My Ride from Billy Blanco’s and the other is courtesy of High West Distillery. These days, however, between the tourists and the bougie waitstaff, it’s impossible to get a table at High West or even a seat at the bar.
So now I make the Dead Man’s Boot at home…and you can too.
DEAD MAN’S BOOT
1.5 oz Double Rye! (or whatever your favorite whiskey) 1 oz Reposado Tequila 0.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice 0.5 oz Simple Syrup Fever Tree Ginger Beer Lime Wedge Garnish
Add all ingredients except ginger beer in a cocktail shaker. Add chip ice, shake, strain over ice, and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Not too long ago, we’d never dream of eating outside in the winter. Hot food instantly turns cold along with your fingers, toes and nose. Can you say unpleasant? But with all of the new rules surrounding Covid-19 safety like limited seating or full-indoor closures, resort restaurants have been forced to get creative or lose their businesses.
No indoor dining, you say? We’ll do you one better and offer really expensive indoor-outdoor dining for your vacation pleasure. How’s that for finding a silver lining to the Covid-19 ski season circus? Enter tent, yurt, igloo and dome dining. Even old gondolas find a new home this winter.
Colorado Dining Cabs
In Steamboat Springs, Mountain Tap Brewery has taken three, bright purple gondolas and repurposed them with electric heating, Bluetooth speakers, twinkly lights and room for up to six friends to safely dine and drink.
Telluride also has set out 20 newly refurbished, heated, ventilated and socially distanced buckets. Up to eight guests can sit on plush seats, and order from 12 different restaurants around the plaza.
At Aurum Food and Wine in Breckenridge and Steamboat, you can climb inside a yurts, bundle up with quilts and lanterns and feast on a special chef’s multi-course meal.
Vail, Colo., restaurants have also gotten into the game by adding heated tents and igloos.
Utah’s Yurts Igloo and Dome Dining
Courtesy of Stein Eriksen Lodge
Speaking of igloos, Alpenglobes are all the rage in the Beehive State. The Utah-based company designs these clear domes to offer diners a 360-degree, panoramic view from posh spot like the deck of the Stein Eriksen Lodge and Butcher’s Chophouse in Park City. It’ll cost you $200 for 90 minutes but what’s that kind of money compared to the company of good friends and family on vacation. Plus you get adjustable heating, Bluetooth music dimmable chandeliers, mountain views and cocktails.
The Wasatch Brew Pub at the top of Main Street in Park City erected their own cool little igloos to serve Covid-conscious diners. Each dome seats up to eight people and reservations are required.
And at the bottom of Main, you’ll spot another Alpenglobe for whiskey fans. The High West Distillery’s Nelson Cottage . The eight guests not only get those panoramic views, heat, and ventilation but variable mood lighting as well. They won’t be able to dine off a full menu but can get sips and snacks.
The Yurt Village at The St. Regis Deer Valley is quite the spectacle over at the hotel’s “Ski Beach.” Three custom-made yurts feature mahogany lattices, plexiglass for stargazing and radiant heat. They are themed based on the 2002 Olympics events that were held at Deer Valley (Aerials, Moguls and Slalom) and seat eight for a gourmet mountain meal.
All of these unique dining spectacles come with a high pricetag, demand and limitations. Most can seat only 6- 8 guests and are booked up well in advance. There is also a food and beverage minimum ranging from $200 – $400 (depending on the date and time) plus tax and gratuity. But getting engaged, having a birthday, only taking one vacation during a pandemic? If you can score one just once, it might be totally worth the splurge.
This recipe came from The Dirty Gourmet during the Pursuit Series at Snowbasin Resort last summer. Unfortunately, the Series was cancelled for this summer but whipping up these super easy beignet-type camp donuts, even at home, brought back some fun memories of long days in the sun, great food, challenging adventures and cocktail parties around the campfire.
Camp Donuts and Jam Ingredients
Donut Holes:
1 Roll of refrigerated biscuit dough (such as Pillsbury or Annie’s)
Jam:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 pinch of kosher salt
CAMP DONUTS RECIPE
In a skillet or a medium pot set over medium heat, place the berries and sugar. Mash the berries with a wooden spoon or a fork, until the berries soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, chia seeds, and salt.
To make the doughnut holes, cut premade biscuit dough in small 1” pieces and shape in a ball. In a fry pan over low heat, add enough oil to cover half of the donut. Cook the donuts on the griddle for about 5 minutes per side, or until they’re lightly browned and cooked through.
Being stranded inside my own house for who-knows-how-long is forcing me to find ways to bring the adventure home. Travel blogs, YouTube videos and exotic recipes not only relieve stress but help me escape. The one iconic food that will forever take me back to a time where life was rich and filled with ecstasy is Club Med’s White Chocolate Bread.
The sweet pastry, starter and side dish is served at every meal in every village. I’m a Club Med Geek- Cancun, Turquoise, Guaymas, Punta Cana. I even worked at two villages. So I lived off that White Chocolate Bread. If you’ve been to a Club Med, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
White Chocolate Bread
10 Yield: 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups flour 14 grams yeast (2 packets) 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup water 6 ounces white chocolate chips 1. Place the flour, salt, & yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium-low or first speed for 1 minute. 2. Add 2/3 of the water at first, then add the rest as needed and mix for 10 minutes. If the dough needs more water, add as needed. The dough should be smooth, homogeneous, and should not stick to your fingers when you touch it. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl. 3. Add the chips and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the chips are well distributed throughout the dough. 4. Take the dough out of the bowl and lightly knead into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 5. After the 5 minutes of resting, pound the dough flat and then form the dough into the desired shape of the loaf you want. This can be done by folding the dough into the middle and sealing it with your palm. Repeat this procedure until you have formed a loaf shape. Place the loaf on a lined sheet pan with silpat or parchment paper and let rest for approximately 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. If you are in a dry environment, place a damp cloth over the loaf. 6. Once the dough has doubled, place in the oven (make sure to place 1/2 cup of water in a pan or directly on the oven bottom to create vapor) and bake approximately 20 minutes at 400°F or until nicely browned on top. Don’t be alarmed if the white chocolate chips exposed are burned, this is normal. 7. Once the bread is baked, remove from the oven and let rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. 8. Serve warm.
One day soon, I hope, this staycation will be over and Club Med will offer amazing deals so that we can fly to a beautiful place, breathe fresh, clean air and eat that delicious bread while admiring this view. Stay safe and healthy, Everyone!
Skiers don’t have time for big breakfasts. It’s not that we don’t want the eggs-bacon-potatoes spread, it’s just that if we want to beat traffic off and on the hill, we need to get going. That means, a quick pour into the double-walled travel coffee mug and a slice of coffeecake.
You could really go “mcmeal” by picking up the pastry at the gas station along the way but, ewwww. Instead bake up this tried and true coffeecake.
(To make the coffeecake even faster to prepare in the morning, prepare the streusel and measure out the dry ingredients for the cake the night before.)
This cake will also freeze well. So pull it out when you know you’re ready for a quick bite on the way to the slopes.
Serves 8
Streusel
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup pecans, almonds, or walnuts, chopped coarse
Cake
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk or whole plain yogurt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1. For the streusel: Mix sugars, cinnamon, and melted butter together in medium bowl until mixture resembles wet sand; stir in nuts and set aside.
2. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat 13×9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, sugars, eggs, and melted butter in separate bowl until smooth. Using rubber spatula, gently fold egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until batter looks smooth and well combined.
4. Using rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle streusel evely over batter. Bake until streusel is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool cake on wire rack for 15 minutes before slicing and serving
