The dining hall is the heart and soul of summer camp. After all, this is where the campers and staff come together at least three times a day for meals. Activities are centered around mealtimes — song sessions are often “after breakfast” or “at dinner.” Rest hour is usually “after lunch.”
My husband, Joe, whose camp experience stretched 10 years at Forest Farms in West Marin, fondly remembers the chili cooked in large batches. Our son, Gideon, who hated being an official camper but loved being a staff kid with his best friend Eli when I worked at Camp Tawonga, gobbled up the fried chicken and corn dogs.
Both father and son agree, however, that the meal everyone loves is breakfast. Perhaps it’s the pancakes and coffee cake, or the variety of choices — cold cereal, hot cereal, eggs and bagels. Maybe it’s the rousing song sessions or the anticipation of an exciting day at camp, but campers seem to eat the most food at breakfast.
It was my experience as kitchen manager at Tawonga that the children could inhale pounds and pounds of coffee cake at breakfast and the staff would finish off the leftovers for a late-night snack. Coffee cake does play the role of a Jewish comfort food, especially the Hungarian-style, streusel-and-sour cream version. It’s commonly served at Yom Kippur break-fasts, Shavuot or Shabbat afternoons.
My 7-year-old, Ruby, is off this summer for her first week as a camper. She’s very excited about the upcoming experience. Ruby is an extremely selective eater — she’s a vegetarian who doesn’t eat tofu or peanut butter, staples at Camp Tawonga. As her mother, I’m a bit worried, but as a former camp cook, I know she’ll manage to find something — fortunately, there’s always plenty of cookies, s’mores, Popsicles and, of course, coffee cake.
Hungarian Coffee Cake | Serves 12
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 oz. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix together the brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon. Set aside.
Sift together the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture gently.
Butter and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Spoon half of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture over the batter, and swirl it in, using a butter knife. Spoon the remaining batter over and the remaining brown sugar mixture on top.
Bake the cake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 60 minutes or until done. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Cut around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Turn the cake out on a rack and allow to cool completely.
Camp-Style Chili | Serves 10-12
4 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. chopped tomatoes
4 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. dry oregano
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. sea salt
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. pepper
3 cans pinto or kidney beans, drained
For garnish:
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup finely chopped red onion
Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cumin, paprika, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, sugar, tomato paste and pepper.
Cook covered 30 minutes. Add beans and simmer 30 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve with garnish in bowls at the table.
Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a Bay Area cooking teacher and food professional. Her columns alternate with those of Louise Fiszer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].