As a Chef and Dad, I can sometimes, well actually most of the time be pretty restrictive when it comes to what I let my children eat. Maybe it was the summer sun, the sea air or the glow from the campfire that caused me to lapse or perhaps it was just the right time to introduce the twins to Smores. After a gorgeous sunny day on the beach with Jana, the kids and the Lacasses, we decided it would be fun to have a spontaneous camp out on “Dead Man’s Beach”, the kids agreed!
Fortunately, it is a 3 minutes walk from the farmhouse, (in these days of high gas prices it is nice not having to go far from home to have fun!) so packing up and lugging everything down was quite easy. We set up camp, while the kids collected tons of driftwood for the campfire. We roasted hot dogs over hot coals for dinner and finished the day off with a sunset swim. (By the way if you are swimming in Nova Scotia in July watch out for the jellyfish, and if you happen to get stung like I did, simply rub it down with wet sand, it only stings for 15 minutes or so.) With a great day and a couple of after dark games of spotlight behind us, we gathered around the campfire for what the kids had been anticipating all day - S’mores!
My twins had never had a s’more before so they weren’t quite sure what they were in for yet. Toasting the marshmallows was half the fun, we lost quite a few early on as sacrifice to the campfire gods, so I spread out some of the hot coals which gave the kids and grown up kids a perfect place to toast marshmallows away from the flames. I find something so satisfying about toasting the perfect marshmallow making it completely crisp and golden all over, yummy! Jack and Ella thought they were already in heaven, popping one marshmallow after another onto sticks, but then we introduced the graham crackers and chocolate. They were in a sticky state of bliss after eating their first s’more, with smiles from ear to ear. It brought me right back to when I was a cub scout and tasted my first s’more on a camping trip.
Now, I am not s’more aficionado or expert, but I do know a thing or two about cooking and have now seen two different ways to make a great s’more. The traditional method, where marshmallows are toasted on sticks, then pinched off and layered between graham crackers with a piece of milk chocolate, forming a delicious and sticky sweet treat. The other not so well known technique was one I learned with the cub scouts. A piece of chocolate and a marshmallow are sandwiched between graham crackers before being tightly wrapped in tinfoil and tossed directly onto the hot coals for a few minutes of melting. Although, fishing them out of the fire can get a little tricky and you have to wait a little longer for your s’more, I really like how the graham crackers end up toasted with this technique, also very delicious!
If you wanted to make a s’more even tastier (possible?) try spreading some peanut butter or caramel on the graham cracker before assembling, or try using some special chocolate. I have come to find there is much debate and myth about where s’mores were invented and how they got their name. The earliest “recipe” on record for s’mores is in the 1927 Girl Scouts Handbook. As for how the s’more got its name, I think we solved that mystery on our camp out! When your mouth is full of sweet sticky marshmallow, creamy chocolate and graham crackers, try asking for “some more”. I look forward to our next campfire so I can have some more, hey even a Chef Dad needs to let his hair down once and a while and just enjoy summer!
Happy Toasting!
Chef Ryan Skelton
P.S. You don’t need a campfire to make s’mores. If you have a backyard fireplace or chimney you’re in luck! So get out there and toast up a tasty treat this summer.