Anne BralyWe’re well into the season for picnics, and no baskets are better-filled than those belonging to chefs. Look in my picnic basket and you’ll usually find nothing more than potato salad, cold fried chicken or chicken salad, chips, bread, pickles and brownies. Maybe a nice bottle of wine, too, if park regulations permit. But have you ever wondered what might be lurking beneath the lid of a chef’s picnic basket?
I asked a few, and here’s what they revealed:
» Andi Cagle, Kozy Cooking Bistro and Catering: Cagle’s favorite picnic spot is her own backyard since she lives on the water, but Coolidge Park comes in a close second. When she packs her picnic basket, it’s usually filled with smoked salmon and an herb spread to go with it; different cheeses; figs; prosciutto and crackers to go with them; crusty French bread; and a poached pear salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese. To drink? An Argentinean malbec, and Sonoma Valley port wine to go with her Delicia Italian Truffles for dessert.
» Erik Niel, Easy Bar & Bistro: Niel likes to keep things simple. “Just a crusty, good baguette with a jar of spicy Dijon mustard; some cornichons (pickles); a good soft cheese; and some sliced prosciutto and salami.” And for good measure, “a nice dry rose, preferably from Epoch. It’s an excellent California wine.”
» Marcus Willis, Parkway Pourhouse: For starters, Willis packs a good bottle of Cabernet Franc or a nice rosé to pair with some sort of cured meat, some triple-cream brie cheese from Bleu Fox on Main Street “that is absolutely amazing” and crusty bread, along with “whatever my wife, Nicole, has pickled and is in the pantry.”