.jpg)
Ingredients:
1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup 8 ounces softened cream cheese Salt and black pepper, to taste 2 cups cooked wild rice 4 ounces shredded smoked Gruyère cheese, divided 2 Zup’s fully cooked wild rice brats, diced 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 teaspoons mushroom and onion or French onion soup mix 4 large portobello mushrooms,
cleaned with stems
and gills removed 1/2 cup French fried onions Snipped chives for garnishing Toasted French bread for serving
Instructions:
Preheat the sauna. In a large bowl, beat together the soup, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir in the wild rice and half of the Gruyère cheese. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the brats and cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned (if you brown them too much, the rice will become chewy). Drain off the grease. Mix the brats into the filling mixture. Take two large sheets of aluminum foil and position one vertically and one horizontally on top of each other. Spray lightly with cooking spray. In the center, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the soup mix in a 2 inch circle. Score the rounded side of one of the mushrooms with a cross hatch pattern (this helps flavor penetrate the mushroom and also makes them less chewy). Place the rounded side down over the soup mix. Stuff with 1/4 of the filling. Top with 2 tablespoons of French fried onions and 1/4 of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Wrap with foil and seal well. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Place over the hot rocks. Occasionally rotate the packs and splash rocks with water. Continue cooking for 35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the mushrooms are tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with crusty French bread for soaking up the broth. Yield: 4 servings.
Notes:
If you don’t have access to a sauna, you could make this recipe over a campfire, in an oven, or on a grill. If you prefer to use one whole brat per person, you can skip the cooked wild rice. Each brat measures about a cup once chopped.
BIRCH LEAF ICED TEA: Ingredients: 6 cups water 12-18 young birch leaves (rinsed) Ice for serving, if desired
Instructions:
Add the water to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the birch leaves. Let cool until room temperature. Remove the leaves. Refrigerate until cold. Serve with ice, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.
LILAC LEMONADE:
Ingredients:
6 cups water 1/4 cup blueberries (slightly mashed) 4 cups lilac blossoms (rinsed well and picked through of stems and leaves) 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (or to taste) 3/4 cup granulated sugar (or to taste) Lemon slices and fresh lilac blossoms for garnishing
Instructions
Add the water and blueberries to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let cool for 5 minutes then add lilacs. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the liquid through a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Discard solids. Whisk in lemon juice and sugar to taste. Chill in the refrigerator until cold. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh lilac blossoms. Yield: 6 servings.
Notes:
Lilacs don’t give off much color. Without the blueberries, the steeped lilacs will leave a subtle yellow-gray colored liquid. Once lemon juice is added, the lemonade will turn a subtle pink color. I like to add 1/4 cup blueberries because they make the lemonade turn bright pink but do not overtake the delicate floral flavor.
