Let's Talk Food: Picnics in Southwest Florida are easy and fun to plan

Picnics have no season here in Southwest Florida. These casual meals eaten on the beach, on a boat, in a park or just under a tree occur all through the year.

What better way to celebrate our nation's independence on the Fourth of July than a picnic? Webster defines a picnic as an excursion or outing with food that is eaten in the open. Many of our childhood memories of picnics recall those carefree meals of munching, crunching and drinking refreshing beverages in the wide-open spaces where nature provides the setting.

Ernest Hemingway loved picnics, which he described in lyrical language as pleasurable, moveable feasts. He writes with passion and nostalgia of picnics in Spain, France, Cuba, England, Key West and in his home state of Michigan. He feasted and drank at the most fashionable and famous restaurants and watering places in the world, yet valued and cherished the pastoral pleasures of picnics.

If you had received an invitation from Queen Victoria back at the turn of the century, you might have been fortunate enough to be included in a picnic party at which her highness presided. Her picnics were not of plebian nature; instead elaborate food and wine were prepared and served by a retinue of chefs and servers.

You might increase the pleasure of the July Fourth holiday by getting a copy of William Inge's famous "Picnic." It received rave reviews as a play and later a film with William Holden and Kim Novak.

Peter Paul Rubens and Georges Seurat ("Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte") celebrated picnics in unforgettable works of art that hang in the great museums of the world. Steven Sondheim's musical "Sunday in the Park with George" brought to life the characters from Seurat's painting, as they gathered together to rejoice in the wonders of nature.

Picnics are a universal pleasure. Although enjoyed throughout the world, the French claim they are masters of the picnic; or to be more exact, the picnique. Drive through the French countryside as noon approaches and you'll see entire French families in their tiny Peugeots or Renaults gazing as if mesmerized in search of the ideal picnic spot. Not just any verdant meadow will do; there must be shade flowers and a bucolic vista to serve as a backdrop for the forthcoming feast.

French peasants originated picnics; they worked in the fields and took their noonday meal in the outdoors. But the modern version of this culinary event would never have developed had it not been for the English.

The English were frequent visitors to France and while traversing the French countryside they observed the French peasants eating in the fields. Fond of the sun and the outdoors, the English thought this was a smashing idea and quickly brought picnics to English meadows, hillsides, terrace and along their babbling brooks.

Not satisfied to serve simple fare, they began to develop menus and recipes that elevated the picnic from an ordinary midday meal to haute cuisine. Not long after these sophisticated travelers began their outdoor rituals they, in typical English tradition, organized the London Picnic Society.

While the English may labor away at preparing the ultimate picnic feast, our Fourth of July picnic planners turn to delis, supermarket, catering services and fast food restaurants for a feast that is typically American.

Here's what you should bring.

Sandwiches: The most convenient finger food available. Make your own, from simple to sublime. All the way from dainty cucumber or watercress sandwiches to magnificent subs. Consider tuna salad, sliced roast beef, corned beef, sardines and sliced onions, liverwurst and cheese, fried fish and any combination that suits you. And make sure you have a cooler to ice down any sandwich, especially those with mayonnaise, meat, fish and cheese.

Salads: Naples' delis and supermarkets offer wonderful salads, ranging from Caesar, pasta, chicken, tuna, vegetarian and that all-important traditional potato salad. (Again, use caution and plenty of ice).

Chicken: There's always the Colonel standing ready with that spicy fried chicken, but don't forget the great roasted chickens and barbecued birds at the deli.

Delicious delicacies: Add a bit of extravagance to your picnic with pates, a bit of caviar, some smoked salmon, deviled eggs, crudities and crackers with goat cheese or a delectable dip.

Sweet endings: Keep that dessert simple but tempting. Cookies, cupcakes, brownies and lemon bars are easy to handle and add sweetness to your picnic.

Coolants: Take plenty of bottled water and such thirst quenchers as lemonade, iced tea, fruit drinks, soft drinks, wine coolers, beer and if you insist, chilled Champagne.

Ask Doris

Q: I've lost my recipe for corn pudding made with fresh corn. I would appreciate it if you could replace it. The corn in the markets looks so good and the pudding is a favorite of my children.

Marsha Walhelp , Estero

A: There are many versions of corn pudding, but this is the simplest and best I've ever prepared.

FRESH CORN PUDDING

4 cups cooked fresh corn (about 6 ears)

4 eggs, well beaten

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper or to taste

3 drops Tabasco sauce

2 cups whole milk

½ cup grated Parmesan, Swiss or Cheddar cheese

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except cheese. Mix well and pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Top with cheese. Place a baking dish into a shallow baking pan partially filled with hot water. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until inserted tester comes out clean. Serves 8.

Doris Reynolds is the author of "When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet Was Fried" and "Let's Talk Food." They are available for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. For comments and information regarding today's column, contact Doris Reynolds at foodlvr25@aol.com.