I have the best of both worlds working here in the bakery. Not only do these fantastic pastry chefs cook for me (we do potluck lunches for birthdays, etc…), but should I have a question about anything cooking/baking related, I have them all at my disposal. After being here four years, these same chefs’ have answered many of my questions regarding flavor combinations and cooking techniques.

I took this knowledge and went camping over the Fourth of July weekend and did a little outdoor campfire cooking. Sure, the dinners were extremely tasty, and of course being in Maine, we had to have one night of steamed lobsters and corn on the cob. But I am talking about the dessert, and we all know that when we go camping, it’s all about the S’mores.

So in our quest for all things yummy and delicious, we took S’mores to the next level.  That’s right – we went all gourmet on the American classic.  If a pastry chef can do a twist on something, why not a girl camping in Maine?

We all know I have this stupid wheat allergy and where was I going to find a gluten free graham cracker? My friend Stephanie found some for me in a gluten free bakeshop in Nashua, NH called Buckwheat’s Gluten Free (www.buckwheatsglutenfree.com). The bakery was testing the graham cracker and I was one of the lucky people being able to try them out! This made me so happy!  I could participate in the S’mores fun!!!

SO how did we make our S’mores gourmet? With our ingredients of course. We did use the classic marshmallow, but we also purchased some flavored ones from Planet Marshmallow in Milford NH. (http://www.planetmarshmallow.com/) Toasted coconut and chocolate chipotle homemade marshmallows, Ghirardelli Caramel chocolate squares, Carmello, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and of course the classic Hershey
Chocolate  bar.

Every night (and one morning for breakfast!) was an experiment in YUMMY! It was really fun trying different combinations of flavors. The next time we do this we want to try variations of : Nutella, peanut butter & jelly, toffee and we also want to try it with crispy maple bacon bits!