Trips To the Frying Pan

For the past 35 years, I have made many trips to the Frying Pan with many friends some of which are now gone.  I dearly miss fishing with my old friend Chuck Fothergill, who is probably the best fly fisherman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing except perhaps my own son.  Chuck's knowledge of the Pan and its crazy fish has served me well for the past three decades.  I can still go there and catch fish on a dry fly amongst the nymphers with their strike indicators that would put Don King's hair to shame.  I have my favorite spots where, along with my buds, we sit and discuss flies, fly rods, picky fish and great women that have touched our lives along the way.  The Pan gives me solace, excitement, memories and always a lesson in patience.  Viv la Frying Pan........
By the way, this little treat might come in handy on your next trip.

 

 

Lemon Curd Pound Cake

Make this cake and take room temp to the river for breakfast.  It’s heavy, so don’t eat too much, you’ll nap your way through the morning.  A great start to a Scottish morning on the river Tay.

To make the lemon curd, mix 8 egg yolks, 1 ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup fresh lemon juice.  Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a double boiler and whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth, add lemon juice and continue to whisk until it thickens and coats a spoon.  Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 ½ sticks of cubed butter.  Put this in the fridge for a few hours before you make the cake.

For the pound cake, soften 3 sticks of butter and mix with a mixer into 8 oz of cream cheese, 6 eggs, 1 Tbs. vanilla extract, 3 cups sugar and 3 cups flour.  Blend extremely well.  Here’s where you make the decision on what to do with the lemon curd.  You can blend it into the cake mix or simply cook the cake and serve it on top as a topping.  I like it blended into the cake mix.  Bake the cake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes or until a tooth pick pull out cleanly.  Cool before serving.  I make mine in a Bundt pan, but some folks prefer it in a sheet cake pan.  Either way, I guarantee you’ll make it more than once.

MISSED IT BY "THAT MUCH"

Last week we came way to close to losing Taylor's shop to the Royal Gorge Fire.....about 200 yds to be exact.  That's too close.  He is insured of course, that the hard work and sweat equity he has placed into this business cannot be measured by an insurance adjustor.  As a matter of fact, it's even hard to measure in terms of money.  Thanks to all the loyal customers who have come streaming back in to support him, not to speak of the phone calls.  And above all, thanks to the firefighters who worked so many long, dangerous hours to make sure that fire did not jump US 50.  Thank God for answering our prayers. 
As you go out fishing this summer, enjoy yourself with some decadent food and drink.  Life is too short for a diet anyway. 
Try this one for a delicious meal that you can chill in a cooler and bring back up to heat in a skillet or wrapped in foil over hot coals.   You'll probably have to use the camp stove since I'm pretty sure campfires will not be allowed in most places in the Southern Rockies.

 

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Pie

1 lb. roasted Hot Green Chilies (Hatch if you got em)

1 roasted chicken (from the store is easier, but use your own if you have the time)

1 large can Cream of Mushroom soup

2 Chopped jalapeños (leave out if you don’t like hot food)

1 chopped white onion

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper

12 med size corn tortillas

1 lb grated sharp cheddar

Dice the chilies and mix them with the onion, spices, soup and chopped chicken.  Grease a baking dish and place a layer of torn corn tortillas on the bottom cover by a layer of chile/chicken mixture and a layer of cheese.  Continue layering until all the ingredients are use and then top with a little extra cheese.  Cook at 325 degrees for 1 hr. covered.  Let cool before slicking and enjoy with a cold beer.  This recipe is great to take for the first night of camp when you want to fish late and not cook.  Just take it in the cooler wrapped in foil and let it heat up on med coals. 

Argentine Delights........Apple Empanadas

I learned to make empanadas with all kinds of fillings, but these are special with Costa Rican coffee.
Standard pastry dough cut in 5" circles
Cook sliced apples with sugar,cinnamon and a couple of tablespoons of water and a stick of butter.
Let apples cool and fill dough sparingly.
Fold into a half moon and crimp edges.....the real deal has 13 folds
Bake for 45 minutes in a 325 degree oven
Brush with melted butter and allow room temperature

Location:US-50,Canon City,United States

A Long Winters Nap

                                            Back At It..........
After a good winter's nap.....not a long one, us spoiled dry fly fishermen are back at it.  I got to spend a good portion of December at Rio Manson Lodge in the Patagonia region of Argentina.  Big fish on big dries, wonderful people, wonderful accommodations,  killer cuisine, and all the Malbec I could drink, which turned out to be a lot.  Now the BWOs are hatching and swinging Caddis pupa is right around the corner.  Not a bad time to give my new Sage Circa 894 a workout.   Maybe the best graphite dry fly rod I've ever fished.  The new Orvis H2 is the best all around fly Rod currently made,  but the Circa sings a dry fly song.  Join me on the river.  I'm headed there now.