Editor’s Note: Please join us in welcoming a brand new voice to the Wimberley View, Charlotte Caldwell. In her new column, she will share two of her passions, great food and the beauty of the Texas Hill Country, complete with her favorite recipes and park information.
My name is Charlotte and I love Texas. I also love picnics — elegant, elaborate, simple or purchased. Walk with me and share my adventures in nature’s arms, learning about some of our wonderful state parks and how to create your own perfect picnic.
Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Rd 31, Spring Branch, TX
Including parks, historic sites, and natural areas, there are currently more than 90 State Parks in Texas, comprising over 630,000 acres. From Big Bend State Park’s 300,000 acres of raw wild terrain to Old Tunnel State Park’s 16.1 acres, there is every reason to pack a picnic basket and explore Texas any day of any month.
Situated east of Boerne and west of Wimberley, Guadalupe River State Park is a lovely oasis of green trees, blue sky, and ancient stone. The park is 1,938 acres of trees, cliffs and trails, with the river running through and along its northern edge. Acquired by the state in 1973-74 from private owners, it was opened to the public in 1983.
All of the Texas state parks are beautiful and unique, but there seems to be a common denominator for each one of them in the Texas Hill Country — a body of water in some form is always at its heart. On the privately owned north banks, sheer cliffs drop to the water; along the southern banks, where park visitors can access the river, there are switchback trails that make for an easy descent.
Picnic tables dot the hillside along the trails and above the water, and even though the park has over 11 miles of trails, it is the river that draws visitors. Kids and adults alike flock to it like a magnet. Guadalupe River State Park has been the site of many picnics for us in past years, especially during the summer months when tiny grandchildren appeared on our doorstep.
During the early spring of 2020, the U.S. and every other country in the world shut down, closed their doors, and locked them down tightly to slow the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19. Isolation was the only weapon available.
At the end of April, everything was still in lockdown, but thankfully, the Texas governor realized that people needed to breathe and get out in the fresh air. He opened the state parks to limited attendance with masks and reservations required.
As soon as I heard this, I told my husband we were going on a picnic. However, my cupboard was bare, well, almost bare. I had flour, butter, eggs, and bacon. I found a hunk of Gruyère, safely shrink-wrapped from a local box store, stuck in the back of the cheese drawer. I knew there was only one thing to fix, and it had been years since I last made it.
We found a table with a view of the water at the top edge of the picnic area, well away from others. The day was so glorious, and it was so wonderful to feel almost normal, that instead of having a single slice each of this European ham-and-cheese sandwich, we ate the whole thing. We nibbled and nibbled and nibbled until it was gone. The pickled grilled asparagus was the perfect foil. After that indulgent feast, we definitely needed to take a walk on one of those trails by the river. The day was so special, the adventure so welcome, that we made a pact to explore every park we could easily drive to each week, for as long as the weather cooperated.
“The Simplest Picnic Ever”
Lunchtime Giant Gougère
Pickled Grilled Asparagus
Olives
Lunchtime Giant Gougère
6 servings
10-ounces thick-sliced bacon
1 cup milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal® Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour, loosened with a wire whisk before measuring
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 - 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated
Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
For bacon: Slice each strip in half lengthwise, then cut the strips into small squares. Fry at low heat until bacon has rendered all of its fat, then drain well on paper towels. Set aside.
For the gougère: In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine milk, butter, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, remove it from the heat and add the
flour all at once. With a sturdy wooden spoon, off the heat, stir briskly until the liquid absorbs the flour and forms a cohesive lump.
Place the saucepan’s contents in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and run it for a minute or two to help release the heat from the flour mixture. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cheese and drained bacon, beating until incorporated.
Drop the dough by large spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet to form a large oval ring, about 12 to 14 mounds. Place in the 400°F oven and, after baking for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
A lifetime food enthusiast and cook, Charlotte Caldwell loves to entertain and enjoy fine food in the beauty of the outdoors. She has catered everything from weddings to charity events and, of course, picnics for family, friends and organizations who can’t get enough of her recipes. She is the author of “Charlotte’s Texas Hill Country Picnics,” from which these columns appear. To learn more, contact [email protected] with the subject line “COOKBOOK.”
