Bloggers’ Bites: Flames Away

Bloggers’ Bites is a series of posts chronicling the foodie adventures of Penn Appétit’s blog staff. In honor of our fire-themed launch tonight, Penn Appétit bloggers shared their favorite items to cook over an open fire. (Cue “The Christmas Song.”)

Connie Xu: My favorite thing to cook over a fire HAS to be oysters. Every year, my family drives down to an oyster farm, buys two dozen or so freshly-shucked oysters, and fires them over a hot charcoal grill. We typically drizzle soy sauce, freshly-squeezed lemon juice, or our homemade cocktail sauce on top. But nothing can beat that unique smokiness from grilling oysters over an open flame.

Chase Matecun: It might not be seasonal right now, but my absolute favorite meal to make over an open flame happens every summer up by the lake with my family in Michigan. After a long day of swimming and water skiing, we fire up the grill and lay out plenty of fresh summer vegetables and juicy steaks to cook while we sit back and relax. There’s something about the smell of rich beef charring over high heat and the satisfying crunch of a succulently sweet piece of corn that just can’t be beat.

Nicole Woon: There’s a reason why Penn Appétit hosted a s’mores bonfire earlier this week: s’mores are the quintessential fire food. If you haven’t roasted a couple sugary puffs over an open flame, then smooshed them between broken pieces of Hershey’s and two crisp Honeymaids, you haven’t lived life. For me, s’mores bring back memories of late summer campfires in Morro Bay and Pismo Beach, the sparkling night sky persuading us to move away from city lights and a brisk sea breeze requiring us to don sweatshirts, beanies, anything to keep us warm. We skewer our mallows two to a stick, continuously turning them like a spit-roasted pig until they bloat from the heat. The gooey treats are often the perfect treat by themselves (never mind the stickiness on our fingers and lips). We always cap off the night with one of our favorite traditions: The Marshmallow Blob. That’s right, we buy an extra bag of marshmallows just to throw in the pit. Watching them melt into each other, mutate, and char to a lovely blackened crisp in the fading light of the coals is a oddly cathartic experience.