Hampton Style - July 25, 2008 -

I love fresh air and scenery as much as the next customer, but anyone who has spent long periods of time in the great outdoors would have to agree that getting back to nature is a much finer experience when food comes along for the ride.

Whatever the adventure, whether it's a movie at an open-air theater under the stars (it can be hard to give up a nice dark cinema to have worse seating and better mosquitoes?) or an invigorating weekend in the country (with all those "leg-stretching" walks to nowhere in particular just so you can fill in the gaps), Mother Nature without a basket of provisions under her arm is not quite as charming. This is why nothing ignites the imagination for languid summer days spent outdoors like the thought of a picnic. Combining the best of both worlds, fine weather and hearty fare, eating outdoors is an indulgence to get the juices flowing.

The picnics I've enjoyed over the years run the gamut from the luxurious to the impromptu-or both. A few summers back some friends and I picnicked in the Giverny countryside, just outside Paris; a last-minute affair, we jumped a midday train and purchased some food in a small charcuterie upon arrival. We walked to a nearby field, where we devoured a meal of crusty bread, cheese, jambon de Bayonne and cornichons, washed it down with wine, then lay idle in the grass, listening to the river and hum of the afternoon haze. All in all it was quite the success. Rule 1: Little picnic preparation can offer big returns if you make a few decisions wisely (destination being one of them).

My mother learned a thing or two about picnicking from the early Victorians, who thought the whole idea very fashionable and carried their love for excess outdoors. Her idea of staging a picnic is essentially a dinner party with bug spray. Remember the bacchanalian hunting-party picnic scene in Gosford Park? That was our family...but without the guns and the servants. No, actually, there were servants-we just weren't paid. Back and forth we would totter, my brothers and I, groaning and whining from the multiple trips it would take to taxi my Mom's picnic trousseau from the car. "This is the real reason people have kids," I would mutter. "Everything but the bloody piano," my overladen father would grumble.

But once we sat down on that blanket, my, what an appreciative bunch we became as my mother lay out a dizzying array of colorful offerings. Such a glorious spectacle to see a banquet of food arrive fully formed from the most unlikely places-grapes and cheese and bread from a hamper, cold roast rosemary lamb and potato salad and ginger beer from a cooler, a linen tea-towels peeled back to reveal a batch of scones, an iced teacake from within Tupperware. Rule 2: Company is key, and mothers should top any picnic guestlist.

When it comes to packing a picnic hamper to impress, the Italians and the French show real verve. Like the Hamptons, these countries have beautiful countryside and coast, and our European neighbors insist that the flavor be elevated to match the experience of eating outside in fine weather. This is the signature whether it's a rustic rural affair or a sophisticated, well-executed meal.

Vitello tonnato, chilled slices of veal drizzled with tuna sauce, is the classic Italian summer dish. Rich, flavorful and elegant, it does require some preparation but takes pride of place on an Old World picnic table. The cooked veal can be thinly sliced before you leave the house, arranged overlapping in a circle and drizzled with the dressing, then kept covered and cold until transported to your outdoor setting. Rule 3: Try to pack fare that is tasty, interesting, or that you may not eat at home.

If sandwiches are more to your taste and technique, page 27 cont. the French pan bagnat is the ideal picnic offering. Sold on the promenades of the French Riviera, these piquant tuna sandwiches are made with crusty bread that won't get soggy, then wrapped tightly and chilled a few hours before consumed-this allows for the juices and oil to mingle with the bread, rendering the sandwich briny and delicious. Some foods are more flavorsome served cold than from the oven, and I believe the French quiche Lorraine (made with bacon, eggs and cream) or pissaladiere (a savory tart of sweet onions, anchovies and olives) definitely fall into this category-as well as being perfectly hardy to tuck into the hamper, then slice into wedges and eat as finger food. Which leads us to overpacking...don't clog your basket full of utensils and cutlery. You don't have to dine like Early Man, but packing your entire kitchen contents into the car can be a real buzz-kill. Rule 4: Improvisation is part of the fun.

Whether it's a romantic excursion for two (think poached lobster, chocolate-dipped strawberries and ravishin') or a family affair (think roast chicken, coleslaw and a frisbee), eating al fresco heightens the tastebuds and the experience. Here in the picturesque surroundings of the Hamptons, we lucky few have the cream of beach and countryside picnic spots to choose from-along with the fine weather and great local produce purveyors-so enjoy the lavishness of eating outside then lazing about with contented indolence. But don't overplan. There really are no rules or formalities when it comes to picnicking; make it simple but thoughtful. Rule 5: Step outside and make the most of your summer.

Serves 4

Ingredients
12 pound fillet of veal
Olive oil, for brushing
Deep-fried capers and crusty bread, to serve

Tuna mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
3.3 oz. can of tuna in water, drained
2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
2 tbsp baby capers
2 tbsp finely chopped chives

1. Brush veal with oil and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over high heat until hot, then add veal and cook, turning frequently, until browned all over. Transfer veal to a 400C oven and roast for 15 minutes or until nearly cooked through, then allow to cool.

2. For tuna mayonnaise, process egg yolks and mustard in a food processor until well combined, then, with motor running, add oil drop by drop at first, then in a thin stream until thick and emulsified. Add tuna and lemon juice and process until smooth. Add capers and chives and process until just combined, then season to taste.

3. Slice veal thinly, place overlapping in the centre of 4 plates, spoon tuna mayonnaise over the top and sprinkle with fried capers. Serve with crusty bread passed separately.

8 servings

Ingredients
2 red peppers
8 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced
2 loaves French bread, 12-14 inches long
1/3 cup pesto
Baby spinach leaves, loose and washed

1. Heat oven to 375F. Place peppers on foil-covered baking sheet and bake for 17 minutes. Turn oven to 180F and bake additional 17 minutes. Remove from tray, cover tightly and allow to cool completely.

2. Remove skin and seeds, then cut peppers into wide strips. If you prefer, roast peppers over open flame until blackened and follow procedure for cooling and peeling.

3. Halve baguettes lengthwise. Hollow out some of the bread and brush the insides with pesto (thinned down with a little olive oil, if necessary).

4. Layer prosciutto, pepper slices and spinach leaves into baguettes. Cover with top of loaf and wrap tightly with string.

5. Refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving. Cut loaves into ½ inch slices. (Can be made one day ahead.)

A native of Nice, this savory tart of caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives, great hot or cold, is akin to a French version of pizza. Can be made with a shortcrust pastry or dough base. Traditionally, it has a good thick layer of sweetened onions, then anchovies arranged in a lattice pattern, and an olive studding each diamond. Make 2!
Serves 6

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
About 4 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeds squeezed out, coarsely chopped
1 tsp sugar
12 anchovy fillets
16 black Nicoise olives
Green salad, to serve

Bread dough
1 cup plain flour
½ stick butter, coarsely chopped
2 packets (½ oz.) dried yeast
1 egg, lightly whisked

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add onion, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, over low-medium heat without coloring until very soft (45-60 minutes). Increase heat to medium, add tomato and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato breaks down, liquid evaporates and sauce is thick. Season to taste and set aside.

2. For bread dough, combine flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until fine crumbs form, then make a well in the centre. Combine yeast with 2 tbsp lukewarm water, stir to dissolve and add to well along with egg. Combine dry mixture with yeast mixture to form a dough, then knead until smooth and coming away from sides of bowl (add a little more flour if dough is too sticky). Cover with a damp tea towel and stand in a warm place until double in size (45-60 minutes).

3. Preheat oven to 400F. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, punch down, then knead into a ball. Lightly flour dough, roll out to a 12-inch-diameter circle and place on a lightly greased oven tray. Spread over onion mixture, arrange anchovies on top in a criss-cross pattern and place an olive in the centre of each diamond. Let stand in a warm place and prove until slightly risen (10-15 minutes), then bake until golden (20-25 minutes). Cut into wedges and serve with a rustic green salad.

This lemonade is perfect for a picnic: it's a real thirst quencher that everyone enjoys, and by taking along the lemon concentrate with bottles of sparkling water, it gives you the option of two beverages.
Serves 20

Ingredients
Lemonade
4 cups lemon juice
3¾ pounds sugar
2 lemons, sliced
A few kaffir lime leaves, for presentation
Still or sparkling mineral water and ice, to serve

1. To make the lemonade, boil the juice and sugar together. Pour the boiled syrup over the sliced lemons and lime leaves and allow it to steep until cool. Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the lemonade. This mix will keep for a week.

2. When ready to use, mix 1 part syrup to 3 parts still or sparkling mineral water. Plain tap water could also be used. Fill a glass with ice and top with the lemonade.

Some people believe that wealth and good taste repel each other, but nowhere is this theory put to rest more swiftly than at Sagaponack's bespoke take-out, Loaves & Fishes. While this humble, whitewashed food shack may be known for being a tad expensive (lobster salad, anyone?), its fresh house-made fare is all very scrumptious. The store stocks a selection of high-end foodstuffs and pantry items, but the cream of the crop here are the prepared meats, salads and baked desserts. Their cavernous glass trophy case flaunts poached salmon fillets, roasted rare-beef medallions, meaty crabcakes, fresh pea salad, dainty deviled eggs, duck mousse and chicken-liver terrine- all perfect for getting your basket started-along with seasoned roast chickens still warm from the rotisserie. House-baked, very transportable offerings include country onion quiche, French-style tomato tart, and apple and blackberry pies-and don't forget a ruby-hued serving of stewed summer berries with a slice of angel-food cake and a hefty dob of creme fraiche. Oh, and that legendary lobster salad. Yes, it is marvelous, and yes, it is $100 a pound. With whole tails and oversized chunks of lobster meat, along with capers, dill, a lacing of lemon juice and mayo, it's the perfect picnic showpiece to impress that special someone. Or why not just woo yourself with a pound? Remember-as Mom keeps telling you-you're worth it.

Loaves & Fishes
50 Sagg Main Street
Sagaponack
631-537-0550

If you're familiar with the Monty Python cheese shop, please note that Cavaniola's in Sag Harbor is a polar establishment to the one experienced by John Cleese. Upon entering the cozy wood-decked environment, you'll be charmed by the intoxicating stinky-cheese aromas and informed old-fashioned service. Whatever your penchant or palate, they have a raw-milk cheese from that region (or dairy, even), can inform you of its age, its animals, its process, or any other probing details you desire, as well as provide a sampling of cheeses they consider comparable or better. Not sure what's your fancy? Even better, as this is a touch-and-taste food store that will inspire your appetite. After nibbling and selecting from the overwhelming array of local and imported artisanal cheeses, it's just a skip across the vegetable and herb garden to their newly opened wood-vaulted cellar, the oldest building in Sag Harbor, to find a local or Old World wine to complement. Aside from the gourmet groceries and condiments (think Sicilian olive oil, Armenian quince paste or Channing Daughters sauvignon blanc jelly) lining the high wooden shelves, Cavaniola's has a selection of paninis (such as ham, brie and apple) prepared to go, homemade macaroons or walnut and fig tart, soups, fresh fruit, plus a farmhouse selection of patés, cured meats, pickles and olives. Or for the ultimate locavore lunch, pick some tomatoes and basil from outside their door, have them slice it to go with fresh mozzarella on a crusty baguette, grab a bottle of wine and hit the trail. A one-hit sensory must-stop.