Food fit for a Wine Country festival

Outdoor festivals are hitting their peak across Sonoma County, from the Rodney Strong Concert Series in Healdsburg and Shakespeare at the Cannery in Santa Rosa to Broadway Under the Stars in Glen Ellen and the Green Music Center in Rohnert Park.

Take advantage of the warm weather and head outdoors with a picnic basket and a blanket to catch the alfresco entertainment. Celebrate with some friends and a glass of wine, pack some yummy salads and entrées, cheeses and patés, a baguette and some fruit. You can even throw in a few sweet finales for those long encores.

Longtime Sonoma Valley restaurateur Sondra Bernstein of The Girl & The Fig in Sonoma and The Fig Cafe in Glen Ellen has catered for Broadway Under the Stars in Jack London State Historic Park and now serves as a sponsor.

“They blew me away,” Bernstein said of the troupe of professional singers and dancers from Broadway. “For our staff party, we go to one of the dress rehearsals for the family show, so we get a sneak peak of what the show is going to be.”

To gussy up your picnic basket, she said, it’s wise to pack some pasta, potato or whole grain salads that are portable, can easily be enjoyed at room temperature and could double as an entrée for vegetarians.

“We have a Pearl Couscous Salad that I like a lot,” Bernstein said. “It’s really summery and fresh and Mediterranean, with olives, peppers, herbs and a light vinaigrette.”

Other dishes from The Girl & the Fig’s catering repertoire include a Provençal Potato Salad with peppers and capers; an Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta & Balsamic Reduction; and a Farro Salad with roasted red onions, arugula and cherry tomatoes.

Since you’ve already spent time making the salads, it’s best to serve something easy for an entrée, like a rotisserie chicken from the market and a round of Cypress Grove’s Humboldt Fog cheese.

“You could also make your own roasted chicken or pork tenderloin,” Bernstein said, “Chill it, slice it up and serve it cold, with a nice big baguette.”

As a side dish, it doesn’t get easier than some grilled corn on the cob, wrapped up in tinfoil and packed in the cooler. It’s a cinch to eat and compostable as well.

For dessert, some fresh, seasonal fruit like peaches, grapes or strawberries will keep your picnic sweet and simple. But later in the evening, you’ll be the star of the show if you pull out a treat, like some Decadent Chocolate Brownies.

For the cool evenings, don’t forget to bring layers, a blanket and low chairs. You should also be prepared for the possibility of insects, especially in late summer when the yellow-jacket wasps are out in force, foraging for food.

“You may want to bring your insect spray and a net cover for the meat,” Bernstein said of the beautiful but buggy Jack London State Historic Park.

Finally, make sure you’ve got water or a water bottle to fill up, so you can stay hydrated through the afternoon and evening. Most entertainment venues do not allow guests to bring in alcohol but will gladly sell you beer and wine. It’s a good idea to pack a few reusable Govino wineglasses, which are more environmentally friendly than plastic.

Finally, remember that you may have to take a bit of a hike to get to the venue from your car. Pack light and pare back your movable feast to the bare necessities: plates, cutlery, napkins and a bag for trash.

Backpack picnic baskets are easy to carry, as well as small coolers or coolers with handles that can be carried by two people.

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The following recipes are from The Girl & the Fig Catering in Sonoma.

Pearl Couscous, French Olive & Pistachio Nut Salad

Serves 6

For salad:

10 ounces couscous, pearl or Israeli

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup olives, pitted & chopped (Nicoise, Lucques)

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1/3 cup fennel, finely chopped

1/3 cup carrots, finely chopped

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon zest

¼ cup capers, (drained, reserve liquid)

2 tablespoons caper liquid

¼ cup Mustard Vinaigrette (see below)

¼ cup pistachio nuts, toasted & chopped

For Mustard Vinaigrette:

1 ounce orange juice

1 ounce shallots, diced

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons tarragon, chopped

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

3 Tablespoons champagne vinegar

1 ounce olive oil

3 ounces canola oil

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the couscous, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook

until the liquid is gone (about 8 to 10 minutes). Drain and rinse the couscous under cold water. Place in a bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil. Mix in olives, parsley, fennel, carrots, onion, lemon zest capers, caper liquid and lightly season.

In a separate bowl, make the Mustard Vinaigrette by whisking together the orange juice, shallots, tarragon, mustard, honey, and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oil, season lightly. Add the vinaigrette to couscous, adjust seasoning and top with pistachios.

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Provençal Potato Salad

Serves 6

1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes

1 pound small red potatoes

½ cup red onion, diced

½ cup red bell pepper, diced

½ cup yellow bell pepper, diced

½ cup green bell pepper, diced

1 ounce capers

2 tablespoons diced chives

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

- Salt and black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender (about 15 to 20 minutes). Strain the water through a colander and rinse the potatoes under cold water. Cut the potatoes into quarters and place in a large bowl.

Add the onions, peppers, capers, and herbs and season lightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar and olive oil. Add to the potato mixture and adjust the seasoning. Let the salad sit for 15 minutes, taste again and season as needed.

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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta & Balsamic Reduction

Serves 6

6-8 heirloom tomatoes, your choice, ¼ inch slices

6 mint leaves, hand torn

4 basil leaves, hand torn

4 opal basil leaves, hand torn

½ red onion, halved, sliced very thin

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- Grey sea salt

- Fresh ground pepper

½ cup Balsamic Reduction (see note e below)

¼ cup fresh feta cheese, crumbled

In a stainless steel bowl, gently toss the tomatoes with the basil, mint, red onions, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. On a plate drizzle the balsamic reduction. Stack tomatoes in center. Crumble feta around the tomatoes. Crack fresh pepper over salad.

Note: For Balsamic Reduction, Slowly reduce 3 cups balsamic vinegar to ½ cup over medium heat. Cool and use as desired.

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Farro Salad

Serves 6

1 medium red onion sliced into ¼” rounds

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

10 ounces farro

2 cups arugula

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of olive oil

3 tablespoons of canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the onions on a flat sheet pan and drizzle 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil & 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar over the top. Lightly season with salt and pepper and cook until soft (about 12 to 15 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine 4 cups of water and farro in a medium pot, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook farro until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl toss the farro, arugula, onions and tomatoes and season lightly.

In a separate bowl, toss the garlic, shallots, champagne vinegar, honey and mustard and whisk together. Slowly whisk in the oil to create an emulsification.

Add vinaigrette (to taste) to salad and toss ingredients to incorporate.

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Decadent Chocolate Brownies

Serves 6 to 12

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (we use 60%)

24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 12-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over medium heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until light and pale. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and slowly fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl, sift the salt, flour, and cocoa powder together and fold the mixture into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let the brownies cool before cutting.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.