Ideas for fireplace cooking?
December 29, 2012 12:35 PM   Subscribe

Suggestions for fireplace food for a NYE party?

My friend and I are hosting a party in her apartment with a fireplace. We both love sitting by the fire and making the classics - hot dogs, marshmallows, etc. What are some ideas for other foods we can make in the fireplace?
posted by emmatrotsky to Food & Drink (9 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Chestnuts! Buy whole ones still in shell, give 'em a good whack with a butcher knife across the surface (single or X), and roast in the fireplace. You can just use a heavy duty pie tin if you don't want to commit to a roaster.
posted by cobaltnine at 12:43 PM on December 29, 2012 [2 favorites]


You can roast chestnuts on the open fire.
posted by jazh at 12:48 PM on December 29, 2012


If you might find yourself "ready to make love with someone" you might want to give raclette a try. Cheesy potato deliciousness.
posted by weeyin at 12:58 PM on December 29, 2012


I'd marinate and skewer some lovely beef and have kabob....
posted by cyndigo at 1:24 PM on December 29, 2012


Ditto raclette, though I didn't know about the lovemaking connection!
posted by TrixieRamble at 1:31 PM on December 29, 2012


Welsh rarebit.
posted by glibhamdreck at 1:50 PM on December 29, 2012


Popcorn is another classic if you haven't done that yet (scoop it out as it pops so the popped parts don't burn).
posted by anaelith at 2:06 PM on December 29, 2012


Step 1. Purchase large wheel of brie.

Step 2. Unwrap brie and place on a wooden cutting board or other non-melting surface that you will be able to handle easily after it's been in the heat (i.e. not plastic, not a cookie sheet). Do not cut into the wheel of brie or alter in any way.

Step 3. Place your cutting board of brie on the hearth, close to but not directly in the fire.

Step 4. Pour another glass of wine. Make a little small talk. (Five minutes, maybe?) Keep a loose eye on the brie just in case of fire or the like.

Step 5. Remember the brie! Remove from hearth, or pull back to an acceptable serving distance if it's a really big hearth.

Step 6. Cut open the brie. Spread resulting gooey mess on bread, sliced apples, or anything else you can think of. (Works well with a baguette.)

Step 7. You're welcome.
posted by Sara C. at 2:12 PM on December 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


We have a firepit in our backyard and frequently have fire-and-supper out there--this is stuff that we've done successfully.

If it's an old-school fireplace that takes logs and has embers, etc, around it, you can basically roast anything in a cast-iron skillet. We've done chicken parts like this, nestling the pan in amongst the embers, but away from the actual flame, to great success. (Honey, garlic, and a bit of chipotle powder makes a great glaze, if you go this way.) I've also done carrots and brussels sprouts like this.

Shrimp will do well on a skewer held over the fire a few minutes, as will smallish pieces of chicken, beef, or pork. You can marinate ahead of time for extra flavor, or alternate chunks of meat with chunks of veg or chicken--onions, peppers, pineapple, peaches, mushrooms, and chunks of summer squashes are all good for this. I've also impaled meatballs on a skewer and roasted them.

Halloumi is good like this--skewer, over the fire for a minute or two to brown up, put it atop some bread, consume.

Roasted apples are another that can be done just at the edge of the fire--core them, fill them with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts, then wrap in foil and set them as near the fire as you dare. See also potatoes, which can be either tossed in as-is or cut open, stuffed with cheese and herbs, then wrapped in foil before cooking.

Mix up the hot dogs by getting cheddarwurst, kielbasa, smoked sausage, or brats.

If there are children about, buying one of those cans of pop-open biscuits will be great--let them wrap the biscuits around a stick, roll it in cinnamon and sugar, and then hold it over the fire until it looks done. This was a huge success with the twelve-and-under crowd.

Also, if this is A Thing You Do, you might want to look into getting an iron sandwich/pie maker, like this. I don't have one, but have had that bookmarked for a few months, debating. If you have a local store that does a heavy traffic in camping equipment, I bet that they'd carry them.
posted by MeghanC at 10:05 PM on December 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


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