“There is genuinely nothing I love more than cooking leisurely under the stars, next to a crackling fire. Food just tastes better this way.”
Control to release
For cookbook author Diana Yen, normal life looks like cooking in controlled environments where the table is styled and everything sits neatly in its places. Somewhere along the way she fell in love with camping and cooking outdoors, inevitably coming together in a new cookbook titled Firepit Feasts.
Living in Ojai, California, Diana’s backyard is stunning landscapes and a climate that lends itself towards outdoor living. The sort of place that makes you want to move cooking beyond the kitchen.
But beyond the familiar is the need to give up a level of control. For in the desert, where Diana is heading for the weekend, there is no pressure to make anything look a certain way.
“It feels completely natural out there. I am free and creative in a way I can’t quite be when indoors.”
The landscape shapes the experience
Heading towards the desert for the weekend, Diana has everything packed in her Dometic camping car ready for the journey ahead. Onroute to Joshua Tree National Park, she pulled into Pioneertown.
This little western town was built in the 1940’s as a movie set and still looks the part today. Walking through the streets Diana kicked up dust. The town motel happened to have a modern art fair on at the time, creating a unique juxtaposition amongst the cowboy era buildings.
Back in the car, she drives out to base camp for the weekend at a HipCamp outside of the National Park. Tucked in amongst the coarse trees and rugged rock formations, Diana finds herself in that wildly different environment from what she is used to back at home.
“We hiked Hidden Valley, which feels almost like a desert botanical garden. Vivid cactus flowers were in bloom, and some of those flowers only lasted a single day so we felt lucky to catch them.”
As quickly as those flowers will disappear, so does the ever changing light. Intense daytime sun gives way to more pastel hues in the evening, then finally comes a deep twilight unlike anywhere near a town or city.
Cooking in the wild
Anyone who knows Diana would be expecting nothing less than mouth watering dishes cooked to perfect, and presented perfectly. But that part of Diana has been left back in Ojai. Out here in the variable conditions of the California desert, things are welcomely a little more rustic.
Mornings were slow and intentional. A big breakfast gave way to hanging out at camp journaling and painting. While evenings were more intimate, cuddled around the camp fire roasting s’mores under the stars.
No compromise was made on the quality of the food, just the method of preparing it. Many people would be surprised at how much you can do on a two burner stove, and Diana was sure to put the Dometic 2 Cook 3 Pro Cooker to the test. The stove gives you the control where it matters, so there was no compromise on technique just because the she was now cooking outdoors.
“Breakfast was a full spread: bacon, eggs and french toast made on Japanese milk break with berry compote. For dinner, the standout was ribeye steak with a wine reduction sauce and radicchio salad.”
The food was kept carefully chilled within the Dometic CFX5 portable fridge. It’s got a generous XXL capacity and runs off the car battery, requiring only a 12v cigarette style plug to power it.
“It felt luxurious to have chef-prepped meals already stocked in the Dometic cooler, ready to go. Each menu was a surprise and I was impressed by the attention to detail. Quality ingredients and sauces made with real care.”
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As the flames reduce to embers, Diana pops the Dometic roof tent open to create a comforting sleeping space. Perched above the ground, sandals are left at the foot of the ladder. Climbing into soft bedding removes Diana from the harsher nature of the desert and welcomes her into a calmer place under a blanket of stars with open views stretching in all directions.
“There is genuinely nothing I love more than cooking leisurely under the stars, next to a crackling fire. Food just tastes better this way.” Out here, without the structure of a fully-equipped kitchen or the expectations of a finished dish, things are just simpler. It is what is needed to remove yourself from the noise of daily life and helps reconnect to the basics which matter.
“Fully immersed with no agenda. I think being outdoors is a way to connect with the ear and with something deeper in yourself. Every time I am out here, I’m reminded that we really don’t need very much to be happy.”
Follow Diana: @diana_yen_ (opens in new tab)
