We all know that pie makes everything better, right? Well then, what could be better than pie/turnovers you can make over the fire at your campsite. This month, Chef Marie’s got the perfect recipe for you try.

This is a decadent dessert. We wouldn’t classify it as a nutritionally dense dish. But when enjoying something decadent, trying to be thoughtful about incorporating some healthy elements will always bring your body closer to wellness.

Knowledge Bombs:

• Berries are high in fiber.
• The dark color pigment in cherries are strong antioxidants that help fight cancer.
• Honey is full of phytonutrients that work as an antibacterial and antifungal power.

Using naturally occurring sugars such as sugars found in fruits, dairy, maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey, agave nectar, etc. have more nutrients, therefore they take slightly longer to process, so your blood sugar level doesn’t skyrocket and cause a sugar crash.

Processed sugars such as corn syrup, cane sugar, fruit juice concentrates, high fructose corn syrups, etc. hit your bloodstream quickly, and if you don’t use the energy it goes to the liver and is stored as fat.

The best sugars are the ones that have sweetness but don’t increase your glycemic index, such as stevia, monk fruit, tapioca fiber syrup, etc.

So, enjoy your desserts with thoughtfulness. They are a wonderful “sometimes” food!

Method

At Home:

Make the filling at home in a saucepot. Heat the pot, add cherries, honey, lemon juice, cornstarch slurry, cardamom, and salt. Stir constantly, making sure you get all the lumps out of the cornstarch slurry. If it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, just add a ½ cup of water.

Cook for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened, then place cherry filling on a plate to cool in the fridge.

At Camp:

Start a fire in a designated fire pit.
Rub coconut oil all over the inside of the pie irons.
Line the entirety of both pie iron halves with biscuit dough, place 2 tablespoons of cherry filling on the biscuit dough on 1 side of the pie iron. Then clamp the 2 halves of the pie iron and set directly over the coals and cook for 4 minutes on each side.
Remove pie iron from the coals and take the turnover out. It’s very hot,
so handle it with care.

Let the turnover cool for 5 minutes and serve with fresh mint.

Wildfire Season & Camp Safety: In some areas, regulations change depending on the season because of fire danger. Use only established fire rings, keep your campfire small and never leave a fire unattended.