Picnic Essentials with Chef Trevor Bird

Fable Kitchen chef Trevor Bird champions our kinda picnic ethos: keep it simple, keep it tasty. So when considering what, exactly, picnic essentials entail, we turned to his authority. "I stick to Kits Beach, Spanish Banks, Jericho or 3rd Beach. Those have been voted Vancouver’s best picnic spots, and I have to agree. I’m not a wicker-basket kind of adult yet, so I cart my goods in a high-school style backpack: just a big ole’ towel, cutlery, and a cooler stocked with ice, ice cream and Tricycle Radlers, which are my favourite summer brew." (Ours, too). 

"I’ll barbecue sometimes, but it can be a pain," says Trevor, who prefers to keep cooking super low key, without sacrificing tasty al fresco dishes, of course. He’s a big fan of summer salads: "Pack them in mason jars for portability. I like something with fresh greens, beans, a bit of crunchy trail mix…" (we have his recipe below). Potato salad gets a similarly relaxed treatment, "Boil russets and smash them when they’re still warm, then toss with white wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and lots of fresh herbs." But just because he sticks to the basics doesn’t mean Trevor’s perfect summer picnic is austere. Remember that cooler full of ice cream? Nothing beats it, all perfectly softened and creamy, out on the beach. 

Eat it with your spoons straight from the tub, or make some of this fruity and refreshing Watermelon Crunch Float. —Adrienne Matei

Check out Trevor’s essential picnic recipes, below:

To help Vancouverites enjoy the perfect al fresco picnic, the PC® brand partnered with Chef Trevor Bird of Vancouver’s Fable restaurant to create the ideal meals for a day at the beach.
Inspired by Vancouver’s healthy and active lifestyle, Chef Bird developed these on-the-go bites for your next meal outdoors.

Watermelon Crunch Float:

Slushies and ice cream drinks are great on a hot summer day, whether you are out relaxing on your back porch or taking a cooler to the beach for a family picnic.

Ingredients  
1 container PC® Ice Cream Shop Flavours Watermelon Crunch Ice Cream
2 litres Cream soda
1 oz Rum, if desired

Method
1. Pour 175 mL of cream soda into a large, cold beer mug.
2. Place 1 large scoop of PC® Ice Cream Shop Flavours Watermelon Crunch Ice Cream in glass.
3. Insert 2 straws and enjoy. 

Trevor’s Mason Jar Salad:

This salad is very easy to transport and great as an appetizer before a summer BBQ.

Ingredients
2 heads Romaine hearts cut into ½ inch rounds
1 can Mixed beans
4 PC® Whole Wheat Naan Rounds
½ cup PC® Organics Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
4 Tbsp PC® Feta Cheese in Brine
8 Tbsp PC® Pear & Walnut Vinaigrette
1 cup Trail mix

Method
1. Brush the PC® Whole Wheat Naan Rounds with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt.
2. Place in an oven at 350°F for 10 minutes until dehydrated like a crouton. Remove and cool.
3. Grab one 1L mason jar for each guest and layer the salad as follows:
a. 2 Tbsp canned beans
b. 10 pieces cut PC® Organics Grape Tomatoes
c. 1 Tbsp trail mix
d. 1 Tbsp PC® Feta Cheese in Brine
e. 2 Tbsp PC®Pear & Walnut Vinaigrette
f. Fill the remainder of the jar with cut romaine and top with one PC® Whole Wheat Naan Round cracked into various sizes.
g. Leave the salad upright until you are ready to serve.

4. To serve, shake the jar roughly so the vinaigrette gets dispersed evenly throughout the salad and turn out into a bowl so people can share, or eat it straight out of the jar for a single portion.