Published October 1, 2002 12:00AM
Elizabeth Perrault, instructor of the Wilderness Gourmet course at the Cooking School of the Rockies, says good backcountry food doesn’t always mean more work. She first learned to cook on a camp stove in Africa while serving in the Peace Corps. “I didn’t have a fridge so I pushed the limit of fresh food, and used a lot of grains.” That experience made couscous one of her staple trail ingredients. But Perrault says her number one tip for improving wilderness dining is packing along a big hunk of hard cheese. Gruyere is her favorite for its rich flavor and lasting power on the trail.