Smoked Trout Rillette

Chef Carter continues his Trout recipes this month with an appetizer dip. Get creative in the kitchen and try making it yourself.

Smoked Trout Rillette Dip
30 oz hot smoked trout, crumbled
1 T parsley and chives
6 oz crème fraiche
3 oz mayo
2 T lemon juice
2 t hot sauce
2 T minced red onion
Salt and pepper


Combine all ingredients and chill for 2 hours. Serve with crackers.

Fall Foliage Viewing Tips

Do you want to experience the Great Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage at its best? Here are a few tips to help you get the most of out your experience.

• While it is impossible to predict, the last two weeks of October and early November tend to be the best time to see the beautiful red and yellow leaves.

• Take a relaxing afternoon drive to view the leaves on Clingmans Dome Road, the Blue Ridge Parkway or Foothills Parkway.

• Before setting out to view the leaves, review the Fall Foliage report from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fallcolor.htm

• Take a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and immerse yourself in the splendor of the season on one of the suggested autumn routes including the Appalachian Trail, Inspiration Point on Alum Cave Trail, Oconaluftee River Trail, Look Rock Tower or Sutton Ridge Overlook. For directions to these trails visit www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fall-suggestions.htm.

Call to make your reservations today at 800.369.0111

Chef Jeff Carter’s Fall Trout Salad

Chef Jeff Carter takes on Trout this month with a Smoked Trout Salad and Tomato Vinaigrette dressing. Make a reservation at Dancing Bear Lodge to enjoy this beautiful salad or try making it at home yourself!

Salad
Bibb lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Smoked trout

The salad is tossed together with the vinaigrette and then topped with fried green tomatoes

Tomato vinaigrette
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 oz champagne vinegar
1 T roasted garlic
3 dashes red pepper flakes
1 t sugar
½ c olive oil
3 c extra virgin olive oil
2 oz crème fraiche
1 T parsley, chives, and thyme

Combine all ingredients except the herbs and olive oil in the vita prep and puree. Pour in the olive oil while the blender in running. Add herbs and season to taste.

Fried Green Tomatoes
Cut green tomatoes in ½ in cubes and soak in for at least one hour. Season and bread the tomatoes in 2 parts cornmeal, 1 part flour. Salt, pepper and add a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper. Fry at 350 degrees.

Featured Fall Cocktail “The Whiskey Cast”

Dancing Bear Lodge introduces “The Whiskey Cast,” its new signature drink for the fall. The drink pairs well with trout dishes. Come to Dancing Bear Lodge to sip the new drink or try making it yourself at home!

Ingredients:
¼ slice of fresh ginger, cubed
½ lime wedge
½ tsp. honey
1 oz Prichards Tennessee Whiskey

Muddle the fresh ginger to extract the juice. Add the lime and honey and muddle to blend the flavors. Add whiskey and ice and shake till blended. Strain over rocks, glass filled with ice.

What goes best with Summer? A Beer of course!

Our selection of Small batch beers is the perfect compliment to Chef Carters summer menu, and a great way to wrap up your relaxing day at Dancing Bear Lodge. Sit on the back porch, take in some rays or a star-filled sky, and sip on a cold one! We feature southern specialities like Lazy Magnolia to Belgium classics on our full list. Today we are honing in on our small batch selections, and some of these gems work like magic with the lighter dishes of the summer!

Lazy Magnolia, Southern Pecan, Mississippi $6
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale, Fort Collins, CO $7
New Belgium, Sunshine Wheat, Fort Collins, CO $7
Blue Moon, Denver, CO $5
Sam Adams, Boston Lager, Boston MA $5
Shiner Bock, Shiner, TX $5
Pete’s Wicked Ale, Utica, NY $6
Rogue, Dead Guy Ale, OR $6
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Chico, CA $6
Stone Ruination IPA, Escondido, CA $15
Arrogant Bastard Ale, San Diego, CA $15


We feature even more of America's and Worldly Classics. So stop on by the restaurant and check out the full list.

Your Guide to Fireflies in the Smokies

From June 4th through the 12th fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park begin to flash in unison. The Great Smoky Mountains have 14 species of firefly in the park and this phenomenon involves all the male individuals of this one species. They are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns.

No one is sure why the fireflies flash synchronously during mating season. Competition between males may be one reason: they all want to be the first to flash. Or perhaps if the males all flash together they have a better chance of being noticed, and the females can make better comparisons. The fireflies do not always flash in unison. They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly. Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness.It is truly a spectacular site, and we encourage you to venture up to the Smokies this summer to watch the magic take place.

The following tips will help you get started on your journey to see the synchronous fireflies

• Starting at 7 p.m. a trolley from the Sugarlands Visitor Center will run every 20-25 minutes to the Little River Trailhead at Elkmont. The last trolley back leaves at 11 p.m. (no private vehicles will be allowed into the Elkmont entrance after 5 p.m.- the trolley is the only transportation in and out).
• Bring a blanket or a small lawn chair to sit on, a flashlight covered with red cellophane to minimize white lights, and a backpack with refreshments.
• No pets or alcoholic beverages allowed.
• If attempting to take pictures or video, do not use a flash. Not only does it disturb the fireflies, but your picture will turn out horrible. Try turning the flash off, setting your aperture to f11 and taking a long exposure of a few seconds. You’ll get a spooky looking glow…very cool!

Call us at 800-369-0111 for more information!

Your Base Camp of Adventure

Let family memories be made while stretching your level of excitement with the following 5 Base Camp Adventures.

1. Hiking. Truly enjoy the natural beauty of this area by exploring one of our many trails close by, or discover the Great Smoky Mountains with more than 850 miles of hiking trails.
2. Cycling. Hit the paved route along the Little River through Townsend, or mountain-bike our own picturesque trails.
3. Tubing. Enjoy a lazy day floating down the local stream. We’ll pack a lunch for you to take along!
4. Fly Fishing. Test your prowess on outings led by certified guides.
5. Horseback Riding. Indulge your equestrian ambitions with horseback rides in the Smokies.

Learn more about our activities or reserve your Base Camp Adventure stay today!