Grilled watermelon was part of a tasting menu during Jess Lander’s annual camping trip last year.

The first course: raw oysters on the half-shell topped with a passion fruit relish and paired with Champagne. Then came a circular slice of grilled watermelon, finished with a balsamic glaze, feta cheese and mint. Diners sipped a classic Napa Valley Chardonnay in between bites.

It sounds fancy, but there were no white tablecloths or sommeliers at this dinner. Instead, this four-course meal was served on paper plates and the wines in plastic cups. Donning sweats and leisure wear, diners ate at picnic tables or in folding chairs around a fire.

The setting was a campground in Mendocino, where my husband and I head every July with a group of friends. Each couple is responsible for cooking a meal, but nobody takes the assignment as seriously as we do. Mostly, this is because we are the only couple who don’t have children to run after. But we also love food and wine, and above all sharing it, so the elaborate tasting menu tradition was born. We even print out menus.

We spend weeks planning and testing the meal, ensuring that none of the dishes is too complicated for the limited camping setup. This is supposed to be fun, not stressful, so we nix ideas that come with too many steps, lengthy cooking times, an absurd amount of prep or multiple cooking appliances, especially electric ones.

Wines lined up to pair with a tasting menu during a Mendocino camping trip.

This often means carefully selecting a few items that don’t require any cooking at all, like oysters. A simple bruschetta appetizer, for example, can be reimagined with endless combinations of high-end cheeses, cured meats and seasonal produce. Presentation is half the battle, and creative garnishing — like a little roe, caviar or truffle shavings — can go a long way.

The true crowd-pleaser last year — for kids and adults — was the dessert, another easy, no-cook offering. My husband dreamed up a fancy play on dirt cake, the nostalgic childhood treat of pudding, Cool Whip, crushed Oreos and rainbow gummy worms. To make it more gourmet, we plated the instant pudding, worms and Oreos in family-style terra-cotta planters; I foraged for flowers and artfully styled them on top of the “soil.” It was a total hit.

Pulling this off isn’t easy. It requires a lot of planning. Once we’ve decided on the recipes, I create an exhaustive spreadsheet with each dish accompanied by the ingredients (what we need to buy and what we already have); necessary cooking tools down to the knives and serving utensils; and what, if anything, can be made ahead of time.

But if two average home cooks (who admittedly consume a lot of frozen Trader Joe’s meals) can do it, anyone can. Here are seven tips for elevating your camping meals this summer.

Edible flowers top this kid-friendly dessert during a summer camping trip.

• This level of cooking is not realistic for a particularly rustic campsite, like one where you have to hike in or one that’s fully off the grid. It requires coolers full of ice for food safety, plus large and heavy cooking tools, like bowls, pots and pans. Folding tables for extra prep space are a nice bonus. Cooking over a campfire is certainly doable — but also brave. A grill is ideal for quality control, and many campsites have them. Otherwise, invest in portable camping stoves, and don’t forget the propane or charcoal. All of this is to say that you’ll need significant space in your car, which you’ll want to park as close to the site as possible.

• Prep as much as you can beforehand; think sauces, marinades and garnishes. This year, for example, I’m planning a make-ahead gazpacho inspired by an incredible chilled melon soup I enjoyed on a recent trip to Portugal. Some produce can be chopped in advance and will stay fresh. The more organized, the better: Separate ingredients in reusable deli containers or ziplock bags and label them with tape and a sharpie. Stack everything in your cooler in reverse order of your menu for seamless unpacking. If you’re attempting a dish for the first time, it’s also not a bad idea to test it out in the weeks leading up to the trip.

• If kids are present, cook something on the side that’s easy and picky eater-friendly, like hot dogs or hamburgers. But don’t cut them out of the experience entirely, as this is a great opportunity for them to try something new. Last year, some of our youngest campers were out-slurping the adults with the oysters.

Oysters are an achievable camping food, says reporter Jess Lander.

• Don’t stress over using traditional wares, utensils and table settings. Part of the fun is eating bougie food on paper plates or attempting to slice meat with a plastic knife that will most likely snap in your hand. Reusable plates are, of course, the most sustainable option — as long as you don’t mind the extra dishes — but there are also plenty of nice compostable plates that you can purchase on the cheap.

• Speaking of dishes, it’s difficult to truly clean at a campsite, even if it has a dedicated spot for dishes. We do our best to give everything a good scrub and rinse at the outside faucet and then properly re-wash everything back at home. You already did a lot of work for this meal, so enlist your campers for help.

• Wine pairings are optional but add a nice touch and help re-create the fine dining experience. Do not leave the wines in your car. If you can’t find a cold place to store them, at least find some shade and place them in your tent or in coolers. Of course, glass isn’t always permitted at campsites and can pose a danger if a bottle breaks, so canned wine pairings are a great alternative. They were invented for occasions like these.

Jess Lander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jess.lander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesslander