The sun is making a comeback, and with it our desire to have lunch with friends on the terrace or in the garden. Just talking about it, the good smells of grilled meats and the flavors of the South come to tickle our taste buds. Spices, peppers, fine herbs… Quick, let’s get out the barbecue! Or the plancha. Or the brazier, it's up to you. But what do we put on our plate to spice up summer dishes? Which cooking method to choose according to the food? 🤔 Quai Sud rekindles the flame of summer meals just for you.
Barbecue, plancha, brazier: the different summer cooking methods
Several cooking appliances are used to prepare all our gourmet summer dishes. Their common point? Their friendliness!
The overall champion is the barbecue. It's so associated with summer lunches that any meal cooked outdoors today is barbecue, even when using another method of cooking. His specialty is to coat your grilled meats with a beautiful crust smoked taste so characteristic of embers 😋.
The barbecue is really ideal for grilling thick pieces of meat for a crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. However, its lively cooking is difficult to master and the fats that fall on the embers release compounds that are toxic to health 😕.
Softer and easier to control, plancha cooking is the healthiest of all. It is low in fat and preserves vitamins and aromas. It heats up quickly to sear food. His speciality ? papillotes and lacquered cooking small seafood products 🍤 which tend to fall off the barbecue grill… Only downside, no smoked taste.
Finally, the last one: the brazier. It combines all the advantages of the barbecue and the plancha, between smoky taste and healthy cooking. No burnt food since the cooking is done on the edges of the brazier. It is perfect (among other things) for grill sausages and vegetables. As for its beautiful flames, it is the must conviviality during meals on cool evenings 👍.
So, what are we eating this summer?…
The secret to summer barbecues is well seasoned marinades which will coat the food with their flavors while preserving them from the intensity of the cooking. We're salivating in advance...
To prepare your marinade, nothing like our spice blends, 2 to 3 generous spoonfuls of your favorite blend in olive oil; for vegetables and fish, add lemon juice to refresh everything. Leave to marinate for an hour.
For more raw and full-bodied flavors, prepare a little spicy ointment with a little butter or olive oil, then brush your food before grilling. Last option, sprinkle the dishes with the mixture during cooking or just before tasting.
And concretely, what does it give? ????
- A rib of beef in a salt crust 🥩, a rack of lamb or pork chops grilled on the barbecue, raised with our mix for red meats rich in peppers,
- A squid chicken marinated in curry then grilled on the barbecue,
- A barbecue veggie with tofu skewers and vegetables brushed with olive oil and our barbecue spices,
- Seared scallops, marinated red mullet fillets or honey-lacquered duck breast in our plancha spices who smell the Basque Country,
- Around the brazier, “chipos” and vegetables with barbecue spices, or whole sea bream previously marinated in our fish mix.
Mmh… at the table! 🍽
Side dishes for a successful barbecue
To accompany your grilled dishes, a little freshness and smoothness will be welcome! As a starter, we prepare an assortment of dips seasoned with our blends. Tzatziki, guacamole, curry... A teaspoon of mixture in a little white cheese, lemon, and here's an ideal sauce to accompany raw vegetables 🥦🥕 or shrimp, and of course your barbecue.
Essential on all summer tables, baked potatoes or under the barbecue lid 🥔. Brush them with a little olive oil seasoned with our delicious Potatoes mix with paprika. 30 minutes in a hot oven and it's ready!
Finally, to end the "barbec'" on a sweet note, we grill some fruits marinated in a vanilla and honey syrup, before decorating them with slivered almonds. The greediest will opt for a soft tart with apricots and with lavender, cooked under the lid of the griddle or brazier. A delight 👌…
Discover our delicious box bringing together 7 of our spice blends, and find all your favorite blends in pretty pop boxes, in bulk of 200g or 1 kg. Have a great summer and a delicious barbecue with Quai Sud!
