Autumn BBQ: Fall is the time for good friends, good BBQ
Having friends over at home has always been part of my routine. Week or weekend, it’s always a good time to share a super meal and, of course, a good wine. It’s obvious that with my work, BBQ is an integral part of my life. That’s why autumn BBQ can be such a special experience.
But I don’t usually enjoy a Saturday afternoon watching my brisket cooking in my smoker. Why? First of all, I don’t have a smoker, and second, I have even less grass to work with.
BBQ for me? Montreal style. Here in Montreal, many of us are patio and balcony BBQers.
But I think I have the most versatile BBQ available. In addition to its beautiful gold colour and appearance, my Weber Kettle does justice to everything I put on the grill. Honestly, every time. Salmon, watermelon, roast, broccoli, you name it, I cook it on my grill and it never disappoints. I need a lil’ BBQ touch at every meal. But it must be done quickly. I make sure to chop the vegetables while waiting for the BBQ to start. I can’t live without my Allumax lighter accessory when I need to light my charcoal. That way, you can quickly go in, watch the water boiling and take a sip or two of wine.
Fall – the best season for BBQ?
I’m that girl waiting for October so I can order a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks and who, in December, will instead order a peppermint Mocha just to get into the holiday spirit.
No iced coffee in the winter, but no hot coffee in the summer. Yeah – you should probably do the same.’
So when I have people over, it’s the same thing. I opt for seasonal vegetables and a menu accordingly. In the fall I reclaim the comfort food recipes that I had abandoned after all the black snow and asphalt mix on the Montréal streets of the spring. Now that you see what kind of host I am, we can talk about last Thursday’s menu!
My generation is the one of foodies. Honestly, I do not know anyone of my age who does not genuinely like food. We have access to so many different products today, so why not take advantage? But I am also conservative at heart. To have people over without making dessert?! Impossible! Even less possible without an appetizer. I really wanted a fondue with the cold that came too quickly in Montreal, so I opted for a classic fondue. But if I had found a way to do it on BBQ, I would have done it. We missed out on that brainstorming session.
A simple, great appetizer
For the appetizer, I went with melted brie (the classic BBQ Quebec way on a salt plate), but with a twist. Or should I say, an autumn BBQ twist.
Melted brie; it’s super simple. Heat up your salt board. Personally, I heat the cheese at the same time as the salt plank to better use my time. Then I add figs and raspberries. And nothing says autumn like pumpkin, right? Just to keep it in context. So I grilled my pumpkin seeds with oil and House of BBQ Experts Kansas spice mix, giving them a little kick. In a cast iron stove, oil, pumpkin seeds and spices and in three minutes you have an amazing mix, full of flavour and ready to be placed on cheese for a loving Instagram picture.
Along with being beautiful, it was absolutely delectable. An excellent Autumn BBQ choice.
Grilled vegetables: the best type of vegetables!
Here in Quebec, we typically eat fondue with vegetables in a broth. I didn’t forget the classic recipe. But, also, I am a girl who eats 48 servings of vegetables a day. So I grilled beans, carrots and small potatoes for a salad. My classic with vegetables? House of BBQ Experts California spice mix. For me, vegetables without the Cali is just impossible.
To close everything and to get content for your Insta (for my mother, here I mean Instagram mommy), we finished the evening with my trusty cheesecake. SO SIMPLE, but so good.
Of course, an October version of my cheese cake! The BBQ version is as simple as the oven version. Just bake the graham crust before. I mixed my crust graham (yes yes, it’s the little bee box!) with ginger biscuits that I had previously deseeded. Butter, eggs and you’re ready to put on the BBQ. While it’s cooking, you mix the Philadelphia with the sugar, a touch of cinnamon, the pumpkin puree and you’re done. To make it all more cute, I grilled some pralines on the BBQ with maple syrup.
A successful evening
48 Instagram pics later, the girls thanked me for the menu and the evening. So good, and so simple. See? Autumn BBQ isn’t difficult!
BBQ is just inspiring. It makes us try a lot of things, and lots of new foods. Honestly, it’s no more complicated than cooking with an oven. Our company’s founder, Max Lavoie, often says that we rarely gather around a microwave, but everyone is always huddled around a BBQ. And I can tell you that tonight, even in the middle of October, my friends came out with me around the BBQ, because that’s BBQ.
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