While sausages, chicken wings and corn on the cob are fail-safe BBQ crowd pleasers, try fanning the flames of creativity with these more daring ideas for cooking over fire.
Granola
Create a smoky granola with a mix of freeze-dried berries. Wrap in foil, poke a few holes the wrapping to let the smoke in. Serve with kefir or yoghurt.
Full English
A blog explaining how to prepare a vegan full English on a BBQ recently went viral. Its instructions included using smoky tomatoes to make a fire-infused sauce, which was then combined with cannellini beans, portobello mushroom and grilled bread.
French toast also lends itself to the BBQ treatment. Serve with masses of berries: your choice whether to roast those on the grill as well!
Granola
Create smokey granola with a mix of and freeze-dried berries. Wrap in foil, poke a few holes the wrapping to let the smoke in. Serve with kefir yoghurt.
Full English
A blog explaining how to prepare a vegan full English on a BBQ went viral recently. Instructions included using smoky tomatoes to make a fire infused sauce combined with cannellini beans, a portobello mushroom and grilled bread
French toast lends itself to BBQ treatment too served with masses of berries, anointed on the grill too, perhaps.
It may sound counter-intuitive to grill salad, but charred greens have been modish for a while and grilling Romaine lettuce, little gem lettuce or chicory, makes for a striking BBQ salad especially when offset by some acidic citrus fruit. Sarit Packer and Sarit Srulovich, the beloved Israeli chef-proprietors of Honey & Co, pair red chicory with grilled peaches and almond tahini. Charred cucumber works well too. Grill for 10 minutes and serve with a whipped feta and dill dip.
Cheese, especially Greek styles, are just as good flying solo on a BBQ as they taste on a burger patty. Halloumi is a given but branch out and try the more mild and creamy Manouri which is a by-product of feta production and is delicious on kebabs with vegetables. Kefalotyri, a hard, salty cheese with a slightly piquant aftertaste, has a high melting point so will become crisp outside whilst the inside remains soft – perfect for summer grilling!
Once the BBQ has achieved peak white heat, it seems a pity to stop grilling after the savoury dishes are eaten. Fortunately many fruits take on a whole new appearance and taste profile after being shown the BBQ. The options are endless: char watermelon slices, serve grilled nectarines with cinnamon sugar butter or balsamic vinegar and black pepper syrup or grill a whole, peeled pineapple so that the outside is hot and sticky but the middle is juicy and sweet.
The robust, granular texture of pears works well on a hot fire and intensifies their flavour. They can handle the high heat, won’t fall apart and they carry the flavour of smoke and charring beautifully. Brush halved pears with honey mixed with cinnamon before grilling and serve with toasted pecans and whipped cream or ice cream for an indulgent dessert. Even strawberries can be slightly caramelised on a BBQ for a memorable Eton Mess.
Those with true chutzpah might want to try a fire-cooked cake. Upside down cakes are particularly forgiving and need charred fruits and syrup. Prepare in a skillet and bake on the coals for 40-50 minutes. Guests will enjoy the element of jeopardy at the very least!
Turkish coffee is traditionally brewed using a pan filled with sand to regulate the heat but coffee can also be prepared in the dying embers of a BBQ. The coffee warms slowly, ensuring a perfect creamy finish.
