California Barbecuing, Here We Come!

While folk in southern California may be partial to red meat and extreme sports, those living in northern California are adept at backpacking through the redwoods, and choose to follow organic and vegetarian diets. If California enjoys an ideal climate for grilling dishes on an outdoor barbecue, it’s a tradition we share in the long summer days soon to come. Travel with us for an overview of this métissée cuisine

• A Skewer of Flavours on the Grill!
• Prolific West Coast
• New Cuisine or Fusion Cuisine
• Healthy Cuisine, a Way of Life
• Grills, Pleasures to Share
• Did You Know That ...

• Scallop and avacado bruschetta
• Grilled swordfish with melon salsa
• Vegetable brochettes with mint and cumin
• Grilled quesadillas with fruit

• Californian cuisine puts the accent on freshness of products and often unusual combinations of flavours. It remains simple and minimizes handling of foods to preserve quality.
• Thanks to rich and fertile valleys, fresh local ingredients abound in California: Olives, figs, oranges, avocados, nuts and apricots, from goat cheese to dried tomatoes, always remembering wine and seafood in any season, of course.
• Despite a few differences between north and south, fish, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables are appreciated all along the west coast.
• Californian cuisine puts the accent on freshness of products and often unusual combinations of flavours. It remains simple and minimizes handling of foods to preserve quality.
• Thanks to rich and fertile valleys, fresh local ingredients abound in California: Olives, figs, oranges, avocados, nuts and apricots, from goat cheese to dried tomatoes, always remembering wine and seafood in any season, of course.
• Despite a few differences between north and south, fish, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables are appreciated all along the west coast.

• The Spanish and Mexican influence is prevalent in the south. Numerous “Tex-Mex” (Texan-Mexican) dishes, enchiladas and tacos, are available. Northward, around San Francisco, Asian and Italian culinary traditions come to the fore, even if many of the ingredients do betray their Spanish origins.
• In fact, almost all the combinations of styles making up ethnic cuisine can be found in Californian cuisine. That's fusion cuisine.
• Look at it as a meeting of two cuisines: Mediterranean with oriental influences, in which Italian ravioli can be served with peanut sauce, fish grilled in salsa with Chinese vegetables, a ginger risotto, sushi with foie gras or a salad including fresh lettuce, avocado and citrus fruit with a spiced peanut sauce!

• Healthy cuisine is often associated with vegetarian, Mediterranean or Asian dishes. All these found their way to San Francisco years ago.
• Gastronomy and healthy cuisine go together today no doubt owing in part to the popularity associated with the taste and tantalizing aromas from foods grilling over outdoor barbecues. Herbs and spices have become seasonings of choice in enhancing both aroma and flavour. Portions are smaller, accompanied by vegetables, presented attractively on dinner plates.

• Cooking on the barbecue is a simple and practical way to prepare a meal. Californians know how to do it with an innovative twist. Add a touch of novelty to your traditional grills and entertain in California style!
• Combining sweet and salty is no longer a mystery to Californians. Serve meat or grilled fish accompanied simply with a sauce and add some fruit. Try a garlic and grapefruit sauce on chicken, an onion and blueberry or raspberry and rosemary sauce with pork. In salsa or garnish, fruit adds the colours, texture and flavours of summer!
• Fish on the grill are delicious and easy to prepare as steaks, fillets, brochettes or rolled: grilled tuna and mango chutney salad, fish rolled in vine and mint leaves, fish and couscous papillotes, trout stuffed with grapes and plums, salmon in a ginger and banana sauce.
• Use grilled meats or vegetables to garnish sandwiches or salads: chicken marinated in lime juice and seasoned with tacos garnished with salsa; orange and soy garnished with grilled onions and peppers beef slices; fish cubes with tarragon garnished with olives, tomatoes and avocados.
•  Serve these various garnishes in breads from the four corners of the world: corn, foccacia, tortillas, pita or panini.
• Grill vegetables on kebobs along with sprigs of fresh fine herbs such as rosemary, thyme or marjoram.
• You don't have to become a vegetarian to try vegetable grills that vary your menus: slices of grilled polenta on a salad of white beans, tomatoes and olives; tofu marinated Mexican style with a coriander spiced hot pepper garnish or a simple grilled pizza topped with spinach and feta cheese.
• Cooking on the grill offers a certain flexibility for entertaining. Various foods can be grilled at the same time, making it possible to present a platter from which to choose among assorted meats and seafoods.
• Accompany this with a buffet offering a few salads, salsas and vegetables which can also be grilled. That lets your guests pick and choose what they want, even down to the tortillas you might warm for a few seconds on the barbecue.

• Wraps are popular in California. These are tortillas wrapped around meat, fish or vegetables. They cater to all tastes: grilled duck and arugula wrap, grilled salmon and spinach wrap or soy beans, coriander and salsa wrap.
• Avocados may be used to dress up salads and sandwiches but also go well in omelettes or as a base for soups.
• Ever popular, salsas are found in virtually all sauces! As appetizer or main course, as dip or spread and as condiment, garnish or marinade for meats and vegetables.
• Often served with an aperitif, olives find their way into numerous recipes: chicken brochettes, olives and fennel; orzo salad with grilled vegetables, olives and almonds; pork fillets with a mango and olive salsa.
• Serve iced tea, white wine and fresh fruit sangria, or, by all means, a wine from California, with your meal!
• Now's the time to let yourself be tempted by this sunny cuisine and inspired by all the fresh produce in season. You'll find so many little treats that you will stay inspired all summer long!

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• This Summer, Fire Up the BBQ!
• Tips and Hints for your Barbecuing Pleasure
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• Celebrate the arrival of local grown corn on the cob!