Plancha crazy Quebec

The plancha is a must on balconies and terraces in Quebec. Whether it’s an individual device equipped with its own burners or a removable plate installed as needed on its gas or charcoal barbecue, the plancha has become an essential accessory for outdoor cooking. Here’s everything you need to know about this new trend.

Pierre-Marc Durivage

The Press

A strong trend

The world of Quebec barbecues is experiencing its second revolution. After the rise in popularity of smokehouses a decade ago, we see more and more appear the plancha as an outdoor cooking tool. Spanish invention dating from the 19th century^e century, the metal griddle is now offered in several formats, further democratizing the versatility of its tasty cooking.

“Quebec is on the plancha, we feel it and I confirm it with what is happening in store”, assures Jean-Philippe Lavoie, co-owner of BBQ Quebec, who decided this year to celebrate the company’s tenth anniversary by traveling all over the world with his brother and partner Max, to see how things are going elsewhere, on the grill side.

“The BBQ is universal,” says this fanatic of cooking over the fire. When you have a little lousse, you want to spoil yourself to go and see the different cultures to bring back such diverse techniques. We’ve been to Colombia, UK, Brazil, Argentina, Texas, Kentucky so far. »

They also went to France, where precisely the plancha is a hit. According to the manufacturer Weber, which has just launched its line of plancha appliances and accessories, Quebec has certainly benefited from its privileged relationship with France. “Consumers have been asking us for a long time when we would start offering planchas in Quebec,” says Patricia Larez, vice-president of marketing at Weber Canada. Although it is still too early to gauge the trend, we have retailers who have already restocked their stock, which confirms our belief that it is going to be really good. »

“In Quebec, the trend is really more big than in many other places in the world, even more than in Texas, in fact, assures Jean-Philippe Lavoie. We’ve been talking about it for a while, but we shouldn’t ignore the role of Simon de l’Est and his smash burger, it’s sure that it helped popularize the plancha at home! »

For the burger smash… and more!

Simon Jodoin-Bouchard, the famous Simon of the East, is indeed the man who brought the smash burger back into fashion, thanks to the decadent menu of his popular urban canteen Chez Simon, in Montreal’s Tétreaultville district. And to get a beef patty with the crispy, caramelized crust characteristic of the smash burger, you need a griddle.

“We’re talking about smash burgers, but the plancha also makes great grabs, in addition to being able to work several foods on different parts of the plate at different temperatures,” says Simon Jodoin-Bouchard, grateful for the hat-trick from his colleague Jean- Philippe Lavoie. That said, nothing is taken away from the barbecue; but try making an asian stir-fry with it? The trippy guy wants the whole kit in his yard! »

The plancha also has the advantage of retaining the flavors of the food cooked on its surface.

Micael Béliveau, aka the Master Smoker, made a name for himself through his online videos and recipe books, including Smokehouse: the new recipes of the Master smoker, sold 65,000 copies, and Passion BBQ. He has just published a fourth recipe book dedicated to the plancha. In addition to more than 80 recipes, the book contains a section that helps demystify the plancha, from accessories to the different cooking surfaces, including maintenance and cleaning tips.

“On a plancha, we can keep our fat and our juices for other cooking, which we cannot do on a barbecue, where the fat flows. This is why I particularly like to cook my salmon steaks on the plancha; you have a contact surface on the whole piece of fish, the caramelization is complete and I don’t lose my fat. Also, compared to cooking in a pan, you cannot cook anything else in it, while you can communicate the flavors on a plancha”, explains the one whose sites are visited each year by more than 3 million Internet users. .

A plancha in his own way

While the plancha isn’t suitable for slow cooking, it’s an invaluable tool, bringing home a versatility long reserved for restaurant kitchens. “It was less publicized, people didn’t believe it was so accessible, underlines Micael Béliveau. But today there are so many brands, whereas it was a luxury product not so long ago. Also, with a plancha, there is no danger with an open flame, you no longer have to do the dishes in the house and it’s so unifying. »

“I use it almost every week,” adds Jean-Philippe Lavoie. On Sundays, I invite friends over, it’s smash night, we make single, double, triple or even quadruple burgers. It must be three or four months since we skipped a party! »

Salty and sweet on the plancha

Shrimps pad Thai

Pad Thai with prawns is one of the recipes presented by Micael Béliveau in Griddlethe fourth work of the popular Master Smoker, who welcomed us to his Mauritian lair and to his amazing terrace, built on two floors to accommodate guests, but also each of his 32 barbecues!

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 225 g (1/2 lb) egg noodles
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) sesame oil
• 225 g (1/2 lb) medium shrimp (size 31/40)
• 1 small onion minced
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) butter
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) chopped peanuts
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) sliced ​​green onions
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) chopped fresh cilantro

For the sauce

• 60 ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) rice vinegar
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) fresh lime juice
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) brown sugar
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) spicy Thai chili sauce or sriracha
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) fish sauce

Preparation

1. In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. To book.

2. In a pot of boiling water, cook the noodles for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.

3. Preheat the plancha at medium-high power.

4. On the hot plate, melt the butter. Cook the onion for about 4 minutes, stirring.

5. Add shrimp. Add salt and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked.

6. Meanwhile, cook the eggs next to the shrimp for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring so that they are scrambled.

7. Add noodles and mix with eggs and shrimp. Add sauce and sesame oil. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Serve with peanuts, green onions and cilantro.

Cheese and foie gras with flambéed pineapple

User-friendly, the plancha lends itself to all experiments. Micael Béliveau has also allowed himself to improvise with a simple little recipe for fresh cheese with flambéed pineapple and foie gras that we eat like tacos!

Ingredients

• 400g unsalted cream cheese
• 110 g foie gras
• 4 slices of pineapple
• 30 ml (1 oz) cinnamon whiskey
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) balsamic vinegar
• Black or coarse salt
• Sliced ​​shallot

Preparation

1. Start the hob at high temperature.

2. Once it is hot, add the butter and add the pineapple slices.

3. Flip after about 2 minutes, so that the pineapples are nicely browned on both sides.

4. Flambé the pineapples on the plate with the whisky, then remove them from the plate.

5. Cut the unsalted cheese into slices, add the grilled pineapple and the pieces of foie gras.

6. Salt everything generously, add the shallots and balsamic vinegar and serve!