Club House La Grille Reveals 2015 Top Grilling Trends

2015-05-01_115322

As an “EggHead“, or Big Green Egg user, I clearly love to grill. I have my favourites that I cook quite often, but every now and then it is fun to try something new.

Recently I was invited to an event that inspired me to do just that.

The event was put on by McCormick & Company, or the people who make Club House La Grille spices, sauces and marinades. Yes, heaven on earth for someone who likes to hang out with the BBQ. The premise was to add to your #grillewisdom

La Grille was launching their summer season by featuring five up and coming grilling trends. Before I share some of the food I got to try, here are the five trends.

1. Reverse Sear: Banish dry chicken from the grates. Start with low heat for evenly cooked, juicy

meat, then turn up the flames for a quick, crispy char.

2. Backyard Brunch: Bacon, eggs and Caesars are even better outside. Gather round the grill for

bolder brunch favourites with smoky flavour.

3. Smokin’ Veggie Starters: Upgrade basic veggies and dip with bright colours and irresistible

flavours to get the party started.

4. Grilling Salts: Shake up classic salt & pepper by adding ingredients like smoked spices, citrus

peel and even bacon to bring big texture and craveable flavour before and after grilling.

5. Boss Burgers: It’s all about the build.  Add flavours like brown sugar bourbon or shawarma to

meat, then build with unique toppers and condiments like grilled avocado, mango slaw or lime

mayo to create the ultimate burger.

My favourite

Of the five I sampled, you may be surprised to learn that the backyard brunch was my favourite. It was like french toast on steroids. Egg, bread, cheese and your La Grille spice of choice. All prepared on a hot wooden plank with that tasty smoke infusion that adds so much to the experience. Each of the recipes can be downloaded at the bottom of this post.

The other four grilling trends were good, don’t get me wrong. But the egg and toast blew me away. I will be making that very soon at home.

Meeting Diva Q

2015-04-29_151505

One of the other highlights of the day was meeting Danielle Dimovski, or as she is known, Diva Q. I had seen her on several BBQ shows and knew that she was a gal who LOVED BBQ. I had a chance to chat with her and learned a few cool details.

  • She owns over 60 grills in all shapes and sizes.
  • Loves the Big Green Egg.
  • Charcoal is her ideal method but pellet is better for demos.
  • She has three kids who all love food.
  • Likes to keep recipes simple.
  • Tends to go off recipe and add her own ideas.
  • Addicted to social media.
  • Could not be clearer about not attacking your meat with high heat.
  • I did not know she was Canadian.
  • Her simple advice, always used great product.

Danielle did a short demo on how to reverse sear some chicken breast and then showed us all how to make the egg and toast on a plank. Simple recipes but thanks to adding smoke and of course some La Grille flavours, each does was upgraded.

Like I said, the afternoon at Steam Whistle in downtown Toronto was a dream for someone who loves to grill. I even shared how I got my Big Green Egg with Danielle and McCormick’s head chef Michael Cloutier. They certainly loved it.

Stayed tuned all summer as I try out the many samples I received at the event. The Montreal Steak Spice, that is celebrating 25 years, is an early fave for the season. I put it in everything.

Recipes from event

Cedar Plank Grilled Egg in Toast

Montreal Dijon Marinated Chicken

Old Bay Grilled Corn Pico de Gallo

Smoky Garlic Grilling Salt

Vietnamese Banh Mi Burger with Sriracha Mayo

Being Open

I went to the event, learned and came home with a bag full of product. At no time was I forced to write anything. This post is my own opinion and I just wanted to be clear on that. Thanks to Weber Shandwick for the invite. 

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *