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Lucy Lean

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in Entertaining· Girl & Grill· Girl and Grill

Summer Grilling with Chef Ludo

Ludo Grills One of my Thousand Things to do this summer is to buy an outdoor grill and learn how to effortlessly use it for summer entertaining. What better instruction than from a chef in his own backyard grilling for his friends? Ludo has a brand new shiny outdoor kitchen courtesy of DCS Appliances – being in the market for a grill myself, I have to admit this piece of gear is drool worthy. Like a new car, says Ludo, it takes a little bit of getting used to – and this grill has a lot of fancy settings to learn. Ludo took it out for a test drive and invited over a few friends for the ride.

grillingwithLudo (1 of 1)-25
As we sipped rosé and caught up with friends Ludo entertained us with his cooking and freely passed along tips about getting the most out of an outdoor grill.

As the kids worked up an appetite on the trampoline Ludo grilled up a feast. First up some cauliflower cooked in a nifty “grill bowl” similar to this GrillPro 98121 Porcelain Coated Square Wok Topper with some of the special Ludo seasoning. Cauliflower is a great canvas for different spices – be it curry or herbs de Provence – and grilled to a golden brown it’s a summer favorite.

grilled cauliflowerEggplants are big enough to place directly onto the grill top. Ludo then covered them in a spicy sauce to serve.

eggplants grillingThe bright peppers and onions were then added to bread that had also been grilled to perfection and some fresh herbs to make a delicious panzanella – Ludo used something similar to this GrillPro 98130 Porcelain Coated Round Grill Topper.  Valerie Bertinelli declared it was better than any Italian panzanella she’d ever tasted – could it be that Ludo has some Italian in his heritage? Or is it just another dish shared by France and Italy through the ages – come to think of it most cultures have a dish that uses up stale bread with a fresh salad – like a Lebanese fattoush and even closer to home a good old classic American Caesar salad with crunchy croutons.
Panzanella SaladThe 14 day dry aged bone in rib eye beef was marinated in herbs, some Ludo spice and oil and then grilled on the top of the shiniest pristine grill.
marinated beefThe delicate smoke drifted up and as the light streamed through the hedge some would say there was divine intervention.
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grillingwithLudo (1 of 1)-15Top tip for Valerie from Ludo – cook the meat and then let it rest before you cut it to serve.
Beef cut up and ready to serveTo top the beef Ludo made up a sauce similar to the ‘onion soup’ reduction that may or may not be topping steak frites at Petit Trois when it opens this Summer.  I really hope this makes it through the testing phase and on to the menu.  A certain JT posted his vote of two thumbs up on Instagram – celebrity endorsement must help the cause to make it a keeper.
tomato buratta saladAn easy and delicious heirloom tomato and burrata salad with chiffoned basil goes particularly well with the beef and is an excellent addition to any summer feast – I love the way Ludo always cuts the tomatoes horizontally into thick slices – about 1/2 inch thick.
Ludo rearranges plates ready to serveA final rearranging of the dishes and we were called “A table!” The giant butter mountain was presented on a very special French Revolution plate celebrating liberté, égalité fraternité – good for everyone if you aren’t Louis XVI or his cake loving wife.
Butter on French plateTo round out the feast there was a green salad and a gorgeous cheese platter.

Filed Under: Entertaining, Girl & Grill, Girl and Grill Tagged With: butter, DCS Appliances, French Revolution, girl and grill, Grilling, Grilling tips, how to cook steak, Ladles and Jellyspoons, Ludo Lefebvre, Minty and Rémy, panzanella, steak, summer entertaining, tomato salad, Valerie Bertinelli

« The Perfect French Macaron Recipe – with tips and tricks to help
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Comments

  1. lynn @ the actor's diet says

    August 21, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    this is one seriously bad-ass bbq!

    Reply
  2. lynn @ the actor's diet says

    August 21, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    p.s. love the @OfCourseWeAteIt instagram

    Reply

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Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
#snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops #snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops today - last year the lawn was carpeted in white, this year nothing.  Maybe they are late? Painted a small bunch #oilpaint #flowerpainting #snowdroppainting a sign of #spring I chickened out of painting the tiny glass jug that was a Christmas present - not sure I know how to paint that aqua colour - help!  #EnglishCountryhouse #EnglishCountryGarden #englishcountryside #Lockdown #Staysafe #stayhome
Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketc Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketch - we haven’t had snow but this magical frozen landscape is a beautiful alternative - painting again because that’s what got me through the last lockdown #painting #Englishcountryhouse #Englishcountryside #frost #ice #lockdown #staysafe #stayhome
#Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world o #Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world of #covid #brexit #onlineschool  #Georgia and then the #insurrection in D.C. I took it easy today - I tidied and cleaned #declutter #springcleaning I even cleaned out the #snack cupboard and found the plates I bought and had put in a safe place @jimbobart and made a couple of loaves of @richardbertinet #sourdough ready to wake up and bake tomorrow xxx #stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #Englishinteriors #Georgian #architecture
I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for tr I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for truly making America great again - Midnight snack - someone ate the whole pumpkin pie but was thoughtful enough to leave me a slice for breakfast... time to make more! Peach pie 🥧 for everyone x #Epiphany
#Lockdown #Day1 - climbed to the top of #CleyHill #Lockdown #Day1 - climbed to the top of #CleyHill with @chloescotland #walkingandtalking made a pumpkin pie #crimping needs practice - enjoyed the early evening light across the lawn #EnglishCountryHouse #englishcountryside and then came in and made a cozy #fire and made myself a #champagnecocktail - #dontjudge it’s been that kind of day after yesterday’s news came thick and fast crashing over us from morning until night x #staysafe #stayhome #thankyouNHS 🌈
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