Plancha cooking Recipes - AFTouch-Cuisine
Plancha cooking is a bit like the magic of Sunday with family or friends, isn't it? This heating plate that came straight from Spain, which has won the hearts of cooks around the world, embodies a simple yet powerful culinary philosophy: showcasing the quality of ingredients without fuss. No complex sauce to hide behind, no elaborate cooking technique to impress, just the product, the heat, and your talent for the rest.
Originating from the Basque Country and Catalonia, plancha cooking became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s before becoming essential on Mediterranean terraces and beyond. Unlike its cousin the barbecue, the plancha offers a flat and continuous surface that guarantees even and controlled cooking. No more ash wafting up your nose, unpredictable flames, hot and cold spots, with it everything is harmonious and predictable. It's almost a zen concept.
What already seduced Basque cooks decades ago is this tool's ability to reveal the true nature of a product. Just a few seconds are enough to get a beautiful golden, caramelized crust, while the inside remains tender and flavorful. As chef patrick tells us in his comment on Scallops plancha style, "simplicity remains the greatest value in respecting this product". He got it completely right. With a beautiful scallop or a beautiful prawn, the more you add embellishments, the further you take the diner from authentic pleasure.
On AFTouch-Cuisine, we've put together a lovely selection of plancha recipes, from classic to surprising. Prawns sautéed with 5 spices will plunge you into an exotic symphony where spices dance on the plancha with the delicacy they deserve. If you're more of a meat person, Rabbit cutlets plancha style will offer you exceptional tenderness with that rustic note that makes rabbit so charming. Even unexpected preparations find their place on the plancha: Blue cheese and red onion quiche gains a crispy texture and even more pronounced flavors there.
Plancha cooking is also the freedom to compose your menu based on what the market offers you, the season, your mood of the moment. Summer is absolute paradise, but don't deprive yourself of the plancha the rest of the year, it works very well on an indoor burner or even in a fireplace. Yes, yes, you read that right.
To succeed with your plancha cooking, a few essential rules: preheat generously, use a fat with a good smoke point, peanut oil is your best ally, season sparingly and at the right time, and above all, resist the urge to fiddle constantly. Let the products be, they'll repay you well. Even Truffles cooked in ashes find their perfect balance on a plancha, as long as you respect them.
So, put on your apron, call your loved ones, and get started. The plancha awaits you, and so do your taste buds.
