California grills: Bill Granger celebrates the fruity, fresh flavours of America's West Coast I recently spent some time in Los Angeles and got excited all over again about that colourful, Latino-tinged mélange that is West Coast fare. It seems there's a bit of a trend going on for it in London at the moment, with the Bistrotheque guys opening Shrimpy's in King's Cross. And what could suit this steamy British summer that we're about to have (fingers crossed) more than those big, robust, fruity, fresh flavours? As long as we all promise to admit defeat if the balmy weather fails to materialise and switch to a little oven-cheating rather than persevering with a wet barbecue... I remember the first al-fresco grill lunch I went to in London all too well. It started to drizzle pretty heavily but no one mentioned it. Stiff upper lip, and all that, I guess. Pork ribs with griddled pineapple salsa If you're having a few friends over it can get pretty pricey to buy steaks. Ribs are cheaper, just as tasty and much more fun. 1 tbsp cumin tsp cinnamon 1 tsp oregano 2 tbsp smoked paprika 4 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbsp chipotle chilli paste 2 tbsp honey 6 tbsp soft dark brown sugar 160ml/5fl oz orange juice 1 kg/3lb pork ribs For the pineapple salsa 1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into wedges 1 red chilli, chopped 4 spring onions, chopped Small bunch coriander, chopped Juice 1 lime Put the spices, garlic, chilli paste, honey, sugar and orange juice in a bowl and mix well. Add the ribs and leave to marinade for at least 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 160C/325F/Gas3. Place the ribs in a shallow baking dish, cover with foil and cook for 1 hour. Remove the foil, stir the ribs then increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas6 and cook for 20 minutes more or until the ribs are dark, rich brown and tender. At this point you can finish the ribs on a hot barbecue for extra flavour. To make the pineapple salsa, cook the pineapple wedges on a hot barbecue or griddle pan for 2 minutes each side, or until lightly charred, remove and allow to cool before cutting into small dice. Mix with the chilli, spring onion, coriander and lime juice and serve with the pork ribs. Corn pudding If there's going to be outdoor grilling there's going to be alcohol. This chilli and Parmesan-spiked, polenta-like pudding is perfect for soaking it up. 4 corn cobs, kernels cut off 25g/1oz butter 1 onion, chopped 3 tbsp plain flour 400ml/14fl oz milk 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten 2 green chillis, chopped 50g/2oz Parmesan, grated 100g/3 oz ricotta Spring onions, chopped, to serve Cook the corn in boiling, salted water for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium-sized, ovenproof pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened but not coloured. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, constantly stirring, until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Preheat the grill to hot. Now add to the sauce the egg, half of the chillis, the corn kernels and most of the Parmesan, stir and cook for 1 minute. Dot over the ricotta and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Transfer the mix to the grill until golden and bubbling. Scatter with spring onions and the rest of the chilli and serve a scoop with the ribs and pineapple salsa. Chopped salad