Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Ultimate Burger was ultimately delicious.

Found in an issue of Men's Health here is a burger to punch your senses. They call it The Ultimate Burger.

It has Apple slices, bacon and cheese in the actual meat of the burger and a tasty spread that I enjoyed but Ryan did not.

The following recipie is from the link above and belongs to it's creator Grant Achatz.

Charcuterie Burger:

What you'll need

Sauce Gribiche:
3 Tbsp finely chopped hard-boiled egg whites
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped cornichon pickles
1 Tbsp finely chopped nonpareil capers
1 Tbsp finely chopped white onion
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp finely chopped tarragon
Pinch kosher salt

The Burgers:
Canola oil
8 slices hickory-smoked bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4"-thick lengths
1/4 cup finely diced shallots
1 Tbsp caraway seeds, ground in a spice grinder
1 lb ground beef (80% lean)
2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced 1/2" thick
1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 tsp (plus a pinch) kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 sprig thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat side of a chef's knife
4 sourdough hamburger buns, split and toasted

How to make it:
1. Combine the gribiche ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate. In a large pan, heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil on medium. Add the bacon and saute until partially cooked, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots and caraway seeds and cook until the shallots are translucent, about 3 more minutes. Using your fingers, gently break apart the beef into another bowl. Place the bowl of beef, the bacon mixture, and a fork in the freezer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over very high heat until it begins to smoke. Immediately add the apple slices and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip them and cook until browned on the other side, another 2 minutes or so. Add butter and cook until the apples are very soft, about 2 minutes more. Remove them from the pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove all the items from the freezer. Add the bacon mixture to the beef along with the Gruyere, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Using the cold fork, gently mix the ingredients together. Form the meat into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

4. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large ovenproof saute pan on high until the oil begins to smoke. Add the burger patties, thyme, and garlic. Cook, without moving the meat, until the bottoms of the burgers caramelize and develop a crust, about 2 1/2 minutes. Using a thin metal spatula, flip the patties and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes to finish the burger. Remove the burgers from the pan and set on paper towels to drain excess fat.

5. Place the burger patties on the bottom half of each bun. Spread a generous helping of sauce gribiche on each burger. Top with a few pieces of roasted apple and then the bun tops, and serve. Makes 4 servings







 Working off of just getting off work we had neither the time nor energy to find the Sourdough Hamburger rolls so we purchased Portuguese rolls if I recall. We slightly toasted them and they were just as amazing. We also couldn't get Gruyere so we used Swiss cheese as it's replacement.




We also made baked fries on the side. Those I simply sprayed with cooking spray and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

All in all dinner that night was amazing. Though Ryan preferred no sauce on his burger and we couldn't get the exact rolls or cheese, it still didn't take so much away as to ruin the delight-fulness of this burger. So sauce or no sauce, Gruyere or no Gruyere, you should definitely try this meal at home.

Every Girl is Destined to Find Her Soul Mate...

We, the lovely ladies of the world, are bred and raised with the odd compulsion to marry and pop out children. To take care of our Homes and our Husbands who we all assume, according to popular lore, will be our personal Prince Charming. We have all read the fairy tales of Cinderella and Snow White who cook and clean until the Prince comes and rescues them from their lives. Seemingly every girl is blinded by the thought that one day the same would occur for her.

There are many girls deluded into thinking that when they find "The One" everything will be perfect. Well if you don't know it already let me clarify, it never is. You have to work at things. Relationships aren't easy.

But then again neither is being a girl dropped into a Man's Den. If you have ever had the joy of entering a Bachelor's Pad then you know what I am speaking of. Those lovely princesses had it easy. Servants most like. Not all are equally blessed.

Now don't get me wrong here ladies and gentlemen, there is the odd man who is OCD clean and the not-so-random girl who is an absolute slob. However for most it's the woman who becomes their overly compulsive mother and the man who settles into a comfortable cave of disarray.

My story consists more of the latter. My mother is the reason I am who I am today. I always thought she was being rather unnecessarily ridiculous when it came to tidying up...now I seem to find myself becoming just that. Nevertheless here is my story.

I met my prince in July 2008. My Boyfriend. He at that time, and currently still, lives in a house with his Brother. Two guys, many rooms, no real use for the kitchen. And when I say no real use I really mean, it's Main use was a dump site for dirty dishes, used pizza boxes, empty beer cans and finished cereal or prepared food boxes. But then they couldn't really be blamed. Stuck between constant work or school they really had no time to even think about cooking. Additionally after full days of being out and about they really didn't posses the desire to even bother attempting to make anything, let alone pick up.

That is where my overzealous need to spruce up came into play. Likewise came a need to supply these boys or at least the bf, with sustenance whenever I was able. I went to Culinary school for Baking but I also have a passion for Cooking. After what next month will mark 3 years into a relationship, I may have rubbed a bit of that desire off onto him.

I have slowly and steadily been replacing or supplying this Bachelor kitchen with useful tools. Of which I think I've been doing a decent job. I talked him into purchasing new pots and pans, bought spoons and spatulas galore, added my college plates and bowls to the plastic ones that were mainly used before, got a coffee machine...even though that's basically for me. We bought wine glasses and kitchen towels, pot and pan holders and even place mats. Furthermore, he and I, have been attempting at least once a week to cook a decent meal together. This my new and confused, if not totally exhausted from reading this, friends is where you come in.

He thought it would be a great idea to share all of our meal ideas, mishaps and discoveries with the world. So this is the start of it. Welcome to the Cockhouse, let me show you around.