the Yummy letter

Volume 1 Issue 17 May 27, 2009

A Perfect Burger
By Bill Knutson

Every summer, you can predict the trends of the major food publications – first comes the grilling issue, then comes the burger issue. And it’s not just any burger; they spread their adjectives around like fertilizer: the ultimate burger, the perfect burger, burgers to die for, the best burgers ever... This made me think about what I would consider the perfect burger. Is it stuffed with aged Danish blue cheese and drizzled with black truffle oil? How about a filet mignon freshly ground and barely seared, topped with a port reduction sauce? Or could it be a burger Rossini, with seared foie gras and a cherry/cabernet sauce?

Perhaps, but when I think of the perfect burger, I usually remember who, what, where, and when. Burgers are a great food for gatherings of friends and families. They are generally inexpensive, only require a minimal amount of prep time, and the cook doesn’t have to toil away at the grill all day and miss the party.

Of course, they still have to taste great. But, that doesn’t mean you should spend more on your ground beef than you would a steak. On the other hand, look for ground beef that has the bright rosy color of a raw steak, not too lean, nor too fatty. I usually look for the 80 to 85% lean. Don’t over season – stick to salt and pepper. This allows the flavor of the beef to shine. Let your creativity show through your toppings.

I like to think of the burger as a blank canvas on which you can paint your own individual masterpiece with a variety of colorful and flavorful condiments. This could include the standards: lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayo. Or you could create a more exotic palette of flavors: chutney, aioli, salsa, pineapple slices, mixed greens, fried egg, roasted peppers, and artisanal cheeses.

One ingredient that often transforms a good burger to a great burger is the bun. When choosing the bun, you need to consider many things. The size should match the diameter of the burger. It should be sturdy enough to hold together when all the juices and sauces soak into it; yet not so dense that your burger squeezes out the bottom with every bite. The bun can also be a means of adding flavor to your burger, as many grocery stores make fresh rolls flavored with garlic, onion or jalapeno. Or look for a potato roll if you want a little sweetness. One of my favorite ways to eat a burger is on a toasted English muffin with a thick slab of sharp cheddar.

Burgers can be cooked using a variety of methods, but most people agree that nothing beats a burger grilled over an open flame. It sounds simple, yet it is often done so poorly. Here is my simple recipe for great burgers every time.

Roll ground beef into balls. (Plan a third to a half pound per person.) On a flat surface, gently flatten with the palm of your hand until one inch thick.

Grill directly over a medium high flame for 5-6 minutes. Turn over and season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes for medium rare. (Adjust time for desired doneness.)

Avoid pressing down on the burger. Although it will help it cook faster, it squeezes all the juices out and causes a dry burger.

When adding cheese, make sure it is placed on the burger early enough to melt (for example: American cheese takes about a minute, but a thick slab of cheddar will take about two.)

So invite some friends over, fire up the grill, set out a spread of incredible toppings, and have everyone make their own perfect burger.

Cheers, Bill

Home Recipes from GraceAnn Walden

My friend Patti was a true Orange County gal. She just about lived in her car. The highway patrol once stopped her for doing her nails and talking on the phone, while driving. The officer said after giving her a pass, “You’ve just got too much going on here, little lady.”

When she married again, in her sixties, her new husband gifted her with a Jaguar. Her personal license plates said “JAGBABE.”

One spring when she paid her annual visit, she brought me a jar of these delightful pickled cherries. Since it’s cherry season, I thought I’d share her recipe with you.

Pint jars, 2 or 3

1 pint of cherries, WITH pits no STEMS

1

teaspoon salt for each jar

1

teaspoon sugar for each jar

1/2

cup white vinegar for each jar

A pint of boiled and cooled water for each jar

Wash the cherries well. Put them into pint jars. Fill 2 or 3 jars with the cherries. Add 1 teaspoon each of salt and sugar to each jar and 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Put on lid and shake the jars.

Fill jars to the top with water that has been boiled and cooled. Add water to the top. Replace lids and refrigerate for at least two weeks.

Serving suggestion: I cut them from the pit and add them to salads. Sprinkle them on a soft goat cheese appetizer.
I also add them (pitted and halved) to a pork roast gravy before serving.

- GraceAnn

Cookbook Review

The Vegan Cook’s Bible
Pat Crocker
Robert Rose publishing
$24.95
ISBN-10: 0-7788-0217-5

Some friends of mine who were hippies and really good cooks used to have a sign on their front door to their Haight Ashbury flat:

No peddlers
No religious peddlers
No vegans

Even back then, when vegetarianism had its modern renaissance, vegans, at least as dinner guests, were a pain.

We used to say, “No cheese, no dairy, no fun.”

I wish I had had Pat Crocker’s book when some of my long-haired, dairy-less friends had come visiting back in the 70s, (although I do make a mean tempeh chili).

The information on the lore and nutrition of legumes, fruits, vegetables ,and nuts is helpful.

As much as I like the recipes in this book, I do have some issues with the first part of it. But then I am suspicious of material that claims that certain foods will detox our bodies; or that cayenne stimulates blood flow and strengthens the heart beat and metabolic rate; or ginger can lower cholesterol and decrease stickiness of platelets.

For me to believe any of those claims, I’d want to see a double blind scientific test of those propositions.

I understand that modern medicine has come under attack, but throwing science out in favor of wacko theories is certainly not the answer.

However, the vegan recipes in this book are solid, well written and (the ones I’ve tried) are delicious.

Whether it’s European or Asian, the foundation of all good cooking is deep-flavored stock, and Crocker has devised a vegetable stock that is rich in flavor. Her nut milk helps with sauces when you can’t use butter, milk or cream.

On the appetizer list she offers pan-seared artichokes with pomegranate glaze, sweet potato crackers, and herbed carrot and turnip fritters.

Dips include red-hot hummus and avocado aioli.

I made this salsa and used it on spears of endive as an hors d’oeuvre.

Kiwi and Avocado Salsa with Pomegranate and Red Onion

4
kiwis, peeled and chopped

1
avocado, peeled and diced

1/2
small red onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon store bought pomegranate molasses

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a bowl, combine kiwis, avocado, onion and pomegranate seeds.

Toss with lemon juice. Drizzle oil and molasses over the salsa and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper.

Store in fridge for up to two days.

- GraceAnn

Tools, Toys & Tips: The Perfect Soft-Boiled Egg

Egg One of my favorite breakfasts is a soft-boiled egg with buttered toast. Soft boiling an egg sounds simple, but it’s amazing how many people can’t do it. I learned from watching my mother, who was a fantastic cook. I often say she was Alice Waters before Alice Waters “Barnum & Baileyed it up” — she always shopped for fresh, seasonal ingredients daily at the butcher, the fish monger and the Corn Palace, a family-owned farm stand that exists until this day in Sunnyvale. (The family has refused to sell the land, so there it sits, in the middle of Silicon Valley.) At the Corn Palace, they sold farm fresh eggs, and, while there’s nothing better, they’re not the best for soft- or hard-boiled eggs because air pockets haven’t developed beneath the shell yet and they’re difficult to peel. My mom used eggs about a week old.

I use an egg piercer (a sharp push pin will also work) to poke a tiny hole in the large end of the end, which drastically reduces shell cracking during boiling (cracking is caused when the air in the egg expands, and the hole allows air to gradually escape).

You don’t have to do the ice bath, but it keeps the yokes a rich golden color. (If you don’t use the ice bath, cook the eggs for an additional 30 seconds before peeling.) I’ve been following this method for years, and it works like a charm.

The initial instructions will yield soft cooked eggs with a runny yoke and solid whites. I have also included times for medium cooked (my preference) and hard cooked below.

Bring just enough water to completely cover the eggs to a full boil and gently lower the eggs (using a slotted spoon) into the water.

Once the water returns to a vigorous boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and set a timer for 6 minutes (5 minutes for very runny yokes with the white barely set).

Fill a bowl large enough to hold the eggs with ice.

When the timer sounds, use a strainer or large slotted spoon to remove the eggs and plunge them in the ice bath (this keeps the yokes a beautiful, bright golden color).

After 1 minute, remove eggs from the ice bath, peel, and put eggs back in simmering water for 30 seconds, remove with slotted spoon and drain.

Toast one piece of bread per egg, butter liberally, and set on a plate.

Put egg in a small bowl on the plate with the toast. Chop up the egg, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and serve.

For medium cooked eggs (see photo), simmer for 8 minutes (7 for a softer center).

For hard cooked eggs, simmer for 10 minutes (9 for a softer center). For hard cooked eggs to be used in salads and sandwiches, skip the second simmer and instead plunge the eggs back into the ice bath for another minute to cool them further before serving.

- Susan