Posts tagged ‘Grilling’

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May 24, 2012

4plates2table Ultimate Burger

Cheddar BLT Burgers with Tarragon Russian Dressing

All countries and cultures have their signature dishes that play an important role in defining their cuisine. Spanish tapas, Greek gyros, Israeli falafel, Moroccan tagine, Indian tandoori… If you were thinking French cuisine should include French fries, French dressing or French toast, that’s not it. French Onion Soup would be a better choice (here’s a link to a great recipe).

What’s American?  Apple pie and the hamburger! There’s actually a little history behind our hamburger. According to CHOW, the hamburger made its first début in 1836 at Delmonico’s restaurant in New York. It was 10 cents and was listed as a “hamburger steak.” The cheeseburger wasn’t created until 1924, when a guy named Lionel Sternberger put a piece of cheese on a patty at the Rite Spot Restaurant in Pasadena, California. McDonald’s opened its first franchise in 1955, but it took until 2004 for the documentary Super Size Me to show us that fast food hamburgers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Today burgers take on many forms. For example, turkey, black bean, veggie burgers and lamb burgers. All good options, but this Cheddar BLT Burger with Tarragon Russian Dressing is the ultimate killer hamburger in our house. I discovered this recipe in Food and Wine magazine many years ago. It’s super flavorful with the tangy Russian dressing and smoky bacon. I love the addition of fresh tarragon to the dressing. It adds something really special to an already awesome burger.

Adapted from Food and Wine, 2009

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 slices good thick cut smoky bacon – cooked crispy
  • 1lb ground beef (enough for 4 burgers)
  • Kosher salt & pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4 hamburger rolls, split and toasted on the grill
  • Red leaf lettuce
  • Tomato slices
  • Red onion slices

To make the tarragon Russian dressing, combine the mayo, ketchup, vinegar, parsley, tarragon and Worcestershire in a bowl and whisk together. Put in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Make 4 hamburger patties and sprinkle each with salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides. Grill until cooked through to your liking. Top each patty with a slice of cheddar cheese and allow cheese to melt.

To assemble, top each cheddar burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, 2 slices of bacon and tarragon Russian dressing. Enjoy!

* This is a great all-purpose Russian dressing that would be delicious used on other sandwiches as well.

Posted in EAT, Main Dishes | 4 Comments »

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February 22, 2012

Steakhouse Mushrooms and Arugula

Steakhouse Mushrooms and Arugula

Too much chicken! That was the thought that entered my mind yesterday when I was thinking about the blog and what’s been cooking here recently. Too much chicken! This is a fact that I am constantly reminded of by my daughter, who puts chicken at the bottom of her list of favorite foods. So, to say the New York strips were a welcome surprise last night at dinner, would be an understatement! I rarely cook red meat, but when I do, I run to the farmers market where they have local meat and pick up a few special steaks. Cooking red meat so infrequently warrants cooking only the best quality cuts of beef, and None Such Farms in Buckingham, PA truly has the best.

As delicious as the steaks were, they weren’t the star of the show. This warm mushroom salad with arugula, and grilled whole grain baguette was unbelievable! If you love mushrooms, add this to your next menu. You can serve this as a side, or without the meat as a vegetarian dinner. It looks like a lot of mushrooms when you first put them in the pan, but they shrink down quite a bit as they cook.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6 as a side dish)

  • 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
  • 24oz sliced button mushrooms
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • A few cups baby arugula
  • Shaved Pecorino Romano cheese (as much as you like)
  • Kosher salt & pepper to taste
  • Really good bread (baguette, ciabatta, etc.)

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large (12-14″ frypan) over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently until they soften. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until their juices release and they begin to turn golden brown. Add some salt and pepper, the fresh herbs and stir. Raise the heat slightly and add the balsamic vinegar and the remaining 3tbsp olive oil. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. The vinegar and oil will become the dressing/sauce for the dish.

In a large, low serving bowl or a rimmed platter, pour the mushroom mixture over the fresh arugula leaves. The arugula leaves will wilt from the heat of the mushrooms. Sprinkle over the ribbons of fresh Pecorino cheese. Pile the mushrooms, cheese and arugula over big wedges of grilled bread. YUM!

**TO GRILL THE BREAD

Rub the sliced bread with a little olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Grill for a minute or two until beautiful char marks appear and the bread becomes perfectly crispy.


Posted in EAT, Sides, Soups, Salads & Sandwiches | 7 Comments »

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