Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
This is not a primer on cooking the perfect burger. Rather, it is an illustration about how sometimes, less can be more.
I quickly made a burger this morning, to be used for my lunch. it was 80/20 ground round, with a sprinkling of salt, ground black pepper, and garlic, fried in a cast iron pan until just barely cooked through, with a blush of pink. The burger was topped with a slice of ordinary Velveeta cheese, nothing fancy, and placed in an airtight container. It was done just before leaving for work, which is a seven minute drive from home, and placed into the office refrigerator along with a whole wheat hamburger bun, and a tbs. or so of Ketchup. One side of the bun (the top) was drizzled with a tsp. of black truffle oil, which was spread evenly and aloud to penetrate the bun. The bun was packed in its own bag, along with the cheese slice. At lunch time, the burger was heated to temperature, and the cheese burger was assembled.
I need to let you know about this because it was so juicy and good. The microwave did a great job, and the burger was as juicy and fresh tasting as if I'd just made it. And the bun was soft, the cheese melted, and because it was uncooked, the flavor of the truffle oil married beautifully with the other ingredients.
There are other great burgers, where the beef is grilled over fire, picking up the great flavor, and served with tomato, bacon, lettuce, etc. But in the burger I made, I was looking for the truffle oil to shine. More ingredients would have hidden it. And if you've never used truffle oil, be aware, you can't cook with it, or even put it into a cooking sauce. The aromatic flavors are delicate, and will evaporate into the atmosphere. Truffle oil is a finishing oil, but is strong enough when used properly to enhance an entire dish with but a tsp. or so of product.
Try this burger. It's a great change of pace from the big mac, or whopper style burgers. It has a touch of elegance and tastes great.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
I quickly made a burger this morning, to be used for my lunch. it was 80/20 ground round, with a sprinkling of salt, ground black pepper, and garlic, fried in a cast iron pan until just barely cooked through, with a blush of pink. The burger was topped with a slice of ordinary Velveeta cheese, nothing fancy, and placed in an airtight container. It was done just before leaving for work, which is a seven minute drive from home, and placed into the office refrigerator along with a whole wheat hamburger bun, and a tbs. or so of Ketchup. One side of the bun (the top) was drizzled with a tsp. of black truffle oil, which was spread evenly and aloud to penetrate the bun. The bun was packed in its own bag, along with the cheese slice. At lunch time, the burger was heated to temperature, and the cheese burger was assembled.
I need to let you know about this because it was so juicy and good. The microwave did a great job, and the burger was as juicy and fresh tasting as if I'd just made it. And the bun was soft, the cheese melted, and because it was uncooked, the flavor of the truffle oil married beautifully with the other ingredients.
There are other great burgers, where the beef is grilled over fire, picking up the great flavor, and served with tomato, bacon, lettuce, etc. But in the burger I made, I was looking for the truffle oil to shine. More ingredients would have hidden it. And if you've never used truffle oil, be aware, you can't cook with it, or even put it into a cooking sauce. The aromatic flavors are delicate, and will evaporate into the atmosphere. Truffle oil is a finishing oil, but is strong enough when used properly to enhance an entire dish with but a tsp. or so of product.
Try this burger. It's a great change of pace from the big mac, or whopper style burgers. It has a touch of elegance and tastes great.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
