First of all: Happy New Year!
Unfortunately, with the pace picking up with my job, it doesn't leave nearly the time I would like to blog about (and cook) food more. I am mainly just cooking on the weekends now, with Vanessa picking up the slack during the week, which has been working out. So I have been trying to make it count when I do cook. This is probably one of those times where I 'made it count'.
I was watching Unique Eats on the Cooking Channel and the episode was about insanely awesome burgers. Within this show they had a segment on Village Whiskey restaurant in Philadelphia, which is run by Jose Garces (one of the Iron Chefs America). They started to talk about this burger. And somewhere in the distance, choirs of angels sang, immediately followed by the beating of native drums. They gave no recipe, but they did say what was in/on it (and that it goes for $26 on the menu):
-Burger
-Bleu cheese melted on top
-Sitting on a bun with applewood-smoked bacon
-Cipollini onions with a bourbon and maple glaze (!)
-Topped with a slice of seared foie gras (!!)
I knew immediately that this was to be our New Year's Eve meal. I got to work writing a recipe for it, having only a few minutes of TV to go on. I drove across the island to go to the only place I know that has foie gras.
I don't want to toot my own horn here, but...
toot....tooooooot
Though I cannot claim the concept as my own, I CAN say that it's the best burger I have ever prepared AND the best burger I have ever eaten. It easily stands with any other "gourmet" burger I've ever had, and there have been a few.
The harmony of flavor here was indescribable, but I'll try: maple-y/bourbon-y sweet onions, giving way to salty bleu cheese, giving way to a delicately juicy burger, finished with the fatty, unctuous decadence of the foie gras. To get all of this in each and every bite, was a religious experience.
There were a few times I had to back up off of it and hit the fries to prevent overload. Just got a new fryer, for which this was the maiden voyage, and the yummy aioli (my idea!) was a nice, sweet/spicy counterpoint to the savory-insane burger.
BURGER
1/2 pound ground veal
12 ounces ground Maui grass-fed beef, or the best ground beef you can find
12 ounces ground beef short rib
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hamburger buns, toasted
1/2 pound ground veal
12 ounces ground Maui grass-fed beef, or the best ground beef you can find
12 ounces ground beef short rib
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hamburger buns, toasted
MAPLE-BOURBON GLAZED ONIONS
12 cipollini onions, halved
2 tablespoons butter
water, as needed, to just cover the onions
1 splash bourbon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
OTHER TOPPINGS
6 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled
6 slices foie gras
6 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
6 slices foie gras
6 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
SWEET POTATO FRIES
5-6 large sweet potato, cut into fry-sized batons
peanut oil or duck fat, for deep frying
sea salt, for sprinkling
thyme leaves, for sprinkling
MAPLE-CHILE AIOLI
1 clove garlic, germ removed
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
BURGER
Combine all of the meats, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly by hand. Divide the mixture into six equal portions and form into patties (if using immediately) or into a single, uniform log (if freezing for later use). If using immediately, chill the patties in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking.
AIOLI
Place the garlic cloves in the food processor. Add the salt and half the olive oil. Process for a few seconds, then add the yolk and mix well. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the rest of the olive oil and process until smooth. Stir in the maple syrup and chile powder. Keep refrigerated until needed. (NOTE: If your aioli 'breaks', put another egg yolk into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on medium speed, and *very slowly* drizzle in, a few drops at a time first, the 'broken' mixture, waiting to see if the emulsion is happening before you add more.)
ONIONS
Heat the butter over medium-heat until it starts to foam. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, stirring to combine, cooking until the onions start getting some color. Add the water (enough to just cover the onions), bourbon and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, then cover with a parchment lid and continue to cook, shaking the onions around to keep them moving around and coated. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a glaze and the onions are cooked through. Set aside.
FINISH BURGER
Cook the bacon in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until done. Remove, then pat dry on paper towels. Set aside.
Heat a grill to high. When the grill is hot cook the burgers over direct heat for 2-3 minutes on the first side. Flip over and cook over direct heat for another 2 minutes or so. Move the burgers to indirect heat and top with the bleu cheese. Close the lid and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill and set aside. (NOTE: You could also heat the buns on the grill here for a bit while everything else is cooking.)
Meanwhile, get a non-stick skillet heated over medium-high heat. When hot, sear the foie gras, 45 seconds on one side, then 20 seconds on the second until it has some good color and hasn't melted away too much. Pull off the heat and place the bacon, then the burger on the bun. Put some onions on the top and top with the foie gras. Place the top bun and serve.
FRIES
Blanch the potatoes in a large bowl of water for a few hours. Drain and allow to dry. Heat the oil (or fat) to 300F. When hot, add the potatoes, working in batches if necessary, and cook 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside on paper towels while you do the other fries. Heat the oil now to 375F. When hot, re-fry the potatoes for another 2-3 minutes, until they turn a nice, golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain, and immediately sprinkle with salt and thyme. Serve with the aioli.
