The Tastiest Of Burgers

 What makes a summer barbecue memorable? It's not the sides or the drinks. It's the burgers. If a hamburger is made and grilled just the right way , then people will be talking about it well into the winter. How to create the ultimate hamburger? There are a few tips to follow.

Regular contributor and chef J Kenjo Lopez -Alt gave recipes and tips for doing just so in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Chef Lopez-Alt knows his patties . He's operated several well known burger joints(if they can be called that) along with wrote about them in a monthly column called Burger Lab for the food site Serious Eats.He shows haw even frozen patties can be turned into something delicious with the right cooking and  seasoning along with the right bun and fixings. He recommends using a light touch . Ground beef is an amalgam of proteins ,fat and water.The more a home chef works ro kneads the meat, more proteins bonds form, creating a chewier and tougher in texture burger. Skip such classic add ins as eggs , bread crumbs and herbs. Don;t season the ground beef either. Salt will break down the muscle resulting in a tighter patty  Season only the exteriors for an optimum texture and a nice, salty crust to bite into. How to cook them is simple. Use a high heat and brown For thicker or griddled ones preheat the grill. Thinner ones, do one side first then the other. Make sure they go into the buns as soon as leaving the grill.Also it helps to toast the buns right before too.

Chef Lopez-Alt gives there juicy recipes that are perfect for these upcoming August days. Try his diner burger recipe that is made with an indentation in the middle to prevent bulging as they cook. Cook in either a neutral oil or clarified butter (go for the butter if you want a richer flavor) for about five minutes each side. Add a slice of cheese - Cheddar is good here until the slice is melted, around  135 degrees Farenheit for a minute more. Add mayo to the buns for stability along with whatever looks good. He also includes a recipe for the popular smash burger style. This requires ground beef chuck instead of just ground chuck. They should be cooked on a large  stainless steel saute pan or skillet.Using a spatula ror a bowl, press down on the patties until the edges thin out. Use a scraper or the edge of the spatula to scrape them from the metal before flipping. Place immediately on toasted buns, adding shredded lettuce tomatoes, cheese and onions cut in rings if wanted, For the ultimate burger experience make thick backyard burgers SHape into thick burgers on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cook them on a hot cooking grate or grill. The charcoal should be turning to ash already,Both sides should be cooked for five minutes.If fat drips into the flames, quickly move the patties or the cooler part of the grill. The buns should be already toasting on the grill already.

It's burger season. These three recipes are perfect for a dinner or lunch. They could even  be great for a party. En their juiciness and flavor on a warm bun with all the fixings!

A Family Classic Redone

 Every family has a recipe for leftover mashed potatoes.It could be colcannon.It could be potato puffs. Whatever it is, the mash makes a good base.

I decided to recreate a family classic with leftover potatoes.The idea of fried potatoes with ketchup sounded too good to pass up. I thought it would be a tasty way to use up leftovers.

I knew my mom and Nonna refried them with butter, I also added oil.

A mix of butter and oil is a good mix to use for sauteing and frying. To give ti more body I added about two teaspoons of  flour/

This gave the potatoes the consistency of pancake batter. I feel it needed more of this and an egg binder. It was still good. with more of a soupy quality  better suited for colcannon.

Mashed potatoes can lend themselves to a variety of dishes. Try it this way or try it in anew recipe. mashed potatoes make a good base for many tasty dishes.

Flying Solo

I miss my Mom - and not because it's the holidays. I miss her cooking and baking experience, insights, how she used to be the taster for my savory and sweet dishes. I miss her telling me about family recipes and the stories that go with them.

Losing a mother is the worst pain anyone can go through.Losing a cooking buddy is also hard. I now have to ask my brother if he remembers certain steps in family recipes, handed down from our Italian and German great-grandmothers.Take for example pascoi. This was actually our great grandfather's dish, a stuffed cabbage roll from his area of San Maurizio Canavese outside of Turin. It is an elaborate cook. Savoy cabbage leaves are filled with raw or uncooked polenta and then tied up with simple sewing thread. They're then fried in a mix of garlic, butter and olive oil. My brother had forgotten this step. Luckily I remembered it, The polenta had to get cooked somehow before pickling. The  pickling itself requires red wine vinegar along with garlic and savia. The question is what is the ratio of the vinegar to the salvia, a cousin of sage. Could I use sage instead? Unfortunately there is noone to ask except maybe our cousins who still live in San Maurizio. That begs another question - do they make it?

The loss is also felt when I make her famed chili. This is a  recipe  that all her cousins wanted and made - none coming close to the perfection of hers.I have changed the recipe slightly - ever so slightly with the addition of dark honey to temper the tomatoes' tang.I also add more chili powder , a tablespoon more. It gives the chili a more vibrant color and amps up the flavor.My Mom had tasted it  as I took over the kitchen in the last few years.I would always ask jokingly "Is it better than yours?'
and she'd reply "What do you think?" I made a show of shaking my head no .and say "Nah. It'll never be as good as yours." The same with her tomato sauce. I made it last week and felt it didn't hit the mark . For one thing, I had to add granulated sugar because I didn't have any honey (and again dark honey works much better in a sauce than white sugar. it adds depth - but that's for another post). and used a larger can of tomato sauce. The ravioli were drowning in the sauce.If my Mom had been around she would have chided me for not using a smaller can  -which I now realize I have to do the next time I make sauce.

I miss my Mom more than anyone could ever imagine. I miss my cohort in the kitchen.It is a brave new world for me amidst the pots and pans, herbs and spice. She would want me to conquer it.

Quick Elegance Crepes

There’s nothing like the quick elegance of crepes. They’re the easiest to make out of all th sophisticated dishes. There’s no worry about them falling or over broiling. There’s no fear that you’ve; over cooked or over whipped them. They can be made a variety of ways for a variety of moods. They’re just great to serve - especially during this holiday season.

Crepes are as French as the French themselves. The name derives from the Latin word crispa meaning curled. Crepes started out as buckwheat pancakes in the northwest province of Brittany where they ‘re still made today with the original recipe. They’re traditionally served with cider . For main courses their known as galettes or galettes samasine. Nowadays, crepes can be found all over France and you can easily buy them off street vendors from Paris to Lyon, from Toulouse to Marseilles and Nice.

Crepes are more or less easy to make. Take a batter made from flour, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt and spread thinly over a well oiled or buttered (I prefer butter) frying pan fro just a few minutes. Using a spatula , delicately turn the crepe over and cook the other side. How you stuff them is up to you. I like mine with cooked spinach and a simple béchamel sauce. Another way is just with a sprinkle of lemon and granulated sugar Parisian style. .

Crepes may be a snap to make but they’re also the most elegant. You can serve them as a treat for yourself or for an holiday party. Either way they’re just a great touch to everyday eating.