THE Dish: Richard Blais' Butchers Cut Burger
(CBS News) NEW YORK -- To celebrate Memorial Day, renowned chef Richard Blais prepared his All-American ultimate dish: the burger -- but with a twist!
On "CBS This Morning: Saturday," the winner of winner of Bravo's 2011 Top Chef All-Stars shared the recipes for his Butchers Cut Burger, a well as Vodka-Battered Onion Rings and Homemade Root Beer Floats.
Richard started his career at McDonalds. He's gone a long way since.
He was to open a restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday called The Spence.
Richard's special burger contains, among other ingredients, crumbled bleu cheese, caramelized onions, soy truffle vinaigrette, frisee, pickled shallots and truffle aioli.
He's known for his unique, innovative approach to cooking: Though his dishes might at times resemble a science project, the results are well worth the effort.
All "CBS This Morning: Saturday" recipes
Blog: "What's Cooking"
Special section: Food and Wine
RECIPES
Butchers Cut Burger
Yield 4 burgers
Ingredients yield 4G (64 each 8oz bowls)
- 4 ea 6 oz hamburger patties
- 4 high quality hamburger buns
- Melted butter to brush on buns
- 4 oz red wine jam
- 6 oz caramelized onions
- 4 oz cumbled high quality blue cheese
- 2 oz frisee, pale leaves, washed and dried
- Evoo to dress the frisee
- 4 teaspoons pickled shallots
- 4 teaspoons truffle soy vinaigrette
- Salt and pepper
For the red wine jam:
Ingredients:
- 1 qt red wine
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 onion, large dice
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon Agar-agar
Method:
Reduce the red wine, sugar and onion 80 percent
Strain out the onion
Whisk in the agar agar until the the jam thickens
Cool
Blend - the consistency should be that of jam
For the onions:
Ingredients
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt, pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan
Sautee the onions in the pan until golden
Add the butter and continue to sautee until deep brown
Season with salt and pepper
Hold warm
For the pickled shallots:
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, peeled and sliced thin on the mandolin
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 pinches salt
Method:
Bring the vinegar, sugar and salt to a full boil
Make sure the sugar has totally dissolved
Cool completely
Cover the sliced shallots with the pickle
Pickle at least 24 hours
For the truffle soy vinaigrette:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 oz white truffle oil
- 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum
- Water to adjust
- Salt and pepper
Method:
Combine soy and lemon juice in a bowl
Whisk in neutral oil
Drizzle in truffle oil
Add xantham gum (use an immersion blender if possible)
Season
To assemble the burger:
Season the patties with salt and pepper
Cook to desired temperature
Cut the buns in half and toast them brushed with butter
Spoon the red wine jam on the bottom bun
Layer the cooked patty
Top with warm onions and crumbled blue cheese
Season the frisee with a drop of evoo, salt and pepper
Drain the shallots from the pickle liquid
Split the sliced pickled shallots between the 4 burgers
Drizzle the top with the truffle soy vinaigrette
Blue cheese dressing
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 dash tobacco
- 1/2 cup crumbled sharp blue cheese (maytag) + 2 tablespoons
- 1 lemon, juice
- Water to adjust
- Salt, pepper
Method
Mix everything in a large bowl except the 2 tablespoons blue cheese
Puree in a blender
Adjust with water if necessary
Stir in the remaining 2 Tablespoons blue crumbles
Season with salt and pepper
For more of Richard's recipes, go to Page 2.
Vodka-Battered Onion Rings
Yield: 4 order onion rings
Ingredients
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1-1/2 cups beer, cold
- 1/4 cup vodka, cold
- 1 teaspoon honey
- AP Flour to coat the onions
- 2 large onions
- Salt and pepper
Method
Heat deep fry oil to 350F
Prepare the tempura batter
Gently whisk the flour, rice flour, beer, vodka and honey
Do not over-whisk
Put aside for one hour
Slice the onions 1/4-inch thick and separate
Remove the inner core of the onions - keep the large onions rings only
Toss with flour, salt and pepper
Dip the rings individually into the tempura batter
Cook in deep fry oil until crisp
Drain on paper towels
Serve hot
Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large head iceburg lettuce
- 8 oz blue cheese dressing
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, red and yellow, washed and cut in half
- Crispy bacon bits - good quality
- 4 oz crumbled sharp blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- Salt and pepper
Method
Cut the head of iceburg into 4 discs
Put in a drain pan and rinse with cold water
Leave the discs in the drain pan and cover with ice to chill and make crisp
Pat dry after 1 hour
Cover each disc with the blue cheese dressing
Split the remaining ingredients among the 4 discs
Season with salt and fresh ground pepper
Fried pickles
Yield: 4 orders
Ingredients
- 3 kirby cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lite brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- For the tempura, see onion ring recipe
Method
Wash the cucumbers in water
Slice thin on a mandolin
Sprinkle with salt
Cure for 4 hours with salt
Rinse cucumbers well in cold running water
Put aside
Meanwhile prepare the pickle liquid
Bring vinegar, sugar, brown sugar and spices to a full boil
Make sure the sugar dissolves
Cool completely
Cover the sliced, washed cucumbers with the cold pickle
Cure for 2 days
To make the fried pickles:
Preheat deep fryer to 350F
Drain the sliced pickles from the turmeric liquid
Pat dry
Toss with seasoned flours as for onion rings
Individually coat with tempura batter
Drop each piece into deep fryer
Fry until golden
Drain on paper towel
Serve hot
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Yield: 1 pint
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespooons ranch powder
Method
Whisk all together
Root Beer Float
Put ice cream on root beer!