The Art Of The Burger

Chef On A Shoestring Shows How To Construct One Fine Specimen

(CBS) 


Nancy's Burgers
Serves 4

Here's Nancy's idea of hamburger heaven: buffet-style, a choice of three mayos (including "the good old store-bought kind — you've got to have it"), three kinds of cheese, bacon, avocado, heirloom tomatoes, and some nice seeded buns. For the ground beef, she recommends asking your butcher for her custom blend: 2¾ pounds of whole prime chuck (10 to 15 percent fat) ground with 4 to 6 ounces of prime sirloin (13 percent fat).

Garlic Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 large cloves garlic, grated or minced (about 1 heaping teaspoon)

Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon puréed canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
3 large cloves garlic, grated or minced
Salt

8 strips applewood-smoked bacon
2 ripe avocados
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large ripe heirloom, Brandywine, Russian, or Beefsteak tomato, sliced ¼-inch thick
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 ounces blue cheese (optional)
3 ounces cheddar cheese (optional)
3 ounces Gruyère cheese
2 pounds ground beef
3 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large sesame or poppy seed hamburger buns
Extra virgin olive oil
4 (5-inch-wide) iceberg lettuce leaf halves
Heinz Ketchup
Best Foods Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard, smooth and coarse-grained
Tuscan pepperoncini (such as Mezzetta brand)
Dill pickles, sliced lengthwise into quarters or eighths

To prepare the garlic mayonnaise, whisk together the mayonnaise, oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir in the salt and half of the garlic. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more garlic, salt, and lemon juice as needed.

To prepare the chipotle mayonnaise, whisk together the mayonnaise, oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the chiles, cilantro, half of the garlic, and salt to taste and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more garlic, salt, and lemon juice as needed

Place a skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon for about 8 minutes, until just short of crispiness, to avoid shattering when eating. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Cut the avocados into quarters and place in a serving dish. Sprinkle lightly with the lemon juice and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the tomato slices on a plate and season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange the onion slices on a plate and season lightly with sea salt and pepper.

Slice the Gruyère with a cheese plane onto a serving plate.

Making the burgers:

1. Preheat a gas grill to high, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill, or place a seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat.
   
2. Being careful not to overwork the meat, shape the ground beef into 4 patties, about 2 inches thick and 4 inches in diameter.
   
3. Sprinkle both sides of the patties with about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 4 to 6 grindings of black pepper.
   
4. Place the burgers on the grill rack or in the skillet. Sear them until they can be turned without sticking, then turn them. (For rare, cook about 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 4 minutes (for medium-rare, 5 minutes on each side; for medium, 6 minutes.)
   
5. As the burgers are cooking, brush the cut sides of the buns with oil. Place the buns, cut side down, on the grill rack or in the pan, for 1 to 2 minutes, to toast. Just before the burgers are done cooking, sprinkle with a little good-quality sea salt, then top with one of the cheeses and let it melt.
   
6. To serve, have guests place lettuce, onion, tomato, bacon, and avocado on the bottom half of their toasted bun. Place the burger on top, then the top of the bun. Serve the burgers with the Chipotle mayonnaise, regular mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pepperoncini, and pickles.

Blackberry Yogurt Soup with Warm Blackberry Compote, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Buttery Wafer Cookies

For the Soup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons strained whole milk Greek yogurt
2 ounces frozen blackberries (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 scant teaspoon honey

For the Compote
4 ounces frozen blackberries (about 1 cup)
3/4 teaspoon sugar

8 scoops premium vanilla ice cream

Method:

To make the soup, combine the yogurt, blackberries, sugar, and honey together in a blender and puree until the mixture is smooth.

To make the compote, gently stir the blackberries and sugar together in a medium bowl and cook them in the microwave until the berries are heated through, about 1½ minutes. (Alternatively, combine berries and sugar in a small oven-proof dish and place it in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.)

Ladle the soup into four large soup or dessert plates, dividing it evenly. Place 2 scoops of ice cream nestled side-by-side and spoon the blackberry compote over the ice cream.