Weddings and Burgers

Last night I got to carve out a bit of time to take a break from wedding planning and do what I've always loved most, just cook. The Beatles were blasting in the background and our kitchen was so humid and hot from having the stove on but it didn't matter. I was able to tune everything else out and just focus on the task at hand - making a burger. Sounds easy enough but this wasn't just any old burger I was making. 

"Before we get married," said Burger Boy, "I'd like you to make me a burger". It's true, in all of our time together, I've never once made him a burger and I can't blame a guy for wanting to see what he's signing up for before we get married next week (!!). So I took my responsibilities seriously and selected a blend of different cuts to grind myself. I also made the bun myself, attempting a homemade Portuguese bun. Pillowy, yet just substantial enough to hold up from first bite to last, it worked beautifully. I also made a homemade ketchup that was designed to accentuate the burger and be a cross between a ketchup and steak sauce. Cabot Clothbound, intensely rich in cheddar flavor yet still melts well, was my cheese of choice. Crisped Panchetta "Chips" gave an extra bit of saltiness as well as some texture and I, as well as my burger loving companion, was very pleased with the results. Looks like I passed the test and there will be a wedding after all!

It's so very hard for me to believe that in just a couple of days time, I will be a Mrs. I've thought of this day my whole life and it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that this day is right within my reach. Within the next couple of days various family and friends from out of town will be arriving and that will be next phase of making this whirlwind of an experience all the more real. I really can't wait! Once we're married, we are off to Italy and we plan to do nothing but eat, drink and relax (and maybe visit a cultural landmark or two..). We need to unwind and just celebrate the start of our life together. 

To address one last important thing, to be fair, in exchange for making him a burger, he's making me an ultimate pizza tonight. I'm an absolute sucker for a great pie and as I type this, he's hard at work making me the pizza of my dreams. I can't help wondering what toppings he'll put on it. I just hope there's lots of cheese involved :) but pressure's on and tonight he's in the hot seat! And on that note, I temporarily bid you adios. Back to working out some final details. Next time I write my wedding will just be a memory and I'll be a Mrs. who has been to Italy and can't wait to tell you all about it! 

Warm Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

I made this Cheeseburger dip a couple weeks ago, per the request of you-know-who. He had been asking me to make him something with a cheeseburgery theme to it and it took me a little while to finalize this recipe, because it seemed like there were so many directions to go in. I made this for a Superbowl party that we hosted and I'm just now getting around to writing it because it's been a crazier than normal couple of weeks. We're now in the thick of our wedding planning and reaching the midpoint. Tomorrow marks our 100 day countdown until we say our "I do's" and I get to be Mrs. Burger Boy! In between one of the busiest couple of months The Skinny Beet has had to date, we are finalizing the band, creating centerpieces and selecting invitations and with each detail, our wedding becomes more real. 

This past weekend, the real icing on the proverbial Wedding Cake (or in our case, French Macaroon) was the fact that I had my bridal shower. Expertly hosted by my lovely Sister, Mom (and even Dad had a hand in it) some of my nearest and dearest brunched with me, sipped mimosas and watched me unwrap toasters, new towels and wine glasses. The whole day was surreal and it hit me, I'm getting married! In talking more about my upcoming nuptuals to my burger-lover for life, it only seems fitting to provide a recipe for Cheeseburger Dip. 

When I set out to make this, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Obviously the point was to mimic a burger but make it into an ooey-gooey cheesy and scoopable form. I started by making a simple roux (butter and flour mixture) then added sharp cheddar cheese and a little Worcestershire, Ketchup and Mustard, which give it that "burger" taste. Already browned ground beef get added to the mix before some briny pickles are mixed in. You could, of course top the whole thing off with lettuce and tomatoes (or whatever other burger fixin's you fancy) or just leave it as is. Serve with Sesame Rounds (sliced and toasted sesame bread) or tortillas, Pita Chips, etc. Surprise the burger-lover in your life with this fun dip or just make it for yourself :) 

Warm Bacon Cheeseburger Dip 

- Olive Oil for the pan

- 3/4 pound ground beef

- 1/2 Onion, cut into half-moon sized slivers

- 1/2 stick butter

- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup whole milk (more if needed)

- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

- 3-4 slices of American Cheese

- A couple splashes of Worcestershire Sauce

- 1 TBS Keptchup (a little more if desired)

- 1/2 TBS Mustard (a little more if desired)

- 1/2 cup Kosher Dill Pickles, divided

- 2-3 pieces cooked, crumbled bacon 

- Salt, to taste

- Sesame Rounds, Pita Chips or Tortilla Chips for dipping

In a medium, cast iron skillet (or regular skillet), heat just enough olive oil to coat the skillet. Add the ground beef and brown. Once meat is browned, remove from skillet and set aside. Drain skillet of any excess fat. Add the onions and heat on medium-low heat until they are caramelized and very soft. Add the butter and flour, stirring to combine. Heat for a minute or two until the roux starts to smell nutty. Add the milk and stir to combine. Add the cheese and heat until it's melted. You should be left with a thick sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk. Add the ground beef to the skillet along with the Worcestershire, Ketchup and Mustard. Finally, add half of the pickles and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with remaining pickles and bacon. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. 

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"Burger" Cupcakes

This past weekend was Burger Boy's Birthday. I found it only natural to create some sort of burger-inspired dessert and I had been agonizing over what sort of sweet treat I wanted to make him. After deciding I didn't want to make a cake (tougher to share with friends), I settled on the next best thing: burger cupcakes!

Inspired by this post from Bakerella, I created my own version consisting of a buttermilk-vanilla bean cupcake "bun", toffee brownie "meat" and cream cheese frosting "lettuce", "tomato" and "cheese". Each individual cupcake was then topped off with sesame seeds.

I tweaked some recipes that I had found online to make these and found that they all came together nicely. The buttermilk-vanilla bean cupcake was just faintly sweet and helped to balance out the richness of the fudgey brownies. I added toffee to the brownie batter, not only because it's a Burger Boy favorite, but because they added a nice surprising crunchy texture. The cream cheese frosting helped to tie it all together with a complimentary tang.  

I have to say, these were really fun to make and they even helped me discover that when it comes to creating my own baked goods and doing something new with some flexibility for creativity, that's when I get excited and really begin to enjoy baking. These babies look a little trickier to make than they actually are. No doubt they take a little time to pull together but I guarantee the burger lover in your life will love them.

"Burger" Cupcakes

Cupcakes: The recipe for the Buttermilk cupcakes came from Martha Stewart and can be found here. For an added boost, I split a whole vanilla bean down the middle, scraped out the seeds and then added them to the batter. Just be sure to make the brownies in paper muffin tins so that the sides of them don't brown. Let the cupcakes cool completely before cutting them in half, just under the muffin top.

Brownies: The brownie recipe comes from Food Network's Alton Brown. Rich and chocolaty, they were a snap to put together. As mentioned above, I added broken up bits of a toffee bar to the batter, just before baking. Let them cool before using a biscuit cutter (that's approximately the same size as the cupcakes) to cut out little rounds.

Frosting:  This has always been my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe, apologies, I've been using it so long I don't know what the original source is. To make, combine 1 package of softened cream cheese, 1 stick of softened butter and 1 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract and blend until well incorporated. I then divided the frosting into four bowls and used food coloring to create a brown (for the top of the bun) redish (for the tomato) green (lettuce) and yellow (cheese). I then put each color into a separate disposable piping bag and was ready to go!

Next comes the assembly. Simply place a brownie on top of one of the cupcake bottoms. Pipe each of the "toppings" onto the brownie, making sure they overlap and sort of hang off the edges. Frost the top of the cupcake with brown frosting, add sesame seeds and place on top of the frosted brownie. Repeat this for all of the cupcakes.

The Avenue Burger "Meat"-Up

Just before the start of the New Year, I attended one last local food event, the Burger "Meat"- Up at The Avenue in Allston. The Avenue is not a place you'd walk by and think to yourself, "I bet the food in there is great" and I can't say I blame you. With an outdated exterior that gets it's decor from neon beer signs and a glowing blue roof, it's something that could easily be dismissed as a seedy bar by day and college dive bar by night. But don't let that fool you, the burgers in there are worth the trip.

The Avenue Burger

The Menu for the evening

I have had these burgers a couple of times now and my experience with each visit has been consistently the same - a nice thin patty, seasoned well, served with crispy bacon, adequately cheesed and padded between two pieces of a soft roll, what more could you ask for? With my burger choice, the Bacon Cheddar Delux only making a $4.50 dent in my wallet and a big basket of sweet potato tots making me dip only $2.00 deeper, I'm happy. While I suspect the tots may be of the frozen variety, I don't care, they're addicting. Crispy on the outside and soft, sweet and potatoey on the inside, when dipped in the accompanying maple-bacon ketchup, it's a nice change of pace from the standard fry option. 

Getting back to last week's "Meat"-Up, it was hosted by Burger Boy and held in conjunction with the folks at The Avenue to help announce their new burger menu, to be unveiled early this year. The event started with a hand stamp and a drink ticket that got each guest unlimited burgers off of a special menu, tots and fries and a beer, not to mention the opportunity to mingle with other local burger lovers. Also, throughout the night, a contest for who could build the best burger was held and a winner, who's burger will appear on the menu for a month, will be selected soon. 

Addicting sweet potato tots with Maple-Bacon Ketchup

It was great to see some familiar faces, some that have helped us out serving at our Harvard dinners (Thanks Katie, Colleen and Cameron!) and some we taught cooking classes for as well as some new faces, it was a fun way to close out 2011. Looking forward to 2012 and hopefully more burger Meat Ups!

Katie and Scott showing off their stamps 

Colleen and Cameron eating tots

Homemade Burgers - Take 2

As fun as it is to visit different restaurants in search of the best burger that our city has to offer, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction gained from the challenge of perfecting the homemade burger. In a second attempt, Burger Boy and I got to work utilizing a different (and top secret for now) blend of meat, creating a homemade spicy blackberry ancho sauce and selecting a trio of cheeses (because sometimes just one isn't enough).

Because everyone has their own definition of a perfect burger, maybe it helps if I start off this post with an explanation of what sorts of things we're looking for in these home trials. To me, the perfect burger is medium-rare, seasoned well and simply with salt and pepper. I like a nice crusted exterior and juices flowing all the way through. Ideally, the toppings are uncomplicated, yet still creative enough to keep things interesting and in my ideal burger world, I can distinctly taste each individual component of the burger, but the flavor of the meat is still the star. When it comes to the bun, I want a soft, lightly toasted bun that is big enough to support my burger and toppings without being too bulky and stealing the spotlight. I think a nice classic bun works best (brioche need not apply) and I prefer seeded rolls to non-seeded because I love that textural "pop".

Getting back to this particular batch of homemade burgers, we utilized a blend of meats and seasoned only with salt and pepper. As always, the meat was ground by us and loosely packed before hitting a hot skillet. Once they were cooked to their desired level of doneness and the cheese had turned into a deliciously melty, gooey mess, they were gently laid on top of sesame studded buns and drizzled with the homemade spicy blackberry ancho sauce, a crisped round of pancetta and served alongside, in a last ditch effort to enjoy the flavors of summer before they're gone, a cooling and summery watermelon, fennel and cucumber salad. While burgers are a classically summer time favorite and while the warmer days might be winding down, the homemade burgers will be going all year long.

Is Boston's Best Burger at Pop's?

The burger at Pop's reminds me of that hot guy that you went on a date with who turned out to be a bit of a dud. Looking at him, you couldn't stop staring at him and were psyched to even be sitting at the same table with him. You couldn't help but feel that everyone was looking at you, heck, even staring at you, wishing they were in your shoes. But then you got to know him a bit and see what he was all about and he became less appealing by the minute.

No doubt, the Pop's burger ($14) is a head turner. As it made its way from the kitchen to the spot in front of me at the table, people were watching, enviously. For sitting in front of me was a massive burger piled high on an exaggeratedly big, glossy bun and a tall cone of golden french fries spilling out of the top. I couldn't help thinking that this just might be one of the largest burgers that I've seen since my quest started.

Excitedly, I tore into it, revealing an initial bite of strong pepper followed by intense sweetness, thanks to the bun which, while had a nice flavor on its own, was almost dessert-like and overpowered everything. Hiding under the bun was a little pile of caramelized onions, a sparse scattering of button mushrooms, bits of bacon and a thin layer of cheddar cheese. While a traditional choice of toppings, they didn't bear traditional flavors and I found the onions to be too sticky-sweet and the bacon, while crispy, to be off tasting. The cheese and mushrooms weren't significant enough to even make an impact on the overall flavor of the over-peppered patty.  The fries were odd too; while seasoned well and golden brown, they looked the part but weren't very crispy and instead were dense and lacked that deep, desirable potato flavor.

While Pop's atmosphere is a comforting one, its prime South End location ideal and the service terrifically attentive and friendly, this burger was a bust.

Three Burgers, One Post - The Gallows, Burger's Priest and White Hut

The Burger's Priest - "The Priest" Burger

It's been a while since I last wrote about a burger and I've missed it. I think somewhere between fresh produce being available to me at the ready (thank you, summer) and the desire to cook more at home, I've neglected my dear friend, the burger. Please accept this post, with three reviews, as my formal apology...

The Gallows - "Our Way" Burger

Starting things out, The Gallow's located in the South End, is just simply a good burger. For a mere $10, you can enjoy their "Our Way" burger, served with American cheese, grilled onions, iceberg lettuce and homemade pickles. A thin patty bearing that favorable, crackly griddled crust and American cheese that's so melted it almost doubles as a sauce and adds extra richness to the burger. The pickles provide a further boost of briny flavor and the onions were cut thick and made sweet from the grill. The accompanying fries were hot and salty with a hearty crispness to them. The idea behind this burger isn't rocket science and there's no tricks or games. It's just a classic burger done really well and should be on any local burger lover's list to try.

The Burger's Priest - French Fries

The next burger up for discussion was enjoyed on my Toronto vacation. Obviously not a local burger, it still deserves mention because it was just that damn good. Burger's Priest is a tiny little restaurant marked only by the massive line that is perpetually formed outside of it. Offering only enough seating for about six people, most people get theirs to go. The menu at Burger's Priest is simple: a couple of burger options and fries, all with prices ranging from $7 - $15. Keeping it simple, I opted for the cheeseburger with mustard, tomatoes and pickles, although I immediately wished I had ordered "The Priest" which is a cheeseburger with a breaded and fried portabello mushroom on top (fortunately, I was able to steal a bite of it). Getting to my cheeseburger, quite simply, it was right up there with some of the best that I've had. The meat was buttery soft, loosely packed, juicy and salty. A perfect mess of melted cheese rested on top and the pickles were sweet and tangy. The whole burger was cradled into a cushiony bun that didn't steal the spotlight, and let the beef be the star. The fries, on the other hand, were forgettable; seasoned well but swapped a favorable crispy exterior for an undesirable soggy one.

The White Hut - Cheeseburger 

Lastly on the list, we move a little closer to home, on the other side of the state to The White Hut, located in West Springfield, MA. The White Hut is a classic burger joint that got its start in the 1930's and is still going strong. With a bare-bones approach to its burgers, their paper thin patties hit the griddle for a couple of minutes, and then can be topped with cheese (American) caramelized onions (which I recommend you not pass up) and mustard, ketchup and relish are added, to order. The cheeseburgers are ever so moderately priced at $2.75 each. (Although they're so tiny, you'll probably want two..) The fries were standouts with a crispy exterior, fluffy on the inside and rich in deep potato flavor. While the meat would have benefited from a bit of seasoning, everything was fresh, made to order and generously portioned, considering the exceptionally low price tag.

The White Hut - Fries

In future burger news, I plan to be getting back to my regularly scheduled burger posts soon and Burger Boy and I are going to be taking another crack at perfecting the homemade burger. Stay tuned, burger lovers and in the meantime, tell me, have you had any good burgers this summer?

Is Boston's Best Burger at Home?

For the past 8 months or so, Burger Boy and I have been sampling and critiquing meat, toppings, buns and fries all over the city. It seems only fair that we team up to make one ourselves, right? For our burger, we wanted to keep it relatively simple: burger, sauteed mushrooms, sharp cheddar cheese and a homemade barbecue sauce. While the details of this recipe are under wraps for now, I wanted to share the pictures from our homemade burgers...

The best burgers start by grinding your own meat..

..and then packing it loosely

We topped our burger s with sauteed mushrooms with garlic and herbs

And then added a splash of homemade barbecue sauce - sweet, smoky and spicy!

Cabot Extra Sharp cheese was melted on top

Look how juicy!

Additionally, we added crispy prosciutto and served with truffle polenta fries 

I find that no matter how many burgers I eat at restaurants, the best ones are the ones that are made from scratch and in the comforts of home. There's something about a pile of ingredients on the counter and being the one tossing in a pinch of this and that, that yield you something better than when it's prepared at a restaurant. While the results of our burgers were pretty darn good, we're just getting started here. Be on the lookout for details of our adventures in perfecting the home burger, in addition to our regularly scheduled quest to find Boston's Best Burger..

Is Boston's Best Burger at Market?

"Market Cheeseburger, Russian Dressing, $16" printed plainly and simply in black and white is how the menu at Market reads. Because of this, I think it's an easy one to overlook and write off as another fancy restaurant that only put a burger on it's menu out of obligation. However, burger lovers out there, don't make that assumption and pass up this burger because if you do, you'll be missing out on arguably one of my new favorite burgers.

This particular burger is not a new addition to my favorites list because it's flashy or takes risks and utilizes unique ingredients. Instead, it's just a big, classic-style burger, done right and seasoned really well - it's everything you'd want a good burger to be - juicy, salty and kissed with a bit of char. Additionally, there was a nice thick layer of cheese that held on tight to my burger and could actually be tasted with each bite, a quality that is sometimes difficult to find. The advertised Russian dressing was a small smear on the top of the heavily seeded sesame bun. It doesn't play a major part in the overall taste but it does help to give that burger a last little boost of flavor, making it a standout.

The fries, like the burger, were everything you'd want a good french fry to be - hot, crispy and salty. They had a rich and deep potato flavor to them, a weird comment I realize, but true nonetheless and the best way I can describe it. The entire meal comes in a straightforward presentation with the burger served open faced and the fries neatly organized into a little cone. There's no tricks here, there's no fanfare, just honesty.

While $16 might sound a little pricey for a burger (it's $14 at lunch), for my money, I'd prefer to spend the extra couple dollars on something stellar than save a couple dollars and have something less then good. In terms of Market itself, the atmosphere is trendy and just like the food, precise in its approach and all around, definitely a place not to miss.

Is Boston's Best Burger at Rialto?

In the land of burgers, the bacon cheeseburger is king, and while two bacon cheeseburgers can be two very different experiences, the truth of the matter is that it's the standard burger offering. Since I joined Burger Boy on his quest this past October, I've certainly had my fair share of bacon cheeseburgers. As much as I appreciate the classic, I sometimes find myself begging for someone to do something other than a bacon cheeseburger on brioche. I know it's just a burger, but I'd love to see some risks taken to change up the game a little bit and to make things exciting. I was psyched that this week's burger offered something different on their menu.

Rialto is a dimly lit swanky spot hidden in a corner of The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square and is run by celebrity chef Jody Adams. I found the atmosphere to be friendly and the staff to be polite, hospitable and welcoming. At Rialto, the burger ($15) itself is a tall, thick patty that arrives on a long, oblong white plate, neatly piled high on top of a puddle of orangey-red pepper sauce, disks of fresh mozzarella, and paper thin pieces of prosciutto laid on top. The bun is pale and soft, sprinkled with sesame seeds and lightly toasted, tasting somewhat reminiscent of a buttermilk biscuit but with the texture of soft sourdough bread. It looked bland but was quite tasty and thick enough to support such a massive burger. My only gripe with it was that it was way too wide for such a tall burger patty and it was a little difficult to eat due to its size.  

While I welcomed the change of pace and thought that the combinations of flavor worked well, I also thought there were some missed opportunities for texture that would have really made this burger shine. I couldn't help but be disappointed that the cheese wasn't melted, instead it was just placed on top and the prosciutto seemed to get lost. Had the cheese been melted and the prosciutto crisped, I think I would have enjoyed it much more. In addition, I think that the meat could have been seasoned a little more heavily, but it did have a deliciously inviting and buttery soft feel to it. 

The fries were another surprise, they were so crispy and thin with deep ripples running through, they were almost more of a potato chip than a french fry. They were seasoned well and dotted with pickled jalapeño peppers. While I would have preferred something resembling more of a french fry, it was still a nice change up from the same-old stuff. In sum, while I appreciated the change of pace, I think that this burger was just shy of being something special.

Two burgers in one week at the Bristol Lounge

The "Small Boston Kitchen" Burger, Bristol Lounge

Happy National Burger Day, burger lovers! After a whole month of celebrating this month with, what else other than burgers, this day is specifically set aside in order for us to pay homage to that cheese-coated, juicy beef patty that we all love so. In celebration of this momentous holiday, today I'm going to be talking about not one, but two burgers, both featured this week at the Bristol Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel.

Last month, in anticipation of National Burger Month, Burger Boy and I were invited to the Four Seasons to create our own burger to be featured on their menu for a day and this week, both of our burgers made their appearance. This past Sunday, Burger Boy's burger, topped with cheddar, bacon, pickles and a roasted garlic, bacon, mustard mayonnaise, was on the menu. The bacon was exceptionally crisp and it crackled with each bite while the bacon infused mayo further punctuated the smokiness to create a pretty tasty burger. Jeez, you'd think this guy knows a thing or two about burgers!

The "Boston Burger Blog" Burger

My "Small Boston Kitchen" burger was featured on yesterday's menu and was served with bacon, caramelized onions, a combo of mozzarella and provolone cheeses and served on a pesto-laced brioche bun. I loved all of the bold flavors and how they complimented each other. The salty bacon, the sweet and jammy onions were balanced by the cheeses and the fresh burst of basil. Both burgers were accompanied by the Bristol's famous truffle french fries.

Ginger-Soy Braised Pork Belly

Fried Avocado Spears

In addition to the burgers, the Bristol Lounge pulled out all the stops to make our burger evenings something special. We were treated to complimentary champagne as well as two appetizers: a Ginger-Soy Braised Pork Belly and Fried Avocado Spears accompanied by a refreshing cilantro dipping sauce. A very special thanks to the Bristol Lounge for hosting such a fun evening. And to answer the question that I'm sure everyone's dying to know, which burger was better - Mine or Burger Boy's?

Mine. Duh.

And on that note, I ask you to raise your cheeseburgers high today in celebration of National Cheeseburger Day! Cheers!