Blue Cheese Burgers

Sorry for the delay in posting this recipe.  Once the weekend got started, I ditched the computer until last night.  Last week I wrote about Bobby Flay's Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes from his book Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes.  Greg had bought some fresh ground beef from the farmer's market and I wanted a recipe that would feature it, so I decided on burgers.  There were about 10 different burgers I wanted to try, but I already had most of the ingredients for this one so I went for it.

Bobby recommends seasoning your meat with a simple dash of salt and pepper and adding additional flavor in the form of toppings and sauces, rather than mixing them into the meat itself.  He suggests forming meat into patties no more than 3/4 inch thick and using your thumb to create an indentation in the center of each patty to prevent "bulging" as your burgers cook.

You can make these burgers with a simple crumble of blue cheese on top, or you can do what I did and kick it up a notch with Bobby's blue cheese sauce.  And if you have any sauce leftover, go ahead and use it as a dipping sauce for some kettle cooked potato chips.  Trust me, you won't regret this decision!

Blue Burgers

from Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes
Serves 4

8 slices thick-cut bacon (I used 4 but go for 8 if you want to:)
1 1/2 lb. ground chuck (80 percent lean) (I used 1 lb.)
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. canola oil
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, or blue cheese sauce (recipe below)
Chopped fresh parlety leaves, for garnish (optional)
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted if desired

Cook bacon until golden brown and slightly crisp.  I just read about a new technique for cooking bacon.  Place it on a foil lined baking sheet and put in a cold oven.  Turn the heat on to 400 degrees and let bacon cook for about 20 minutes until crisp.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate.  You can also cook your bacon in a saute pan but I found the oven technique keeps the bacon nice and flat and allows it to cook more evenly since they are spread on a baking sheet. 

 

Perfectly crisp and flat oven baked bacon.

Divide meat into 4 equal portions.  Form each potion loosely into a 3/4 inch thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides with salt and pepper. 

Cook burgers in a cast iron (or regular) skillet, using oil or on the grill.  Mine took about 5 minutes on each side but you can choose how well done you would like yours.  Top with blue cheese crumbles for the last few minutes or top with the blue cheese sauce when you remove them from the pan. 

Place burgers on the bun bottoms and top with bacon and chopped parsley, if using.  Cover with the bun tops and serve immediately. 

Blue Cheese Sauce

makes about 2 cups (I halved the recipe)
2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese plus extra for garnish
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives

Pour milk into small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the warm milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and cayenne pepper and continue cooking, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.  If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little more milk.  Sauce can be prepared 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated.  Reheat gently in a double boiler.  Sprinkle with chives.   

 

I could eat an entire vat of this stuff!

 

What are your favorite burger recipes?  I think my all-time favorite is a classic burger topped with BBQ sauce and a thick slice of American cheese - delicious!

Boeuf en Croute

Holiday dinners are a time when I like to go out on a branch and give something new a try.  Even if it's a total flop, I know my family will still love me (right, family?).  I've got plenty of time to spend in the kitchen and if I'm lucky an extra set of hands to help get the job done (thanks Greg!).  This year I was randomly watching the Cooking Channel a couple weeks before Easter and caught this episode of French Food at Home.  I instantly thought, "This would be a perfect menu for Easter!" and bookmarked the recipes.  In the end, I decided to stick with the Boeuf en Croute and Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Creme Fraiche.  Greg contributed his famous sea salt and rosemary roasted red potatoes and Mom made her classic Deviled eggs.  I chose Spring Berry Tart for dessert and we called it a meal!  I apologize in advance for the lighting in these pictures but you can't always plan your cooking around the sun:)  Here is the recipe and some pictures that I hope will help you if you ever want to make your own Boeuf en Croute.

Boeuf en Croute
from French Food at Home

Ingredients

1 1/3 pounds beef tenderloin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

3 tablespoons butter
Olive oil, for drizzling

2 shallots, minced

1 pound mushrooms, very finely chopped (We used about 12 ounces)

1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup Madeira

2 tablespoons creme fraiche
Handful chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 (1 pound) packages puff pastry or frozen puff pastry, thawed (This part was confusing to me, I ended up using one and a half packages of pastry, but I think if you rolled out two sheets to be a bit thinner they would be able to fit around the beef, also mine turned out a lot more "puffy" than the one pictured with the recipe so rolling it thinner might help with this)

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

Directions

Season the beef with salt, and pepper. Melt a tablespoon of butter with a drizzle of the olive oil in a saute pan until hot, then sear the beef on all sides. Remove from the pan to a board, and let cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

In the same pan as the beef, prepare the mushroom duxelles: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and fry the shallots until translucent. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook until very tender. Pour over the Madeira, and bring to a boil, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the creme fraiche and cook down to a very thick paste. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper. Stir through the chopped parsley.

Roll out one block of pastry to a rectangle large enough to fit the meat with a roomy border. Place on a baking sheet.

 

You can see here where I added a portion from another piece of pastry.  In the future, I would roll one piece a bit thinner to make it fit.

Remove the fillet from the refrigerator, and unwrap. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the center of the pastry and set the meat on top. 

Roll out the second sheet to fit over the whole fillet generously. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush the margins of the bottom pastry with egg wash, then drape the second sheet over, pressing to seal well. Trim the edge to a 1-inch border. Crimp the edges with your fingers. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

I cut off about 2 inches of pastry on the long sides.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush the whole surface of the pastry with egg wash and make two slits in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and continue to bake 20 minutes, depending on how well you like your meat done. Remove from the oven and let stand about 10 minutes before serving in slices.

Here is the link for the green bean recipe.  They were very flavorful and a great accompaniment to the beef.

Hope you enjoy these recipes!

What is the fanciest meal you've ever made?  Was it for a special event or just for fun?