Building the Better Burger

Are you tired of the “same old-same old” when it comes to burgers? Are you wanting to reach beyond the typical ketchup-mustard-pickle-raw onion routine? Recently I shared some tips on building the better burger at Schaefer’s. Assisted by Lorrie Orman, Appliance Specialist at Schaefer’s and Stacey Commers, culinary arts student at Southeast Community College, we demonstrated new ways with burgers (and cooked up a few other tasty dishes too).

There was plenty of food for everyone to share. I enjoyed meeting local cooking enthusiasts. Sharon, drove 50 miles to come to the demo. She says she always learns something new.

Here are the recipes we used and the tips we shared:

Wisconsin Mini Gorgonzola Cheese Burgers

(Serves 8)
1 pound ground sirloin (I used 1/3 ground chuck, 1/3 ground round & 1/3 ground sirloin)
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, creamy Wisconsin
Olive oil spray
8 dinner rolls
Judy’s house seasoning, to taste: 1 part sea salt, 1 part black pepper, ¼ part diced minced garlic, ¼ part red chili flakes (place seasonings in a coffee grinder and pulse to a medium coarse grind)

Divide ground sirloin into 8 pieces. Place ½ ounce Wisconsin Creamy Gorgonzola Cheese into the center of each and pat out into little burgers. Sprinkle seasoning on each side and grill. Place burgers on the buns and arrange on a large platter. (I like the frozen whole wheat dinner rolls that you buy as prepared dough. Place on a sheet pan, cover with a towel while they defrost and raise, and they come out like homemade, and the perfect size.)

Here’s another reason to get to know your butcher: If you know where your meat is coming from and how it’s ground, you don’t need to be afraid to cook your hamburgers medium rare. I got mine from Leon’s Gourmet Grocer, where I know they grind their meat fresh using clean equipment. These juicy burgers are a special treat.

101 Sautéed Mushrooms

Serves 4
2/3 tablespoons butter
2/3 pound white mushrooms, sliced

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sauté 2 minutes or until just tender. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. (Or use my house seasoning)

Caramelized Onions

(Serves 6)
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick (I use yellow or Vidalia onions)
Sea salt and pepper to taste (or my house seasoning)

In a large skillet, heat olive oil, add onions and cook slowly until they turn golden yellow. Add seasonings.

Cheese Sauce

(Serves 8)
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
1 ½ cups warm milk (warm milk cooks more quickly)
8 ounces cheddar cheese
White pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Stir in flour to make a paste and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir continuously; don’t allow paste to brown. Remove pan from heat and whisk in warm milk. Return pan to medium high heat and whisk continuously, especially along sides and bottom to prevent lumps. Add the cheddar cheese and heat until melted. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

To create the burgers, I start with Mayo Gourmet and top with caramelized onions and mushrooms, finishing with cheese sauce. You can also add lettuce and tomato if you like.

To complete the meal, we made the following side dishes:

Guacamole My Way

(Serves 6)
1-1/2 cups nonfat cottage cheese
3 avocados
3 tablespoons salsa
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Drain cottage cheese in a colander, place in food processor with steel blade and process until smooth. (Cottage cheese adds protein and calcium and tastes amazing.) Add avocado and process until desired consistency. Add salsa and cilantro and pulse 2 or 3 times. Serve with fresh chips.

Wisconsin Mozzarella Pearls Tomato Salad

(Serves 4)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
8 ounces Wisconsin Mozzarella Pearls
¼ cup basin, fresh, julienne
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, aged

Gently toss cherry tomatoes, cheese pearls, basil and sea salt, drizzle half the balsamic vinegar on the plate and the other half over the top.

Good aged balsamic vinegar can be expensive. A bottle may sell for as much as $100. Click here to order aged balsamic vinegar for $18 a bottle.

You can also create the taste of aged balsamic by reducing down an inexpensive balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and adding honey.

Peach Berry Cobbler

Filling:
6 cups sliced ripe peaches (fresh or frozen)
4 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

Coat 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray. Place all fruit, sugar and tapioca in a large mixing bowl, and stir to coat. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Place in oven and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Fruit should be bubbly and juices thickened. Remove from oven and top with biscuit topping (see below) and return to oven to bake at 375 degrees for 36 minutes or until topping is lightly brown.


Biscuit Topping
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until coarse crumb is achieved. Slowly add the cream and mix just until it comes together. Place biscuit dough on hot fruit and top with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Click here to see more photos of the demo.