While we have strong feelings on the proper way to cook a burger, there are so many variations out there that we'd like to share with you. Here, a variation on the Alice Waters way, adapted from her recent cookbook The Art of Simple Food. You're totally grilling this tonight, aren't you?
- makes 4 -
Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds ground grass-fed chuck
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 slices of bread (Waters recommends levain or focaccia)
Condiments and toppings of your choice
Procedure
1. Mix together the beef, salt, pepper, and garlic. Shape the beef into 4 patties. For even thickness upon cooking, smooth the edges of the patties and make an indentation in the center of each. (This will compensate for the swelling that will happen as the patties cook.)
2. Grill burgers 9 minutes total for medium-rare, over medium-hot coals, turning once halfway through cooking.
3. Lightly toast bread just before burgers come off the grill. Top with the fixin's and condiments of your choice.
I love Alice Waters, but she lost me at "levain [bread] or foccacia."
Burgers are eaten (by me) on burger buns, preferably potato, not on "bread" such as sourdough, baguettes, pita, focaccia, subs, brioche, challah, sliced white bread, english muffins, bagels, etc etc. Period. The End.
I guess the salt, pepper, and garlic went into the patties before they're cooked? Before they're formed? After they're formed (that would be bad for the garlic, but good for the salt maybe)? Not much of a recipe here.
Continues to confirm me in my conviction that Alice Waters is more of a philosopher than a respectable cook... There's room for both types of people in the restaurant world, but I'd never trust a recipe written by an untrained hippie :)
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4 Comments:
I love Alice Waters, but she lost me at "levain [bread] or foccacia."
Burgers are eaten (by me) on burger buns, preferably potato, not on "bread" such as sourdough, baguettes, pita, focaccia, subs, brioche, challah, sliced white bread, english muffins, bagels, etc etc. Period. The End.
simon at 3:51PM on 08/11/08
I guess the salt, pepper, and garlic went into the patties before they're cooked? Before they're formed? After they're formed (that would be bad for the garlic, but good for the salt maybe)? Not much of a recipe here.
Zachary Sachs at 4:20PM on 08/11/08
Continues to confirm me in my conviction that Alice Waters is more of a philosopher than a respectable cook... There's room for both types of people in the restaurant world, but I'd never trust a recipe written by an untrained hippie :)
kenjialtci at 6:23PM on 08/11/08
Preaching to the choir.
alastor at 12:06PM on 08/12/08