Culinary Arts Creations
by Ava Morlier, Culinary Arts Writer
Happy May! Memorial Day is this month, and grill lids across the nation are opening in ode to both the sacrifice of soldiers and the culinary opportunities expanded by the warm weather. Today’s recipe also pays tribute to grilling season: Gourmet Bacon Cheeseburgers!
Yes, today’s delicious handheld sounds typical of any cookout. You’re probably wondering why waste my time with this when I could just buy some burger patties at the store? Well, this recipe lives up to its name of gourmet with the integration of some uncommonly used ingredients. First, this burger is seasoned with onion soup mix. Sound strange? Onion soup mix provides a great boost of concentrated flavor and will bring out the flavor of the shallots (sounds fancier than simple slices of onions, right?). Confused over why to put a slight dent in the middle of the patty? Pressing down the middle ensures the middle gets completely cooked. It also ensures that the patty has a uniform height when cooked. No strange-shaped burgers here; your hand-shaped burgers will look as good as the store’s by doing this extra step. As for the other ingredients: the shallots help bring out the onion flavors of the patty, while also providing a slightly sweet flavor to the burger as a whole (thanks to the caramelized nature of the shallots). The bacon will provide an extra savory and deliciously fatty element to the burger.
Enjoy your Memorial day safely and deliciously!
Gourmet Bacon Cheeseburger
Ingredients
5 oz. ground beef
1 tsp. onion soup mix (add more if preferred)
1 slice cheese
Oil
1 slice bacon
1 large shallot
1 bun
Instructions
Start a medium pan on low heat (and preheat oven to 3500 if toasting buns). Start grill, if using. In a bowl, combine the beef and onion soup mix (with gloved hands). Once well combined, shape into patties; press a thumb into the center. Stack patties on top of each other, take off gloves, wash hands, cover and put in the refrigerator for later use.
In the medium pan, cook the bacon, flipping after 2 minutes. Place on a bed of paper towels; cut into 3 pieces with a knife and set aside (keep pan on low heat).
On a cutting board, thinly cut the shallots. In the same pan the bacon was cooked in, caramelize the shallots, cooking until shallots are soft and browned. Set aside once cooked.
In a skillet (or on the grill), place burger patties with one pair of tongs. Cook to desired doneness per side. Flip using the same pairs of tongs. Once both sides are done, use a clean pair of tongs to place the burgers on a clean plate.
Toast the buns: Place buns on a sheet pan (or on the grill) and cook until toasted, 3-5 minutes. Take out and set aside.
Layer the burger: On a clean plate, put down the bottom bun. Place the burger on top of the bun. Then, place the shallots and bacon; place cheese on top of both. Put the burger in the oven to melt the cheese for 10-15 seconds (or until melted; can microwave the burger to melt the cheese, too); place the top of the bun on top and serve.
*Note: add lettuce, tomato, or other preferred fixings after cheese has been melted.
Tools Needed
Gloves (optional), bowl, knife, cutting board, medium pan, spatula, plate with bed of paper towels, knife, sheet pan (if toasting the bun in the oven), skillet or grill (for cooking the burger), food thermometer 2 pairs of tongs, medium plate (for serving).
*With credit to Chef Liddick of CTC; Burger information credit to Traeger’s Grilling the Perfect Burger chart, Delish’s “How Do You Like Your Burger Cooked?” infographic, and Tyler Lachance’s “Ultimate Burger Guide” infographic on cookoutexpert.com
