tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91145072024-03-13T06:37:38.173-07:00real bagels are boiledbagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-88015048229469750972015-10-30T17:56:00.001-07:002015-10-30T17:56:41.203-07:00It's been fun on Blogger, but we gotta move on.This place has been dead for a while now.<br />
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I don't even know if the new digs will be any livelier.<br />
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But in case you're curious, the bagels can now be found here:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://eatabagel.net/">eatabagel.net</a></span><br />
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Hasta la pasta.<br />
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xoxobagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-61973791543449537612014-01-03T20:00:00.000-08:002014-01-03T20:02:15.901-08:00First Workout of the SeasonThis was a fun workout by Bill. I hadn't worked out for about a week, so I was a bit out of it. But as a way to transition back into my regular schedule, this one was particularly effective. I was just about turned inside out by the time I got to the tenth round.<br />
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This workout goes like the Christmas carol. We start with the one turkish getup per side. That's round one. On each successive round we progress to the next exercises, but also have to do all prior exercises in reverse order. So once we hit round five, we have to do 5 kettle bell cleans, 4 v-ups, 3 wallballs, 2 burpees and 1 turkish getup per side.<br />
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We have fifteen minutes to do this all. And if we don't, then we are absolute scum.<br />
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<b>The Twelve Days of Christmas</b><br />
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1 Turkish Getup (both sides)<br />
2 Burpees<br />
3 Wallballs<br />
4 V-Ups<br />
5 Double Kettle Bell Cleans<br />
6 Pull Ups<br />
7 Thrusters<br />
8 Kettle Bell Swings<br />
9 Double Unders<br />
10 Box Jumps<br />
11 Squats<br />
12 Lungesbagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-86100383926125581552013-02-16T15:08:00.002-08:002014-01-03T19:43:07.371-08:00Death by burpeeYeah today was a little challenging. The folks at the gym think I'm a little wack because I actually relish burpees. But today was challenging anyway. I reached failure before this other woman in the class did.<br />
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So Death By Burpee took place after a warm up that included a five minute wall sit (failure means you have to take a 100m sprint the return to the wall sit).<br />
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The first workout was just progressive straight pull-ups for 10 minutes.<br />
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And then Death by Burpee.<br />
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Starting with six burpees in one minute, we had to do progressively more burpees, adding one burpee per minute. This went on for a max of fifteen minutes. Rest period only occurs when you finish doing the required number of burpees for that minute. So potentially we would be doing 21 burpees a minute by the end. But of course that's pretty much impossible. I was able to do up to sixteen in a minute, but by that time I was pretty much a wreck and after that round I could do just 7-10 a minute. Supposedly, after failure, the workout says that your required number of burpees is to subtract one burpee per minute but to be honest, after hitting failure I would just do whatever I could do.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-83379853905666526222012-09-04T17:40:00.000-07:002012-09-04T22:06:45.387-07:00Five flavors for my birthday... And burpees are the answerMy birthday celebration on Saturday involved plenty of ice cream, which I shall review in due time. It is fair to say that what I viewed as failure, others appreciated. Perhaps I should just fail at everything, since people either like my failures, or are too courteous to say that my failures are indeed failures.<br />
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The flavors:<br />
1) Buttercream mint<br />
2) Mojito sorbet<br />
3) Chocolate brownie<br />
4) Strawberry balsamic cardamom cream<br />
5) Basil<br />
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Hit the jump for more.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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The <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/savannah-buttermint-ice-cream-150303" target="_blank">buttercream mint</a> was a rehash of an ice cream I made for Lindsey's birthday. It is based on a recipe by Jeni Britton Bauer, who apparently makes the best ice cream in Cleveland. The first time I made it, it was somewhat of a departure for me. I have always made custard-based ice creams. Britton Bauer's recipes are different because she doesn't use traditional ingredients for her base. Instead, the source of fat in her work comes from cream cheese. Additionally, the cloying sweetness and consistency of the ice cream is also derived from... wait for it... light corn syrup. For this reason, I was reluctant to serve this ice cream, given the fact that most of my peers are at least conscious of the perils of high fructose corn syrup. Britton Bauer uses cream cheese and corn syrup because this kind of base produces a more consistent texture that is easy to scoop and doesn't harden too much. I am dubious of these claims. Perhaps in a mass-production environment use of such ingredients may be more efficient and may produce more consistent results. But in small-batch home environments, use of more natural ingredients may generate tastier results. We shall see when I reproduce this recipe in the future using my more traditional base-- incidentally I have settled on the ice cream base produced by San Francisco's Bi-Rite creamery, and published in their truly awesome ice cream cook book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Cream-Sugar-Cones-Creamery/dp/1607741849" target="_blank"><i>Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones</i></a>.<br />
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Because I could not find the proper ingredients for the buttercream mint this time around, I felt that the flavoring was a little bit off. When I initially produced it for Lindsey's party, everybody raved about it. It paired wonderfully with some grilled peaches. But this time, for some reason, during the flavoring part of the process, when I was supposed to drop a few mint essence drops into the ice cream mixture, and a few natural butter flavor drops into the mix, I kept on hitting the churning paddle with the drops, and not the mix. For this reason, the flavoring didn't really get integrated into the product. Oh well. But people liked it. I have to tell my friends that it was so much better the first time around. What the heck. I thought it was a failure.<br />
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The mojito sorbet was my vegan option. I used this <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mojito-sorbet/" target="_blank">recipe </a>from Allrecipes.com. It turned out wonderfully. Everyone, vegans and non-vegans alike, liked it.<br />
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The chocolate brownie was an adaptation of the chocolate ice cream recipe found in the Bi-Rite Creamery cook book. Serious Eats reviewed the recipe <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/bi-rite-creamerys-smooth-and-mellow-milk-chocolate-ice-cream-recipe.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I agree with the reviewer from Serious Eats and will say that this must be the best chocolate ice cream recipe I have ever tasted. They used Hershey's Cocoa in their attempt. I used high quality Green and Black cocoa, which Leslie gave me a long, long time ago, for my version, and it was just amazing. For good measure I tossed in about a cup and a half of brownie crumbles. Because I was pressed for time, I didn't make brownies from scratch. Instead, I relied on the tried and tested Trader Joe's <a href="http://www.shutterbean.com/2008/brownies/" target="_blank">Truffle Brownie Mix</a>, which Wei tossed in the oven for me after she got through mixing the mix up). Always been a fan of the old TJ's brownies. Everybody loved this particular ice cream. Bi-Rite's recipe is truly amazing, and the brownies really kicked the ice cream chocolatey-ness up many, many notches. I will make this again.<br />
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Strawberry cardamom has always been one of my go-to flavors in ice cream making. This time around, inspired by the stellar results from the Bi-Rite chocolate ice cream, I decided to adapt my strawberry cardamom to include some of the Bi-Rite mojo. I have long been a fan of their <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/bi-rite-creamery-san-francisco-strawberry-balsamic-ice-cream-recipe.html" target="_blank">strawberry balsamic</a>, which I get whenever I'm in SF. The strawberry balsamic cardamom cream I made was a mash-up of my own recipe and Bi-Rites. And I present it below. This was a more complex strawberry. The balsamic is bright. The cardamom gives it a nice underlying spiciness, as if it snuck in through the back door. The strawberries I used came from Santa Cruz's <a href="http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/" target="_blank">Swanton Berry Farms</a>. It's getting late in strawberry season, but theirs are still about the sweetest strawberries I've ever eaten.<br />
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<b>Strawberry Balsamic Cardamom Cream </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1 1/2 pints of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved<br />
2 teaspoons of balsamico<br />
2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar<br />
<br />
5 egg yolks<br />
1/2 cup of sugar<br />
1 3/4 cups heavy cream<br />
3/4 cups whole milk<br />
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
8 pods cardamom, crushed<br />
1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise, beans scraped<br />
2 teaspoons of balsamico<br />
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1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, mix together strawberries, 2 teaspoons of balsamico and 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir frequently until strawberries are soft and the liquid they release reduces somewhat. 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. If you can put it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, even better.<br />
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2. In a medium bowl beat together 1/4 cups of sugar and 5 egg yolks. Set aside.<br />
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3. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, mix together rest of sugar, milk, cream, the cardamom and the vanilla bean. Bring liquid to a slight simmer. When the bubbles start forming around the edges, remove the cream mixture from the heat and let the spices infuse, by covering the pan and letting it be for about 20-30 minutes.<br />
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4. After infusion, temper the eggs with the warm milk mixture by mixing a half a cup of the milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Once the egg yolks have warmed enough, whisk the eggs back into the cream mixture, placing the mixture over medium heat until custard forms. This should take an additional 1-2 minutes, until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. Once the custard forms, remove from heat and chill the mixture. I use an ice bath. Pour the custard into a medium bowl, straining the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to make sure the custard is nice and smooth. Set the bowl into a larger bowl filled with water and ice. Chill for up to two hours.<br />
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5. When ready to churn, pour the set aside strawberry mix into the custard, mixing until everything is well blended. Add the two remaining teaspoons of balsamico to the mix.<br />
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6. Churn in ice cream maker, following you ice cream maker's directions.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QN9jha8RBAE/UEadlfT_7jI/AAAAAAAAHqQ/nj_jMyfshhM/s1600/IMG_20120830_000104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QN9jha8RBAE/UEadlfT_7jI/AAAAAAAAHqQ/nj_jMyfshhM/s400/IMG_20120830_000104.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Churning strawberry balsamic cardamom cream</i></div>
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The basil ice cream is a direct application of Bi-Rite's <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/BI-RITES-BASIL-ICE-CREAM-51122351" target="_blank">basil ice cream recipe</a>. It was good. Different. Good.<br />
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All in all, a good time was had by all. Karaoke followed, and hilarity ensued. Fatness also ensued.<br />
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And so today my workout, courtesy of the good people of Toadal Fitness, was particularly challenging. I LIKED IT.<br />
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<b>Burpee AMRAP Hell</b><br />
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25 minutes AMRAP<br />
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<ul>
<li>10 one arm kettlebell swings (L)</li>
<li>10 burpees</li>
<li>10 one arm kettlebell swings (R)</li>
<li>10 burpees</li>
<li>100 meter farmer walk with the heaviest kettle bells you can do</li>
<li>10 burpees</li>
<li>250 meter run</li>
<li>10 burpees</li>
</ul>
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Ugh.</div>
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<br />bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-64293431307337951642012-08-15T10:02:00.004-07:002012-08-15T10:02:58.838-07:00Run for the hillsNot too many hills involved. Just posting it here for uh... posterity.<br />
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250 meter run<br />
20 snatches (l)<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 snatches (r)<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 burpees<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 thrusters (l)<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 thrusters (r)<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 jump lunges<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 kettlebell swings (l)<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 kettlebell swings (r)<br />
250 meter run<br />
20 jump squats<br />
250 meter run<br />
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This is one of my favorites. Variations are cool too.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-56095450974031331702012-08-15T09:39:00.000-07:002012-08-15T09:39:34.437-07:00Coffee, or tea, or be with me?I return from my blogging hiatus to post this little video.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/o1sN1pEcPSA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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And to help others understand the intricacies of Lisa Gail Allred's conditions, I made the diagram below.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1P3bwezFwU/UCvQJ1t0MiI/AAAAAAAAHR0/artaXnBsvwI/s1600/338154_10151028760958198_1701893536_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1P3bwezFwU/UCvQJ1t0MiI/AAAAAAAAHR0/artaXnBsvwI/s400/338154_10151028760958198_1701893536_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hope this helps clear things up. Have a good day.<br />
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<br />bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-77024239343072215732011-05-11T20:58:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:22:49.966-07:00National Burger Month 05/11/2011: Inside-Out Salmon Cheeseburgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMPgiw39-vg/TctZwbC_T_I/AAAAAAAACKo/c3wUHsbRPTM/s1600/P1050676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMPgiw39-vg/TctZwbC_T_I/AAAAAAAACKo/c3wUHsbRPTM/s400/P1050676.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh man. Too much beef. I don't know if I can keep on doing this. But I'll do it today at least. Today I decided to do salmon because... too much beef.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">I've done inside out cheeseburgers before, with <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2008/05/national-burger-month-day-8-inside-out.html">beef</a> and <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2008/05/national-burger-month-day-13-inside-out.html">lamb</a>. Conceptually, the inside-out salmon cheese burger is similar. It's two patties of meat that I use to sandwich a little bit of cheese. For this sandwich, I take some grilled salmon basics and turn them into a burger.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Stuff:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/2 pound salmon fillet (pin bones and skin removed, so I'm left with slightly under 1/3 pound)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tbsp dill, chopped</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tbsp Philly cream cheese, softened</div><div style="text-align: justify;">salt </div><div style="text-align: justify;">pepper</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tbsp olive oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I chopped the fillet into manageable cubes and processed them in a food processor, pulsing until it was chopped but not liquified. Into the fish I mixed the dill, and some salt and pepper to flavor. I formed two patties, and layered the cream cheese on top of one of them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlrR_QF4SA8/TctZue9zFUI/AAAAAAAACKg/RK9p51QUcl0/s1600/P1050670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlrR_QF4SA8/TctZue9zFUI/AAAAAAAACKg/RK9p51QUcl0/s320/P1050670.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After this, I covered the cheese up with the other patty and patted everything together until I had one cohesive fatty patty. I then massaged it with the olive oil, softly and gently, and oh so lovingly, so that when it went on a medium hot grill, it wouldn't dry up too much.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ByPXNK1yk24/TctZvpBEp_I/AAAAAAAACKk/_nqkZGfgswk/s1600/P1050673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ByPXNK1yk24/TctZvpBEp_I/AAAAAAAACKk/_nqkZGfgswk/s320/P1050673.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Fish doesn't take as long as beef to cook, so after just 2-2 1/2 minutes I flipped it over and cooked the other side for the same amount of time. If you do it properly, this thing wouldn't leak too much. I'd imagine if you do it incorrectly, you'd have no cheese left inside the burger because the Philly, it just runs when it melts. Yuck.<br />
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You can do what you wish with your fatty patty of salmon. I topped mine with tomato and microgreens, and had it in English muffins. Oh, yes.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-89493709498660914602011-05-11T20:55:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:22:49.269-07:00National Burger Month 05/10/2011: UghHad to take a break today. Exhausted.<br />
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I did have one of em grocery store fish burgers to prepare...bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-44582691319006885072011-05-10T08:12:00.000-07:002011-05-10T08:13:43.917-07:00National Burger Month 05/09/2011: Veggie Burger with Beef Topping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a veggie burger from Trader Joe's:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_do0xtc0VTs/TclTVBqn3hI/AAAAAAAACJ0/kZ2n2FxGVCs/s1600/P1050657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_do0xtc0VTs/TclTVBqn3hI/AAAAAAAACJ0/kZ2n2FxGVCs/s320/P1050657.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">This is a little under 1/4 pound of beef chuck that I have massaged with salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AB4oy2ihUYc/TclTUezxlII/AAAAAAAACJw/Kv8N3AuAhSE/s1600/P1050652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AB4oy2ihUYc/TclTUezxlII/AAAAAAAACJw/Kv8N3AuAhSE/s320/P1050652.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">This is a veggie burger resting on a bed of beef: (I had to slice off parts of the veggie burger so that it would fit in its bed)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifxHTdb8zVM/TclTVzcxlHI/AAAAAAAACJ4/YPsk86sdmvY/s1600/P1050659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifxHTdb8zVM/TclTVzcxlHI/AAAAAAAACJ4/YPsk86sdmvY/s320/P1050659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>This is a veggie burger, resting on a bed of beef, with beef topping:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9xXP8r2BC98/TclTWl_WXuI/AAAAAAAACJ8/9nkh6U_VPZQ/s1600/P1050664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9xXP8r2BC98/TclTWl_WXuI/AAAAAAAACJ8/9nkh6U_VPZQ/s320/P1050664.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And this is a surprisingly terrific burger, one of the best I've had this month:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ng2v7GrgM_o/TclTXXdMv-I/AAAAAAAACKA/ST4OOaEbDLQ/s1600/P1050667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ng2v7GrgM_o/TclTXXdMv-I/AAAAAAAACKA/ST4OOaEbDLQ/s400/P1050667.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Really, this was a revelation. I was expecting it to just okay, but I can't believe how the good it tastes. I think it's because the Trader Joe's veggie burgers are spiced a little bit (I think I taste cumin and garam masala) and those really set the beef off. Also, the texture was terrific. Some veggie burgers tend to mush up when cooked, and they mushed up nicely here and kind of kept the burger perfectly moist. If only I didn't feel like I just ate two burgers at the end of the night. Ugh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-67288112238730970542011-05-08T21:32:00.000-07:002011-05-08T21:33:11.569-07:00National Burger Month 05/08/2011: Lamb Burger with Harissa and Yogurt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N8x7PUL8yac/TcdouRcvcnI/AAAAAAAACJI/DSCXi5mhjhM/s1600/P1050635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N8x7PUL8yac/TcdouRcvcnI/AAAAAAAACJI/DSCXi5mhjhM/s400/P1050635.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mmm lamb. Cute lamb.</div><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My original plan was to recreate my <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2008/05/national-burger-month-day-29-dner-kebab.html">döner kebab burgers</a> from three years ago. Instead, with a bowl-ful of ground lamb instead of strips of lamb sirloin, tonight's burgers were an adaptation of one of my favorite recipes. The basic components are similar: lamb, harissa sauce, yogurt, pita and a few greens. Preparation is also identical.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Stuff for the burgers:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 pound of ground lamb</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 large onion, pureed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">ground black pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I started with pureeing half an onion in my food processor. In the pureed onion, I mixed 1/2 pound of ground lamb. I salted and peppered this and set it aside for two hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In the meantime, you can read a book, watch some Netflix, and make the harissa sauce.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Stuff for the harissa:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 tomatoes, sliced in quarters</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">2 tbsp crushed chili flakes</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">2 cloves garlic, minced</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tbsp caraway seed</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tbsp cumin</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tsp salt</div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">All of this I mixed together in a food processor and salted some more to taste. This was set aside and can probably keep for a week in refrigeration.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Other stuff to top the burgers:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Some yogurt</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Some salad greens</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Some more tomatoes</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The burgers were grilled for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes each side in medium to high heat. Patties are enveloped in pita bread, topped with yogurt, the harissa and some salad.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">And that's it. Mmm lamb. Cute lamb. Tasty lamb.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-41023963101645367112011-05-08T21:16:00.000-07:002011-05-08T21:17:23.391-07:00National Burger Month 05/07/2011: On Repeat<div style="text-align: justify;">Nothing major today. I had a new burger planned, but it will have to be delayed because for lunch I decided to do a repeat of the previous night's <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2011/05/national-burger-month-05062011-chorizo.html">chorizo burger with pico</a>. As a result, I was incapacitated for the rest of the day. Had to skip a real dinner and was content to have just some yogurt and dried fruit.</div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-42526204153508519662011-05-07T10:32:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:52:14.159-07:00National Burger Month 05/06/2011: Chorizo Burger with Pico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh8Xq1MFw4s/TcV7uU_R_HI/AAAAAAAACI8/s0rhmCYWpSI/s1600/P1050623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh8Xq1MFw4s/TcV7uU_R_HI/AAAAAAAACI8/s0rhmCYWpSI/s400/P1050623.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I was originally going to do this burger on the fifth of May, for obvious reasons, but I ended up getting my act together the day after. This was inspired by a comment my cousin Jon left on my Facebook page about a burger he made for a bunch of his friends.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My chorizo burger uses about a 50-50 blend of grass-fed beef chuck and chorizo bought from one of the many local Mexican groceries in Santa Cruz. Seasoning was simple; I used just a little salt and pepper. For his burgers, Jon used Goya chorizo, and I can't even imagine how that would taste. The burgers were grilled over medium heat in the old barbecue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I topped my burgers with a little pico de gallo salsa, which I talk about here on a previous <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2008/05/national-burger-month-day-5-cinco-de.html">Cinco de Mayo burger</a>. I can't believe that was 2008. For 2011, I left out the avocado.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Extremely pleasing. But the chorizos-- I think they wreak havoc on the tummy, if you know what I mean.<br />
<br />
<i>edit: I also slathered on some Philly cream cheese on the burgers after grilling. Could've used farmer's cheese, but the Philly was such a good contrasting saltiness to the spiciness of the burgers. So creamy, so good.</i></div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-79072736776991726802011-05-07T10:19:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:36:08.742-07:00National Burger Month 05/05/2011: Taqueria La Cabaña<div style="text-align: justify;">I post now for the sake of the two or three people who read my blog, hoping that they did not think I gave up on Burger Month. Not yet.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was planning to make a burger on the fifth, but a friend asked if I could go to dinner, presumably to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. So I agreed to go out after ensuring that there would be burgers wherever we went. We ended up at the Taqueria La Cabaña on Mission Street in Santa Cruz. </div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">I regularly eat at Cabaña. I think they make a good mole. I think it's great on their chicken enchiladas. I also think they make a really delicious Frankenstein's Burrito, which they call the California burrito, which is your basic super burrito with your choice of meats, and has sour cream, cheese, rice, beans and french fries, inside the tortilla. It is wonderful.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I am attempting a burger a day for this month, I ignored all my regular dishes and went for Cabaña's bacon cheeseburger with fries platter. I think it was a delicious burger. The beef patty was probably the frozen store bought variety fried on the taqueria griddle, so there was nothing too special there. I was hoping that the burger, fried as it was on the same griddle they use to fry their other taco meats would be infused with the flavors of carnitas, but alas I didn't get any of that. They did use a nice sesame seed roll and topped it with the usual suspects-- lettuce, onion, tomato. Condiments built into the burger were mustard and mayo. But no ketchup. And I think it worked better this way.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">All in all, it was an above average diner-style burger. The bacon was crisp, as was the lettuce. The slice of American cheese, however, could stand to have been meltier. Other than that, I was pretty pleased.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Below is a picture that does the burger a little disservice. I did not have a proper camera with me.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7luzajAr-so/TcQCwJOERrI/AAAAAAAACIs/KEAhuaelstk/s1600/IMG_20110505_191114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7luzajAr-so/TcQCwJOERrI/AAAAAAAACIs/KEAhuaelstk/s400/IMG_20110505_191114.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-69815358732935148122011-05-04T21:56:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:37:50.396-07:00National Burger Month 05/04/2011: The Basics<div style="text-align: justify;">Every year since I've done Burger Month, I've ended up with a burger recipe that I deem my burger standby. In previous years, they've been simple (just the grass fed beef chuck with salt and pepper) and they've been a little <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2010/05/national-burger-month-05042010.html">spicier</a> (shown in the link, underneath a layer of prosciutto).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But I think one of the best parts of burgers are that while I could go all out and do something with ground lamb, topping it with a bunch of feta or something, in the end the burger is just as good in its basic utilitarian unit. There is something to be said about the efficiency with which one can prepare a great sandwich, with the least amount of prep work.</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In any case, my go-to standby burger, since last year is a simplification of the spicy burger that I linked to above. I lose the siracha (still what I believe to be the king of hot sauces) and the garlic powder this time, and leave it with just a little more spice than burger with salt and pepper. I've turned to this recipe for the greater part of the past year and I think it's done well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Stuff for one burger:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/3 pound grass fed chuck (always the grass fed)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">a couple of turns of the black pepper mill</div><div style="text-align: justify;">a couple of pinches of kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">a pinch or so of garlic salt (the kind I use is sold by McCormick and comes in a salt grinder)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">and a splash or two of worcestershire sauce (I prefer the original, Lea & Perrin's)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is all mixed together and shaped into a patty, and cooked on a hot grill for about 3 to 3.5 minutes per side, for a nice medium.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My bread preference right now is a fresh brioche bun. Brioche because the buns they sell at Trader Joe's are just the right size for a 1/3 pound burger, and also because when toasted, the butter in the bun just smells so good. But be careful! They burn easily!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So there you have it, my go-to basic burger for 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>And here's a pic (because I was told I needed to have a pic). That's the basic burger on a grill pic.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4zvvaRA3YA/TcIufJ2-asI/AAAAAAAACII/pN4bAh7sp7M/s1600/P1050604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4zvvaRA3YA/TcIufJ2-asI/AAAAAAAACII/pN4bAh7sp7M/s400/P1050604.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-75510879332179132062011-05-03T20:20:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:44:11.207-07:00National Burger Month 05/03/2011: Hotdog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ob_vWMB0F4/TcC8t2LwkWI/AAAAAAAACGo/_ALXbS1LHWc/s1600/P1050587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ob_vWMB0F4/TcC8t2LwkWI/AAAAAAAACGo/_ALXbS1LHWc/s640/P1050587.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is a hotdog. Really. Or at least, this is what a hotdog would look like if it decided one day it wanted to dress up as a burger.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It started out as two store-bought Hebrew National all beef franks. As far as hotdogs go, the Hebrew Nationals are pretty good. I actually prefer Sabretts, but these were on hand. I don't really go for the Santa Cruz health food store organic hotdogs. It's the classic New York dirty water dog for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">But how does it begin to look like a burger? With a little bit of violence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxrzEDvbud0/TcC-k5GCClI/AAAAAAAACHY/kXHyl77Pysc/s1600/P1050575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxrzEDvbud0/TcC-k5GCClI/AAAAAAAACHY/kXHyl77Pysc/s400/P1050575.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And since these are generally leaner than ground chuck, I needed a binder to keep things together. So I whipped an egg, and got my hands dirty with the minced hotdog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Greasy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O41S_c9f6No/TcC-0xzaNtI/AAAAAAAACHc/dlzVWkdPW2k/s1600/P1050580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O41S_c9f6No/TcC-0xzaNtI/AAAAAAAACHc/dlzVWkdPW2k/s400/P1050580.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So this is what it looks like when done. I topped it as I would a regular hotdog: with mustard and sauerkraut.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V2WjhArZEiQ/TcC_N3s8CZI/AAAAAAAACHg/RwJp4d0nhUs/s1600/P1050582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V2WjhArZEiQ/TcC_N3s8CZI/AAAAAAAACHg/RwJp4d0nhUs/s400/P1050582.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The hotdog burger was actually Leslie's idea. When she first suggested it, I had a visceral yuck reaction. Executed, it tasted like a hotdog, but did not quite feel like a hotdog. I think the problem for me is that both hamburger and hotdog occupy an overly marked area of my food story. Both are comfort foods that resonate with much personal history and meaning. And while I can make a burger out of other kinds of meats (and those who have read this blog before have seen me do the weirdest crap), stripping a hotdog of what it means and infusing it into a burger was just too much freaky roleplaying.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I think I like the concept better than the product. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-32530946543081590722011-05-02T20:50:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:42:30.389-07:00National Burger Month 05/02/2011: Cheeseburger with Extra Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xOmJtF2Fd_k/Tb92MoNukTI/AAAAAAAACFc/DKSS3LtM6C4/s1600/P1050562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xOmJtF2Fd_k/Tb92MoNukTI/AAAAAAAACFc/DKSS3LtM6C4/s400/P1050562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This burger is hiding something.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I actually did something like this shortly before National Burger Month. I ate it in front of Bettina. She had something healthy... a salad, or something. And I had <i>this.</i> She asked me whether I was going to do Burger Month, but at the time I was still uncommitted. I guess I could say that this burger inspired me to go on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">But anyway...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m8uZLlgXKl4/Tb92NY2Mq_I/AAAAAAAACFg/sr2wFFPKx-g/s1600/P1050557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m8uZLlgXKl4/Tb92NY2Mq_I/AAAAAAAACFg/sr2wFFPKx-g/s400/P1050557.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It's not really the cheese. This is Vermont Cabot Cheddar. Just that would make this just a good burger.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is the <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/the-cheeseburger-eggsplosion-a-burger-with-a-fried-egg-center.html">Cheeseburger Eggsplosion</a>. It's not my invention. I actually got it from my favorite burger site, <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/">A Hamburger Today</a>. They blogged about it about a month ago.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It starts with a hole.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W99MOmf9d7s/Tb92OE6wDoI/AAAAAAAACFk/-2xJO5Ij2l8/s1600/P1050545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W99MOmf9d7s/Tb92OE6wDoI/AAAAAAAACFk/-2xJO5Ij2l8/s400/P1050545.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then we stick an egg in the hole.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEUEw8G8l8U/Tb95TCu7P1I/AAAAAAAACF0/tbt0Nn0kU-k/s1600/P1050552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEUEw8G8l8U/Tb95TCu7P1I/AAAAAAAACF0/tbt0Nn0kU-k/s400/P1050552.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then we flip it over. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NhR08XvjPfk/Tb92O-1vnzI/AAAAAAAACFo/3h45nA4a4J0/s1600/P1050555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NhR08XvjPfk/Tb92O-1vnzI/AAAAAAAACFo/3h45nA4a4J0/s400/P1050555.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then we get it all over ourselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bBHPL0I78CQ/Tb92LmL43hI/AAAAAAAACFY/1YOvMUnG3HA/s1600/P1050567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bBHPL0I78CQ/Tb92LmL43hI/AAAAAAAACFY/1YOvMUnG3HA/s400/P1050567.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the Cheeseburger Eggsplosion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-25507649986951151462011-05-01T16:06:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:43:29.569-07:00National Burger Month 05/01/2011: Teriyaki Beef Burger with Grilled Pineapples<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm still unsure if I should keep on doing this. As recently as a week ago, I was like, "burger month? I think it's a bi-annual thing." This could be just for today, but last night I was equivocating again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">After a recent vacation to the Philippines, I had grown a couple of pants sizes larger. I can't help it if I can get a buffet and a massage for $15-- I was like a human wagyu cow. In the ensuing months, and after a couple weeks of riding my bike everywhere, I have gotten back to wearing my pants without suffering from belt line bruises at the end of the day. But National Burger Month is here and it is a dangerous thing. And it's so tiring to think of a new burger a day.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I equivocate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To celebrate the beginning of the National Burger Month and <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X90-mSBc_PY">les damnés de la terre</a> </i>on this May Day, I have a teriyaki beef burger that I top with grilled pineapple rings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The teriyaki marinade for the burgers is simple, based off a recipe from Mark Bittman's <i>The Best Recipes of the World</i>. I marinated ground beef for about one hour, then formed it into patties, which I grilled, along with pineapple rings. This is a very simple burger.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the teriyaki marinade:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 cup sake</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/3 cup soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/3 cup mirin</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tbsp sugar</div><br />
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</div>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-972025124849985932011-05-01T11:06:00.000-07:002011-05-01T11:06:19.886-07:00Developing: It's 2011 National Burger MonthIf I do this, there's no backing down. It's a commitment for 31 days. Oh boy...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/search/label/national%20burger%20month">Previous National Burger Month burgers</a>.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-51680371574133610012010-08-30T18:20:00.000-07:002010-08-30T18:55:31.042-07:00list of things i ate this past weekendNo photos (of food).<br />
<br />
My weekend started on Thursday when L took me to the airport. And it is still going on right now, so I may add stuff to this list. I tried to make it go in chronological order. I may have misses some stuff from Sunday due to the sheer volume.<br />
<br />
1. Grilled squid at <a href="http://www.tribugrill.com/">Tribu Grill</a>, San Bruno<br />
2. Adobo rice<br />
3. Pork sisig<br />
4. Frozen brazo de mercedes<br />
5. Chocolate chip cookies (homemade)<br />
6. 2 eggs over easy, bacon and homefries at the Palace Diner, Flushing <br />
7. Organic grapefruit purchased at Trader Joe's Santa Cruz, eaten in Kew Gardens<br />
8. Roast pork bun at <a href="http://www.fayda.com/">Fay Da</a> Cafe and Bakery, Flushing<br />
9. Taro bubble tea<br />
10. Sweet crusted bun with kaya<br />
11. The best frozen lemonade ever (the person who claims she made it said there was lemon zest) at the USTA Center in Flushing<br />
<br />
<img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SH0eltYQDj4/THxeepV59gI/AAAAAAAABJw/fb1U03cmVxs/s400/P1030930.JPG" /><br />
<i>That's Roger Federer in the foreground during his practice session in the Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Center in Flushing, tuning up before the US Open</i><br />
<br />
12. Green tea mochi from Fay Da, eaten in Kew Gardens<br />
13. Chunks of fried pork, yellow rice and red beans at a Cuban restaurant whose name I can't remember, for the life of me, in Union City<br />
14. Churros<br />
15. Cafe con leche<br />
16. "Greek breakfast" at Cafe Lala in the upper west side<br />
17. Cafe au lait<br />
18. Grilled chicken tacos I made in Edison<br />
19. Some pico de gallo I made in Edison<br />
20. Herr's Smoked Baby Back Ribs flavored ridged potato chips<br />
21. Roasted Sweet Ajicito peppers I grilled up in Edison<br />
22. Corn with butter and soy sauce I grilled up<br />
23. Corned beef, sinangag and an egg, over easy in Edison<br />
24. Pancit something or another<br />
26. A bunch of beer<br />
27. Pork bbq skewers<br />
28. Edith's pork sisig<br />
29. More pancit something or another<br />
30. Dad's paella valenciana<br />
31. Layni's chicken inasal<br />
32. Some fried blue fish<br />
33. Tita Oyette's empanadas<br />
34. Edith's lumpia shanghai<br />
35. More beer<br />
36. Tita Patsy's mocha cake from a Filipino bakery<br />
37. Farah's blueberry pie from Whole Foods<br />
38. Edith's Ginataan halo halo<br />
39. Dad's Ghirardelli chocolate brownies<br />
40. Some plums<br />
41. A little coffee<br />
42. An orange cream cream ice from <a href="http://www.ritasfranchises.com/stores/store.cfm/Edison-08817/store/580">Rita's</a><br />
43. A little coffee<br />
44. A little pancit<br />
45. Peeky toe crab salad at <a href="http://www.danielnyc.com/dbgb.html">DBGB</a>, LES<br />
46. The tunisienne sausage, which is DB's take on the merguez<br />
47. <a href="http://www.ironhillbrewery.com/mapleshade/">Iron Hill</a> lager, which is an unpasteurized lager. It was nice and summery. But since it was unpasteurized, it still contained some live cultures of yeast. And I think it's celebrating a party in my stomach right now.<br />
48. A little bit of Ria's tiramisu ice cream cake that she ordered at DBGB<br />
49. A nine dollar lemon and tarragon chicken wrap on the old Virgin America.<br />
50.... hmm. we'll see.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-82234144443646800082010-06-21T19:49:00.000-07:002010-06-21T19:52:11.945-07:00Summer means chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks and mint chocolate swirlDamn. It's summertime already and it's time to break out the ice cream maker. In my two year relationship with my ice cream maker, I haven't ever made a non-fruit based ice cream. I've done strawberry and blueberry variations (strawberry cardamom is dynamite) and i've done peach and apricot ice creams (apricot ginger!). And I've done a pretty good mojito ice cream. That was pretty much like making a cocktail, but it was mostly fruit. And I can't believe I haven't ever done chocolate. I think mostly it was my fear of failing at the most basic of ice creams that kept me from making chocolate. Man, I love chocolate.<br />
<br />
So this is a chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks and a mint chocolate swirl. The recipe is a pretty basic ice cream recipe. I took a cue from Alton Brown's <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-ice-cream-recipe/index.html">recipe</a>-- my experience with his work has been pretty good. I think his secret is just that he keeps everything no nonsense. In his version, he uses a mix of half and half and heavy cream. I skipped the heavy cream on my take (not because I think it's too heavy, I do... but because I was absent-minded and forgot about it). <br />
<br />
<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/4722587155_958d291ea9.jpg" / ><br />
<i>summer summer summer time!</i><br />
<br />
I'm not going to reprint Brown's recipe here. Just follow his, which I think is an <i>excellent</i> chocolate ice cream recipe. I will say that I used really good quality cocoa. In this case, it was Scharffenberger unsweetened cocoa. I also used pretty good chocolate for my chunk mix-- a 71% Valrhona. <br />
<br />
For the swirl part of this ice cream, I took two tablespoons of dark chocolate spread (kind of like Nutella without the hazelnut) and two teaspoons of mint extract and microwaved it for 15 seconds, mixing right after. <br />
<br />
Right when your ice cream is almost all set (about 20 minutes into churning in the ice cream maker), toss in about 1/4 cup of rough chopped chocolate and drizzle in the mint chocolate swirl. Try to get the drizzling into the center of the mix. I miscalculated a little bit and started throwing the extra stuff into the ice cream maker before the ice cream was consistently frozen enough. Once you disturb the mix with foreign objects like chocolate bits, the temperature of the custard rises and the ice cream starts to melt. I had to quickly finish my additions or ruin the whole bunch. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough of my mint chocolate swirl in there. Perhaps next time I'll try mixing the chocolate-mint sauce first, and then toss in the solid ingredients. Next time, next time... <br />
<br />
But the final result was delicious. I'm about to take it to a barbecue.<br />
<br />
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X_PDns23RWY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X_PDns23RWY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-50554817628168660112010-06-20T15:11:00.000-07:002010-06-20T15:25:43.507-07:00Gifts: The Bacon Press and the Sloppy JoeA little late with this blog. A little late with everything. <br />
<br />
Last weekend was a good old time. It was graduation weekend and several of my friends came back to Santa Cruz to a) graduate, or b) celebrate with people who graduated. There were plenty of parties to go to. One of which featured the world premiere of Lindsey and my tribute to Lady Gaga at the karaoke at Coasters. That one was dedicated to our dear friend Becky, who walked the next day.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4718254971_37e7cb3c72.jpg" /><br />
<i>t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-telephone</i><br />
<br />
I also ran into Jim and Jessica at Jessica's reading for <a href="http://anewcadence.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-cadence-presents-summer-fiction.html">A New Cadence Poetry Series</a>, which Jim facilitates. Jessica didn't read poetry. She read one of her excellent stories because this was the first installment of A New Cadence Poetry Series's A New Cadence Poetry Series Summer of Fiction. Later on, during the weekend, I met up with them at their place because our dear friend Alexis was back in town for Chris's graduation. They also gave me this:<br />
<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4718902892_5606611a36.jpg" /><br />
<br />
It's a bacon press. I never knew these existed. The bacon press is a hefty piece of cast iron, with a wooden handle. Apparently, they're supposed to be placed on top of bacon on a skillet so that the bacon doesn't shrivel up while it fries. Jessica said they found it at a thrift store and thought of me when they bought it. Thanks, Jim and Jessica! Once I clean the rust up, it will be put to good use, helping me enjoy my bacon. Jim also suggested that perhaps I should start a publishing company called Bacon Press, and this can be my imprint.<br />
<br />
And one more gift. I had a slow start to my Saturday. Had a late breakfast at 11:30. It wasn't that extravagant, so by 5PM I was pretty darn hungry. Hopped in my car and drove to my new favorite burger place in Santa Cruz, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/burger-santa-cruz">burger.</a> Since burger. has opened, they've gotten better and better. Last night I found out that their beer license was granted and their taps are on and they have a pretty good selection of beers on tap. I predict that this place will be my favorite place this summer. And they have a few more things in store that have yet to come online-- a jukebox, movie nights, games... How exciting. Can it be that for the first time in forever, a restaurant will actually survive on the corner of Mission and Bay? <br />
<br />
So I was sitting at the bar, having my usual Dude Burger (bacon, cheese and avocado), with garlic fries and a mint chocolate chip milkshake, when the guy behind the bar approaches and sets a plate in front of me. "I want you to try this," he said. "It's a sloppy joe." <br />
<br />
Do they know the way to my heart or what?<br />
<br />
Already I was kind of full from the burger and garlic fries extravaganza in front of me, but the sloppy joe was a new menu item and I had to give it a taste. I haven't had a sloppy joe since my time at P.S. 152 in Woodside, Queens. I remember that it was kind of a comfort food. Burger.'s sloppy joe was zesty. I think I tasted a little roasted red bell pepper in there, so it wasn't just a mess of meat in tomato sauce. If I hadn't already eaten 1/3 pounds of grass fed beef from Humboldt County, I would've scarfed the sloppy joe down and licked the plate. Oh man, that was good.<br />
<br />
I then proceeded to walk around for the next four hours in food coma bliss.<br />
<br />
Like whoah. What a great week for gifts.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-17413739132698887872010-06-06T11:53:00.000-07:002010-06-06T12:00:49.036-07:00National Doughnut Day 2010Last Friday, 4 June was National Doughnut Day. Apparently, it's been practiced since the 1930s. It was started by the Salvation Army to honor a bunch of people who sent some donuts to American soldiers in World War I. And according to this <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/National+Doughnut+bypasses+Canadian+pastry+lovers+Americans+chow+down/1667429/story.html">article</a>, some Canadians are envious of this American holiday. <br />
<br />
To be honest, I was unaware of it (!!) when I woke up in the morning. But I did go to the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/ferrells-donut-shop-santa-cruz">Ferrel's Donuts</a> for a little pre-work snack. They make a pretty good chocolate old fashioned and a pretty good glazed buttermilk.<br />
<br />
That evening, spurred on by newly acquired knowledge of National Doughnut Day, I got a bunch of people together for some deep fried dough. This is the third year I celebrated NDD. In 2008, <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2008/06/june-6-is-national-doughnut-day.html">I made two kinds of beignets</a>: one from scratch, and another from a Cafe du Monde mix. In 2009, Bettina made doughnuts using her grandmother's recipe, and I made some potato donuts from the Joy of Cooking. This year, I decided to go back to the beignets.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4675178481_8b320b41e4.jpg" /><br />
<i>Beignets with hearts</i><br />
<br />
After having two Ferrel's donuts in the morning and a bunch of beignets in the evening, I needed to go for a long bike ride on Saturday.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SH0eltYQDj4/TAvoYYd1S9I/AAAAAAAABC4/w9Otqe1wUNo/s800/snap20100605_193554.jpg" /><br />
<br />
This was the first half of my bike ride. And then my phone ran out of batteries, so the GPS couldn't track the rest of the ride. We went up about 50-100 more feet in altitude, and about 2 hours longer in time. <br />
<br />
Here's an approximate map of our route (taken from an earlier ride).<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110518976127580571644.000471d6c791267cb6f2e&t=h&ll=36.986823,-122.061329&spn=0.073831,0.078664&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110518976127580571644.000471d6c791267cb6f2e&t=h&ll=36.986823,-122.061329&spn=0.073831,0.078664&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Wilder Loop</a> in a larger map</small><br />
<br />
Of course, all of that work went down the drain after doing a little drinky drinky pre-Pride celebration later that evening at the 529 Madhouse. Oh well.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-49682540372120447332010-06-01T17:14:00.000-07:002010-06-01T17:29:00.806-07:00National Burger Month 05/31/2010: Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwich Burger with Bacon and Tomato<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4658807049_aae347dfe2.jpg" / ><br />
<br />
Yes. It is the final day of National Burger Month. Once again, I cannot wait to not have to come up with a burger-like thingie every night, after having eaten burgers or burger-like thingies for much of the month. Oh, but we had some good times. I liked breaking out the classics again, like the Juicy Lucy. And I liked playing dress-up with food that would otherwise not be in burger form, pretending to be burgers for an evening.... Steamed halibut burger, I shall miss you dearly. Spam Musubi burger, au revoir. As Julio Iglesias once sang, "To all the grills I've loved before... they travel in and out my door..."<br />
<br />
I wanted to finish out the month with something kind of traditional, but with a twist. My favorite burger blog, A Hamburger Today, first published their <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/10/the-hamburger-fatty-melt-a-burger-with-two-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-as-its-bun.html?ref=aht-bb2">Hamburger Fatty Melt</a> a couple of years ago. Their version was just two grilled cheese sandwiches sandwiching a burger patty. They stuck it pretty traditional: white bread, Kraft singles and a burger. They have since updated their creation with the introduction of the <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/10/the-bacon-hamburger-fatty-melt-a-bacon-burger-with-two-baconstuffed-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-as-bun.html#comments">Bacon Burger Fatty Melt</a>. That's a nice burger. The Bacon Fatty Melt is a tribute to excess. I think they went with multiple layers there. They stack as follows:<br />
<ul><li>Bacon-stuffed grilled cheese sandwich as bun top</li>
<li>Cheese</li>
<li>Bacon</li>
<li>Four-ounce beef patty</li>
<li>Bacon-stuffed grilled cheese sandwich as interstitial bun (a nod to the Big Mac)</li>
<li>Bacon</li>
<li>Cheeese</li>
<li>Four-ounce beef patty</li>
<li>Bacon-stuffed grilled cheese sandwich as bun bottom</li>
</ul>Nice. But not really my style. I went with a little more subtlety on my version. <br />
<br />
My stack goes:<br />
<ul><li>Sourdough grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar cheese, mayo and tomato</li>
<li>Four-ounce beef patty with 1/2 tsp minced shallot, salt, pepper, and a few drops of Tabasco</li>
<li>Sourdough grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar cheese</li>
</ul><br />
It's not that I have something against Kraft singles. I find them useful for specific <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2010/05/national-burger-month-05152010-juicy.html">applications</a>. And I'm not a food snob since I am not averse to white bread. But I think sourdough went so well with good extra sharp New York Cheddar. And they do make a good sourdough here in the SF Bay Area. The burger itself, with the shallot (inspired by the <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2010/06/national-burger-month-05302010-sirloin.html">steak tartare burger</a>), was so fragrant, so moist. I also cut rounds out of grilled cheese sandwiches so the bread to burger ration wasn't wack.<br />
<br />
So there it was. Oh yes, I used mayo inside the grilled cheese. Some people are dogmatic about grilled cheese sandwiches. But this burger isn't about burger dogma. None of this month was, so I think changing up the grilled cheese part of the puzzle was apt. I think that tossing a slice of tomato and spreading some mayo on at least one of the pieces of bread makes the grilled cheese sandwich so much creamier and fuller. <br />
<br />
This was definitely one of the highlights of the month. I think it could've been the best burger I made all month. It was simple. It wasn't too fancy. And it was comfort food on top of comfort food (literally). The resulting sandwich was so juicy, so tasty. I sat there, post-burger, thinking that I couldn't have ended burger month better.<br />
<br />
K. I'm done with this month. I'm Audi 5000.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-38495975418195188672010-06-01T16:43:00.000-07:002010-06-01T16:44:29.713-07:00National Burger Month 05/30/2010: Sirloin Tartare Burger<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4658806377_10ac258cc0.jpg" / ><br />
<i>Sirloin tartare burger. Anchovy is key.</i><br />
<br />
Back in the kitchen again. I can't keep on eating out for my burgers, and I really need to close out National Burger Month with some that I cook at home. <br />
<br />
A few days ago, I <a href="http://eatabagel.blogspot.com/2010/05/national-burger-month-05262010.html">remarked</a> that I love it when Mark Bittman does his thing with burgers. I am a Bittman fan, and I am trying to cook every single thing in his awesome, awesome work, <i><a href="http://www.howtocookeverything.tv/">How to Cook Everything</a></I>, which I feel is the contemporary equivalent to Irma Rombauer, Marion Becker and Ethan Becker's <i><a href="http://www.thejoykitchen.com/">Joy of Cooking</a></i>. It is the cookbook to own if you need to own a single cookbook.<br />
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In a recent New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/dining/26minirex2.html">piece</a>, Bittman writes his version of the steak tartare, in burger form. My burger tonight is a faithful recreation of Bittman's recipe. <br />
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I used grassfed sirloin for my burger. I think the best part of this was the anchovy. The anchovy gave the steak tartare burger so much more dimension. The capers were a nice touch, and the medium boiled egg to garnish was also okay. But the anchovy pushed this burger from good to superb. I cooked my burger to medium, but I kind of wish I cooked it medium rare so I could appreciate the quality beef even more.<br />
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Also, from now on minced shallot shall replace my traditional grated onion whenever I have this option. The shallot made the burger so much more fragrant.<br />
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Oh yes.bagelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16238903577342653539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114507.post-28175743281129685862010-06-01T14:52:00.000-07:002010-06-20T14:35:35.834-07:00National Burger Month 05/29/2010: Hubert Keller's Burger Bar... or let's ghetto-ize the coloreds and people with babies in the back corner of the room, where they can sit next to the kitchen entrance, in dim lighting, so they cannot take nice pictures of their burgers for their food blogs.Thanks to Leslie who offered to take me to a burger place in return for my transporting her to the airport. What a way to kick of the final three days of National Burger Month. Contrary to the seemingly negative air of my blog post title, Keller's Burger Bar, on the sixth floor of Macy's Union Square, was actually a pleasant place to be. They had a wonderful view of Union Square, assuming you are not ghetto-ized into a corner. And while I did feel like I was shoved into the back corner of the restaurant with what seemed (and perhaps it was just coincidence) like the other people of color, or people with babies who could potentially be rowdy, we did have our own personal TV monitors, so we could watch the unfortunate beginning of the Los Angeles Lakers Western Conference Final game, in which they eliminated the Suns. Might as well have watched the Chicago-Philly NHL Finals game. I should've listened to Leslie, who suggested I order a kobe beef burger so I could take my aggressions out on Kobe Bryant via the kobe beef.<br />
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The burgers were actually delicious. I had the American Classic Cheeseburger, while Leslie ordered the Peppercorn burger. I think hers was better because it was slightly more flavorful. To be fair, the American Classic Cheeseburger was a good burger. It was perfectly cooked medium. The meat was juicy and delicious. The greens were fresh, and the cheddar was cheddar. But it would've been just okay if it weren't for the truffle sauce I ordered extra as a side, with which I doused the sandwich. The truffle sauce was perfectly salty, perfectly earthy and gave my otherwise just okay burger a strong anchor and kicked the burger up to good.<br />
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<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1301/4659429908_be2cd5f657.jpg" /><br />
<i>American Classic Cheeseburger, cracked wide open</i><br />
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In hindsight, perhaps I would've better been served by ordering Hubert's Favorite buffalo burger.<br />
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Leslie's Peppercorn burger was delicious. It was nicely crusted with red, black and white peppercorns, and like the Classic American was cooked to a pretty medium. On the side was a little cup of Keller's mustard spiced sauce. I think compared to the Classic American burger, which tastes quite like a classic American burger, this Peppercorn burger was a little more exciting. Without getting too gimmicky, the burger offered something more than the basic burger. The mustard sauce was piquant but not overwhelming. This was a very good burger.<br />
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<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/4658805639_b426fed08d.jpg" /><br />
<i>Peppercorn Burger at Keller's Burger Bar</i><br />
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We skipped the cute little dessert burgers because I was beginning to feel like that Monty Python skit with the big eater.<br />
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