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Chuck the chuck

It's time to think beyond beef burgers and to get creative with the condiments

By: Alison Gillmor

Posted: 08/1/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Garlic Ginger Salmon burger (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

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Middle Eastern Lamb burger. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

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Get creative with condiments for turkey burgers. (TRIBUNE MEDIA MCT)

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Turkey burger (CP)

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Cranberry Bog Turkey burger. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

Where's the Beef?

The upcoming long weekend has a lot of people thinking burgers. But maybe it's time to think beyond the hamburger.

The Book of Burger (Atria Books, 321 pages, $28.99), by Food Network darling Rachael Ray, pays a lot of attention to good old ground chuck. (The cover recipe is a homemade homage to the Big Mac.) But Ray also lavishes chapters on pork (banh mi burgers), lamb (gyro burgers), poultry (chicken burgers with Caesar pesto), fish (Sicilian-style tuna burgers), and vegetarian options (Portabello mushroom burgers).

And she gets creative with the condiments. Going beyond the classic trio of ketchup, mustard, relish, some of Ray's burger garnishes include wasabi mayo, mango chutney, horseradish sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Ray looks at some burger-related favourites (sliders, dogs, hot sandwiches and sloppies), as well as stalwart burger sides (balsamic sweet potato fries, thick-cut onion rings).

With over 200 burger-centric recipes, Ray is sometimes reaching a bit. A few of the suggestions sound contrived or just plain kooky. A hamburger covered with chili mac 'n' cheese? Hot sausage burgers topped with broccoli rabe?

But Ray also rounds up some reliable recipes and some solid practical information. Take this tip: To form her patties, she mounds the meat in the bowl and then lightly scores it into equal portions. This avoids what she calls "the runt burger" -- the little patty that makes you rip a bit off all the other patties so you can end up even-steven.

While she understands the lure of the barbecue, Ray favours the cast-iron skillet or grill pan, which works well all through the year and provides good crust and rich flavour.

The book explores all things burger. Barbecue guru Adam Perry Lang contributes a passionate essay about the search for the perfect bun. Sourdough buns compete too much with the burger, and brioche is unpredictable, according to Lang. Too chewy and you can get "backsliding" -- where the burger ingredients start sneaking out the back of the bun. Too soft and things can get squishy. (For the record, Lang prefers a potato roll or standard white bun lightly toasted and then cooled.)

Ray ends off with a roundup of favourite recipes from high-profile guest chefs and restaurateurs -- Bobby Flay's Louisiana burger, Josh Capon's Bash burger with carmelized onion-and-bacon jam, Masaharu Morimoto's Kakuni burger, which have all taken home trophies at Ray's annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival Burger Bash.

With a mix of the humble and the haute, The Book of Burger salutes the democratic, deeply satisfying classic hamburger, while stretching the burger boundaries a bit.

Middle Eastern Lamb Burgers with Baba Ghanoush

750 g (1 1/2 lbs) ground lamb
60 ml (1/4 cup) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
15 ml (1 tbsp) ground coriander
10 ml (2 tsp) ground cumin
10 ml (2 tsp) ground turmeric
pinch ground cinnamon
salt and pepper
15 ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil

4 crusty rolls, split and lightly toasted
4 leaves romaine lettuce
125 ml (1/2 cup) baba ghanoush

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, parsley, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon; season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Score the mixture into 4 equal portions and form them into patties slightly thinner at the centre than at the edges for even cooking and to ensure a flat surface (burgers plump as they cook). Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers, flipping once, 10 minutes for medium (adjust the timing for rarer or more well-done burgers).

Place the burgers on the roll bottoms and top with lettuce leaves. Slather each roll top with baba ghanoush and set the tops in place.

Makes 4.

Tester's notes: Great flavours. I bought pre-made baba ghanoush, but Ray includes a recipe if you want to make your own.

Garlic-Ginger Salmon Burgers with Wasabi Mayo

750 g (1 1/2 lbs) skinless, boneless salmon fillets, cut into large chunks
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2.5 cm (1 in) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
45 ml (3 tbsp) tamari or soy sauce
4 green onions, whites and greens, finely chopped
10 ml (2 tsp) dark sesame oil
sea salt and pepper
15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
10 ml (2 tsp) wasabi paste
125 ml (1/2 cup) mayonnaise
juice of 1 lime (about 30-45 ml or 2-3 tbsp)

4 sesame kaiser rolls, split and lightly toasted
butter lettuce leaves
pickled ginger slices
sliced seedless cucumbers

Pulse the salmon in a food processor until finely ground: It should look like coarse-ground beef of turkey. Transfer the salmon to a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, tamari or soy sauce, green onions and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Score the mixture into 4 equal portions and form them into patties of even thickness.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers, flipping once, 6 minutes for medium-rare and 10 minutes for fully cooked.

While the burgers are cooking, make the mayo: Stir the wasabi paste, mayo and lime juice together in a small bowl.

Place the burgers on the roll bottoms. Top with lettuce, pickled ginger and cucumber. Slather the roll tops with the mayo and set in place.

Makes 4.

Tester's notes: Heavenly. I'd keep some wasabi-lime mayo around the house for other things.

Cranberry Bog Turkey Burgers

30 ml (2 tbsp) butter
1 small McIntosh apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 rib celery, from the heart, finely chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
7 ml (1 rounded tsp) poultry seasoning
kosher salt and pepper
750 g (1 1/2 lbs) ground turkey
vegetable oil
250 ml (1 cup) prepared whole-berry cranberry sauce
125 ml (1/2 cup) mayonnaise

4 sandwich-size sourdough English muffins, split and toasted
8 leaves butter lettuce

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the apple, celery, onion and poultry seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool.

Add the turkey to the cooled apple mixture; season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Score the mixture into 4 equal portions and form them into patties slightly thinner at the centre than at the edges for even cooking and to ensure a flat surface (burgers plump as they cook). Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers, flipping once, 10-12 minutes, or until juices run clear.

In a small bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce and mayonnaise. Spread the toasted muffin halves with cran-mayo. Place the burgers on the muffin bottoms and top with butter lettuce. Set the muffin tops in place.

Makes 4.

Tester's notes: Tastes like Thanksgiving on a bun! Ground turkey in the supermarket can be very lean, and Ray sometimes has her butcher grind a mix of light and dark meat. In this recipe, the butter, apple and onion add moistness along with flavour. I didn't have mixed poultry seasoning, so I threw together dried sage, rosemary and thyme. Small confession: I didn't use English muffins, which struck me as a bit precious.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 1, 2012 D1

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