It was Paul's turn to cook on Sunday and he determined that he was going to make a treat for my mom. I don't know why she was deserving of a treat nor can I recall the last time he whipped up a culinary treat for me, however I shall be the bigger person (for once) and move on.
A few weeks ago mom was over and happened to see a Food and Wine magazine laying about - she took one look at the cover and declared that the burger depicted there looked amazing! Paul overheard her lusting after the cover recipe and decided that that was the treat he was going to make for her.
Now lest you shake your head and suspect that I have lost it - burgers can be special and anyone of you who has eaten a burger that wasn't wrapped in waxed paper from McDonald's, Burger king, Wendy's or Harvey's (for my good Canadian readers) knows this. These burgers are relatively simple - the patties are just meat, salt, and pepper. No additives here.
This is where the simple burger stuff ends . . . the patties are soaked in ice water for 30 seconds (yes, soaked in ice water - not unlike a fine beer at the lake) and then grilled. While they grill you brush them with melted butter (in case the fat content of the meal wasn't already sufficient for you).
Once grilled they are served with homemade tarragon russian dressing (which was so darn good mom refused to believe that Paul had made it), melted cheddar, and crisp bacon. Oh wow! Park your diet at the door . . . remember that the odd indulgence isn't evil.
Superb!
Soaking the meat in the cold water and basting with the butter while grilling ensured that the burgers remained incredibly moist. The butter also helped to enhance the flavor of the meat. The sauce was very easy to prepare and the flavors perfectly complimented the beef and the bacon. The only negative I have is the burgers tasted so good I over indulged in my eating them.
Make these burgers with a twist for good friends and I can guarantee that they will be visiting you again . . . soon!
Enjoy
Cheddar BLT Burgers with Tarragon Russian Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the ketchup, red wine vinegar, onion, parsley, tarragon and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and refrigerate. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, turning once, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain and cut the bacon into large pieces. Light a grill and fill a large bowl with ice water. Gently mix the ground chuck with the ground sirloin, salt and pepper. Form the meat into six 4-inch patties, about 1 1/4 inches thick. Submerge the patties in the cold water and let soak for 30 seconds. Immediately transfer the burgers to the grill and brush with some of the melted butter. Grill over high heat for 9 minutes for medium-rare meat, turning once or twice and brushing occasionally with butter. Top the burgers with the cheese during the last minute of grilling and let melt. Spread the Russian dressing on the buns. Set the lettuce leaves and tomato slices on the bottom halves and top with the burgers, red onion and bacon. Close the burgers, cut in half and serve right away.
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces thickly sliced bacon
1 1/3 pounds ground beef chuck
1 1/3 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 6 slices
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
6 slices of tomato
6 slices of red onion
Ice water! Who knew? I am so trying that.
Posted by: Laura | August 06, 2009 at 08:18 PM
I've been eyeing that photo myself for a while now. Tell Paul what a great job he did-they look so good!
Posted by: Cindy Ruth | August 07, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Oh drool...those sound incredible! I'm SO showing up on your doorstep whining to be fed if I ever visit Ottawa. Which possibility is looking more and more likely now that my good friend Jane just moved there...well they are on the way, driving up yesterday and today, with their 2 sons and a dog. (Er, not that I imagine you care about my friend Jane, whom you've never met or heard of, I'm sure! But I thought it would be seemly to relay this crucial information so you'll be aware of my impending appearance on your doorstep! lol)
Posted by: Anne | August 07, 2009 at 02:49 PM
When I saw the title of this post I said to myself "Oooh Goodie a burger recipe!" I'm very much in the mood for a good hamburger. This one sounded great. Thanks Jerry for the post and the cute story of Paul and your mom. Sweet.
Posted by: Barb Cabot | August 07, 2009 at 03:59 PM
I think Paul fellt rather foolish dunking the burgers in the water Laura. The 'scientist' in me (yes, there is one somewhere) wanted to do two burgers as a control but I was overruled. I can say that theyw ere amazingly moist and delicious burgers.
Paul says 'Thanks' Cindy!
Anne - you'd have a long drive for your burgers - we're outside of Toronto! LOL But hey - you'd be welcome anytime.
Barb - we've done lots of burgers this year. Lamb, turkey, chicken, and beef . . . they've all been good.
Posted by: JDeQ | August 09, 2009 at 07:48 AM
oh that's funny...I don't know why I thought you were in Ottawa!
Posted by: Anne | August 09, 2009 at 08:08 PM
Who knows. You could visit Sandra there though!
And here I thought you were like those tourists who visit Rome and want to drive to Paris for a day trip. LOL
Posted by: JDeQ | August 16, 2009 at 08:20 AM