4B Burger (Beef, Braunschweiger, Bacon and Blue Cheese)

With Julia out of town on a mini-vacation, I decided to take advantage of that fact and make something I have wanted to try for some time now. Not that I think she would dislike it, she would probably just call it ‘too rich’. And rich, it most certainly is !

I have had all kinds of cravings for liver based food recently, and using the braunschweiger in this recipe met the desire. Combined with the fatty bacon and the strong blue cheese, you will know when you have eaten this burger!

Ingredients (per burger)

• 1/2 pound ground beef (80/20)
• 1/3 inch slice (about 1 1/2 ounces) of braunschweiger
• 3 strips of bacon, cooked
• About 1 1/2 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Take the 1/2 pound of ground beef, and split it into 2 equal parts. Form each part into a 1/4 pound patty. Try to make the patties on the thin (1/4 inch) side. Take the braunschweiger and center it on one of the patties. Then top that with the second patty, completely sealing the braunschweiger in between. You want that juicy liver goodness in the center.

Salt and pepper the burger to your tastes and then brush both sides of it with the melted butter. Refrigerate the burger, so the butter gets into the meat and congeals.

Grill the burger as you normally would, but remember, it is a 1/2 pound of meat, so it may take a little longer than normal. Do not worry about the braunschweiger in the middle – it is already cooked. When the burger is right off the grill, and still very warm, top it with the bacon, then the blue cheese crumbles, and serve on a toasted sandwich roll. I found the fried sweet potato nest to be an excellent accompaniment.

“Parts is Parts” – How to deal with leftover offal

I bought a whole duck recently (there will be more about this) and included in the body cavity was a hidden treasure – the offal. More colloquially know as giblets, these tasted innards can be used alone or together in a variety of dishes. Sadly, as the the typical palate has become sensitized to eating only the muscle flesh of animals, these bits are frequently disposed of – a complete waste of flavorful protein.

Now we all know that livers and gizzards are pretty good fried up, but it really is easy to make something special from them – a pâté. Pâtés can be pretty complex to make, but this one is simple and quick.

Ingredients

• 6 oz of offal (liver is best, but most anything can be used)
• 2 ounces of fat (use the fat from the animal being prepared, but bacon fat will work)
• 1 small shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of sherry or other sweet cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon of allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Prepare the offal by removing any excess membranes , fat or tissue still connected to it. Finely chop the shallot and garlic clove and sauté it in the butter until translucent. Let cool. In a small food processor, combine all ingredients and the shallot/garlic mixture. Process until it is a smooth paste. Butter a small baking dish, and spoon the pâté into it. Place the small baking dish into a larger baking dish filled with water (this will prevent the pâté from burning/browning), as shown below:

Bake the pâté at 200 degrees until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve as a spread with a butter crostini, as shown above.