French Dog

This is another of my series of Inspired Hot Dogs, in this case, based on elements of French cuisine.

To make this hot dog, you will need the following, already prepared :

• Mushroom and Onion accompaniment for beef (Deluxe Version)
• Duck Confit

Of course, the duck confit takes quite a while to prepare, so you will either need to purchase it (if you can find it anywhere) or think about making this well in advance !

I started with a 6 inch long mini-baguette, as you might expect with any French meal. This was split, not quite in two, and buttered with a compound butter made of the following:

• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced

The bread is then toasted on the grill.

On this, I used what would typically be a French country sausage:  A mild pork sausage link seasoned with garlic and herbs. These were grilled over low heat until brown and crispy on the outside.

Place the sausage on the toasted baguette, top liberally with the onion/mushroom mixture, and add pulled duck confit to the top.

This is rich in two ways: the flavor, and the cost, which ended up being about $12/dog, not even counting the time. Still, it was well worth it.

A great mushroom/onion accompaniment for beef

This idea was shared with me by a friend, Dennis Bowersox, who prepared it with some really nice fillet steaks. It also makes a great topping for hamburgers as well. It is extremely rich, and a little of it goes a long way. That’s good, because by the time you are done cooking down the mushrooms and onions, there is not a lot left!

The Basic Preparation

Ingredients

• 8 ounces white or portabella mushrooms
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
• 2 ounces red wine
• 1 tablespoon butter

Slice the mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the onion to 1/4 inch slices and separate the rings. Do not dice them. Melt the butter in a pan and begin cooking over medium heat. When the onion gets mostly translucent, add the red wine and cook until most of the moisture (but not all) has cooked off. Add the cheese and stir in until the mixture is creamy and fluid.

Serve over steak or hamburgers.

The Over the Top Preparation

So named due to the expense of the mushrooms and cheese.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces morel or chanterelle mushrooms (or a mix)
• 5 medium shallots
• 4 ounces crumbled French roquefort cheese, crumbled
• 2 ounces French Bordeaux
• 1 tablespoon butter

Use the exact same preparation method as above, but chop, rather than slice the mushrooms. If you though the first version was rich, you won’t believe this one!