Rooftop Gourmet

If you were on death row, and offered one last supper, what would your final meal be? Hands down, I’d choose a burger. A burger is such a simple meal and if you pay attention to detail, you can make it truly extraordinary.

Lets face it though, a crappy burger is still pretty damn good right? But when really done well, it becomes a euphoric experience. There are a handful of factors that go into making the ultimate burger that are often overlooked.

1.:Meat: Ideally you select a a cut or a few different types of cuts and grind it yourself. That way, it ensures that your meat doesn’t consist of ground, nasty parts that have been washed with ammonia. This also allows you to “customize” your patty by adding brisket or chuck for flavor, or more tenderloin for texture.

2: Seasoning: If you use a high quality meat, you don’t want to mask the flavors of the actual animal (notice I said animal because I don’t understand veggie burgers. If you want vegetables, why mashed them all up into a patty?). Try to limit your seasoning to a high quality kosher or sea salt, some freshly cracked black pepper, and maybe one other secret ingredient in moderation. I admit, I used to try to jam the kitchen sink into my ground meat thinking that I’d stumble upon some life-changing recipe but no… simple is better.

3: Handling: This is probably the biggest secret that I recently learned. Don’t overwork your meat! Keep your hands out of the bowl, because the more you massage the mixture before forming it into patties the tougher the burger will be. You want a juicy, tender patty that falls apart in your mouth, not a firm meatball or meatloaf that requires a steak knife.

4: Cooking Execution: I’ve learned that cooking a burger is harder than you think. After years and years of grilling my burgers, I now actually prefer a cast iron grill pan. The open flame and extreme, uncontrolled heat tends to cause my beautifully shaped patty to shrivel up into a sphere making it impossible to eat without unhinging your jaw. Not to mention, all those delicious juices fall straight through the grates, enjoyed only by the neighborhood raccoon. On a griddle or flat service, the flavor that is extracted from the burger is used to help cook the patty and a nice, even crust can form under your control. Never overcook your burger! If you’re afraid to eat a burger that isn’t medium-rare, you’re not using a high quality meat. Not only will it taste better, but it will stay juicier and more tender. Let your burger rest for at least 5 minutes before chowing down. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the burger as opposed to running wild across your cutting board.

5: Condiments: This is fair game. Anything goes really when it comes to buns, cheese, sauce, toppings, etc. My theory is “simple is better” because I feel as though the meat should be the star, and everything else should enhance, or compliment the meat without overpowering it. That being said, these variables are endless and I have seen some pretty insane ideas. From foie gras and Epoisses cheese to a fried dough bun, burgers can get pretty extreme. 5: Subjectivity: All that being said, just like all food and wine related topics, everything is subjective. You may prefer frozen patties due to convenience, you may love your burgers cooked to death until they resemble hockey pucks, you may dowse your ground tenderloin in ketchup, and god forbid, you may love veggie burgers. Eat what you like to eat.

I grabbed some high quality lamb loin chops, and some of the leg meat and had my butcher grind it in front of me. I gently worked some confit garlic cloves, and freshly grated lemon zest into the meat before forming two loosely packed, patties. The garlic cloves cooked ever so slowly in fat to the point that they barely held their shape. The sweet, mushy cloves added a huge punch of flavor to the burger and the lemon zest contributed freshness. I liberally seasoned the patties with salt and freshly cracked black pepper before searing them on a scalding hot, cast iron grill plate. Cast iron retains heat extremely well and distributes it evenly throughout the cooking surface; perfect for searing more than one patty at a time.

Once a mouth-watering crust was formed, I flipped it over once only and let it finish on the top of the stove. Right before the burger reached a “rare” temperature, I threw it into the oven broiler dressed with thin slices of Fontina cheese. Fontina is a great melting cheese and has loads of flavor so it got the job done quickly.

I threw the perfect patty on top of my black pepper speckled, brioche bun and let it rest. To compliment the lamb, I made a quick mint yogurt to drizzle on top. Just a bunch of fresh mint leaves and a few spoonfuls of creamy Greek yogurt followed by a buzz in the blender, and my sauce was ready. Refreshingly flavorful and healthy to boot. A small handful of thinly shaved, raw shallots and the burger was complete. The anticipation of slicing it in half is an experience in itself. Once the juicy pink flesh is revealed it’s hard to wait long enough to even take a legitimate picture. I devoured the lamb burger in just a few mammoth bites, and washed it down with a French Burgundy.

The 2008 Bouchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bourgogne is made from 100% Pinot Noir in one of my favorite, and arguably the most acclaimed wine growing regions of the world. French Pinot, in most cases, is very different than domestic Pinot Noir. The French winemakers’ goal is to express the true “terroir” of the region (expression of the land, soil, climate, fruit in its natural state), whereas in the United States, most winemakers try to extract and pump as much big bold fruit into the wine as possible.

I thought that this Burgundy was absolutely fabulous with the lamb burger, which was slightly gamey and unique. The wine had aromas of burnt cherries, wet leaves, and new leather. Upon the first sip, the wine displays typical Pinot Noir fruit, followed by a pleasant earthy finish. It is clearly lighter, and more elegant than most domestic Pinots and the way the silky wine felt in my mouth was remarkable.

This wine is so soft and easy-drinking, yet ridiculously complex at the same time. I could barely put pressure on the brioche, preparing for each bite because the juice was running down my forearm. The tender meat, literally melted in my mouth while the slightly funky Fontina enhanced the flavor. This was one of the better, homemade burgers that I have ever made. It was certainly delicious but it definitely made me hungry for more, so this whole last supper thing can’t happen anytime soon.

From time to time, I get these crazy ideas for a dish and start experimenting in the kitchen. Most of the time these wacky ideas never get published for whatever reason, but once in a while they blow my mind and I can’t wait to write about them. For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about innovative, healthy meals and really trying to concentrate on portion control. My first instinct is usually a light seafood dish that most likely doesn’t hit the comfort zone in the dead of winter, while surrounded by multiple feet of powder. I was craving something rich, savory, and filling…and healthy. Is that even possible?

The other day, a lightbulb went on and my brain started spitting out crazy ideas. Most of the dishes I create are centered around a protein, while the vegetables are always playing second fiddle.

Screw portion control, why can’t I make the vegetable the star of the show and give the meat a break? That way I can eat enough to fill my belly and not worry about consuming a large portion of something that’s really good for me. Siobhan loves all types of squash so I picked up a few butternuts and cut them into massive “steaks” that looked like bricks of solid gold.

I was going to treat the squash as if I was pan roasting a couple of NY strips. Instead of going the traditional steakhouse route and finishing the “steaks” with a giant glob of flavored butter, I went a rather non traditional route.

I know that squash and pumpkins are rather popular in African and Middle Eastern cuisine, so I decided to make a quick lamb ragu, seasoned with spices that one would typically find in those areas. My plan was to drizzle the spiced ragu over the steak to give it some bold flavors.

I started it off by very finely mincing some garlic and ginger and dicing a carrot into a minuscule, brunoise dice. I sauteed those aromatics before adding the ground lamb that I seasoned with cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, all spice, coriander, nutmeg, chili, red curry powder, sugar, black pepper, and salt. Instantly, the pot became insanely aromatic with sweet and smoky flavors filling the kitchen.

 I added a tablespoon of tomato paste and then simmered the mixture in a bold, red wine and some beef broth for about two hours. While the ragu was reducing and intensifying on the stovetop, I seared the butternut “steaks” in a screaming hot pan because I wanted a nice, charred crust on them before I roasted them in the oven.

Due to the size of my “steaks”, they took about an hour and a half in the oven at about 400 degrees; just enough time for my ragu to come together. The color of the squash transformed from a bright yellowish-orange to a deep, brick red as the natural sugars caramelized. Since a classic Bordelaise, Cognac-cream sauce, and even A-1 was out of the question, I made a calorie friendly sauce out of fat free yogurt.

 To give it a little flavor, I infused some smashed garlic cloves into a tiny bit of olive oil and whisked the oil into the yogurt along with some fresh lemon juice. I placed the steaming hot steaks into the cool, garlicky yogurt before I drizzled the spiced lamb ragu all over the top.

The flavored juices in the ragu oozed out onto the plate as the warm sauce hit the cool yogurt. I garnished the dish with some cilantro leaves and impatiently waited for the scalding hot bricks to cool down. Not only was this dish really cool looking and colorful, it smelled amazing! The combination of sweet and smoky dried spices with the fresh ginger and garlic had me in sensory overload. We sliced into the butternut squash and realized that it was cooked to perfection.

It fell apart with ease and flopped into the creamy yogurt. The squash was so rich and sweet on its own but when a bite was taken with the lamb it was a match made in heaven. As simple as this was to create, finding a wine to pair it with was somewhat difficult. I finally decided on the 2008 Domaine Chante-Pedrix Chateauneuf du Pape, hailing from the Rhone Valley France. This is a wine that is comprised of Grenache and Syrah that was grown in the top tier vineyard sites of the Rhone Valley.

It’s medium to full bodied despite the fact that the juice is not aged in oak. The Grenache is lively and elegant, with loads of ripe cherry fruit and the Syrah gives the wine a peppery richness. On the finish, I picked up some earthy notes of tobacco and dark espresso beans as well as some interesting primal flavors of roasted red meat juices. Hey, if the dish is comprised around a vegetable, why not have some meat juices in your glass right? I thought that the ripe, fruitiness was perfect with all of the Middle Eastern spices and the overall richness of the wine complimented the savory, comfort level of the dish.

 This dinner definitely made me look at vegetables in a different light. The butternut squash didn’t seem out of place one bit. With only a small drizzle of lamb, it was the dominant highlight of the plate and afterwards, we were both stuffed and satisfied. I felt as though I just polished off a giant, braised short rib sitting in a mound of garlic mashed potatoes. I’m glad we got one more healthy meal in because coming up next is my adventure at Boston’s Cochon555 event; Lots and lots pork fat!!!

 Challenge #2: The Classics

 Challenge Prompt: Ready to tackle a classic dish from another culture? Pick an ethnic classic that is outside your comfort zone or are not as familiar with. You should include how you arrived at this decision in your post. Do your research then try to pull off successfully creating this challenge. Try to keep the dish as authentic as the real deal, and document your experience through a compelling post.

How offal can it be??? I’ve already stepped outside of my comfort zone and tackled classic Cantonese, Japanese, and Korean dishes. I’ve been to South America and back. I serve tacos whenever I’m cooking for more than twenty, and I make my own kimchi when I’m bored on a Wednesday afternoon. How can I possibly tiptoe further outside of my comfort zone? The only solution is to go where no sane man has gone before.

Introducing the Haggis Monster!!! A three-thousand year old Scottish recipe that was born out of necessity, as a way to utilize the least expensive parts of the animal.

 In a nutshell, haggis is dish containing a sheep’s pluck (heart, liver, and lungs) minced together with onions, oatmeal, spices, and stock, and stuffed inside the sheep’s stomach where it is then simmered for roughly three hours. As the old joke goes, a haggis is a sheep that swallowed itself. Why not give it a try?

I’m sure most of you already dry heaved and clicked back to Facebook, but for all you adventurous souls out there, buckle your seat belts. I am one who appreciates the art of transforming less glamorized animal parts into delectable treats, but I have never in my wildest dreams imagined doing so in my own kitchen.

I called up my local butcher and threw him a curveball on Sunday afternoon, ordering 2lbs of lamb liver, heart, tongue, beef suet, and some large intestine (lamb stomach is tricky to find). I made sure to schedule a pick up and to begin my preparation on my day off when my fiance’ was at work, or else she would suspect I was performing an autopsy.

Now a days, the Scots traditionally serve a haggis dinner in January as a ceremonial centerpiece honoring Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns. Burns’ famous Address to Haggis is read aloud as hundreds of patrons slice into giant Gremlin eggs and throw back a few drams of whiskey.

I invited two of my most finicky-eating friends over for dinner because I’m evil like that. I started my adventure off by opening all of the windows in the condo, and boiling the liver, hearts, and tongue in a big pot of salted water, with a few cinnamon sticks and dried chilies. The cinnamon and chiles add flavor and heat, but also keep my neighbors from moving out.

While the organs were boiling away, I got everything else prepped. I minced my onions and beef suet very finely, and created my dried spice mixture.

 Beef suet is an integral ingredient in haggis. It is the hard fat that forms inside the chest cavity of the animal due to the aggressive contracting of organs. The flavor is rich and distinct, and when it melts away inside the “sausage” it adds another depth of flavor to the dish.

 The spices I chose were a combination of nutmeg, garlic powder, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon, dried oregano, all spice, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. These flavors are intended to enhance rather than overpower the flavor of the offal. After about an hour and a half, I pulled the organ salad from the pot and let it cool.

I minced the heart and tongue, making sure to incorporate every last delicious ventricle and taste bud. The liver came out hard as a rock and I shaved the entire thing into the mixing bowl.

 Save your instant Quaker Oats for breakfast, because haggis requires a specific type of Scottish steel-cut oats, that take a lot longer to cook. Steel-cut oats are the inner portion of the oat kernel that are cut into pieces as opposed to being rolled. I toasted them in a saute’ pan to bring out their natural oils and oatmeal aromas before I folded them into the onion, suet, offal, and spice mixture.

Now begins the fun part. I moistened the haggis mixture with some beef stock and tossed it into a zip-lock bag to pipe into my large intestine. I felt like I was on the set of a Durex commercial for elephants. I spread open the pliable tubes as Siobhan piped the mixture deep inside and tied the individual haggis off with butcher’s twine.

 To prevent the beasts from bursting we pricked the natural casings with a safety pin and left a few inches of slack because the oats expand quite a bit when they cook. Into the boiling water they went, and I was able to breath a sigh of relief… for a moment.

Classic haggis is served with neeps and tatties, which is a combination of mashed potatoes and mashed turnips, boiled separately. Even though I was recreating a traditional dish, I felt that after the trauma I put myself through earlier, I could reward myself with a hint of creativity. Instead of mashing, I diced and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and turnips, and arranged them in a beautiful quilt to which my haggis monster would adorn.

My guests arrived, I pulled my boiling haggis from the pot, and I heard bagpipes blaring in the distance. As I sliced open the natural casing, the steaming porridge oozed out onto the dance floor of boring yet delicious Scottish vegetables.

The stuffing smelled like Christmas morning with a meaty hint of minerality. I must admit, I am no scotch aficionado, so I dared to pair this haggis with a blazing red from the Loire Valley, France. The 2006 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvee’ Terroir is comprised of 100% Cabernet Franc, a typical blending grape in the heart of Bordeaux.

Here in Chinon, the Cab Franc stands alone and delivers a lighter, fruit-forward, masterfully structured wine. The nose offers earthy, mushroomy aromas entwined with bright red fruit. On the palate, the acidity shines and intense flavors of bitter cranberry gastrique boil on your tongue. The unfamiliar varietal with aggressive tannins actually showed its true colors when washing down a spoonful of the hearty haggis.

 To my surprise, even my culture fearing guests inhaled the haggis, and pronounced that they were coming over on Sunday for a leftover haggis breakfast. I took a six hour flight out of my comfort zone and realized that all offal isn’t awful. We polished off the entire haggis, but I didn’t have the heart to tell them.

Check back in a few days for more information on voting for me in this Contest #2!

After scouring the Internet for possible honeymoon destinations, an image of the Greek Islands was stuck in my head all day. A gorgeous view from a balcony, surrounded by ivory walls overlooking crystal clear waters inspired me to make some Mediterranean fare. I picked up some lamb loin chops and baby lamb lollipops from the store and brought them home to spice them up.

 The lamb lollipops come from the rack and the loin chops look like mini T-bone steaks. Grilled lamb chops really don’t need a ton of heavy seasoning because there is so much flavor in the fat and connective tissues around the bones. When that fat hits the grill and gets charred, the result is pure heaven.

 I toasted up some whole coriander seeds, which is the seed of a plant very similar to cilantro that has roots that trace back to Greece and Asia. Toasting the spices releases all of the natural oils and brings out the essential flavors and aromas. I sprinkled the chops with the coriander seeds, a few fennel seeds, and some dried chile flakes before marinating them in lots of extra virgin olive oil.

I let the chops sit, covered in the spices and oil for at least two hours to really take in all of the flavor. The coriander provides a smoky/nutty flavor, the fennel brings some anise flavor, and the chile flakes bring a touch of heat… all flavors that work nicely with lamb.

 My herb garden is overgrown and creeping up the side of the house, so it was a great time to snip off some fresh oregano and mint. With the flavors of a well dressed, Greek salad in mind, I composed a salad around the huge bushels of mint.

Lamb chops have outgrown their mint jelly from a jar companion, but still taste delicious when paired with the fresh herb. I minced up a few cloves of garlic, and shallots and combined them in a mixing bowl with the juice of three lemons and some extra virgin olive oil. I whisked it into a classic vinaigrette before I tossed in some sliced Fresno chilies (red jalapenos), pitted Kalimatta Olives, garbanzo beans, and chopped oregano.

When I think of Greek flavors, I imagine a combination of fresh, acidic, briny, and of course salty. I brought the salty element into the salad in the form of Greece’s famous cheese. Feta is a brined and cured sheeps milk cheese that is typically seen crumbled in salads.

 The feta is produced in blocks and brined and cured in a salted water. If you can, buy the fresh feta when it’s still in the water as opposed to buying it in a package. Once it’s removed from the brine it dries out quickly. At the last moment before the salad was ready to be plated, I sliced the Feta and folded it into the vinaigrette along with handfuls of fresh mint leaves.

 I piled the oily chops onto the grill and the flames began to rise. I let lamb gets a nice char on the outside before I move them out of the flame and onto a tamer side of the grill.

The toasted seeds on the exterior of the chops added some texture and wonderful licorice and woodsy aromas during the cooking process. I plated the chops “family-style” on a large platter and poured my mint and Feta salad all over them.

 A little splash of lemon zest was the finishing touch that helped wake up all the amazing Mediterranean flavors. As the chops were resting, I put a quick chill on a bottle of 2007 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir from South Africa. I like my Pinot Noir to be served slightly below room temperature, and a good ten minutes in the fridge does the trick, especially before drinking it on the hot roofdeck.

This wine comes from Walker Bay, South Africa, which is one of the world’s most up and coming wine regions. Hamilton Russell’s Pinot is exceptionally well made and is a great food wine. Unlike fruity Oregon Pinots, this wine is big and bold, with tons of black cherry, cedar, tea and notes of Asian spices. The acidity was off the charts, which was a great compliment to my succulent lamb and wild salad. Despite the wine’s high alcohol content (14%) it was barely detectable, showing that it could put up with a few years of cellaring. The finish was full of energy, with all sorts of flavors and perfumes lingering forever.

The chops were cooked to temperature, a warm pink center, and the subtle gamey flavors were balanced with the salty Feta and the minty aftertaste. Even the slight kick from the chilies were tamed nicely by the meaty garbanzos. With a platter straight from the Greek Islands, and a beautiful Pinot Noir from South Africa, this was quite the worldly feast. If only, Greece had made it to the finals of the World Cup, hosted in Africa’s tip, this would have been the perfect fusion meal.  

Spring is finally here, and it has clearly made its point by coming in like a lion; more like a pack of lions. Only a few more days of torrential downpour and flooding before Easter brings us some nice weather. Last night I was optimistic and tried to bring the lamb a few days sooner to send out the season the right way.

 I picked up two racks of lamb from Whole Foods and brought them home to start Frenching them.

Frenching is a term used to describe cutting the meat and fat off from around the bones, making them nice and clean looking; there was no tongue kissing involved.

 I liberally seasoned the racks with salt, pepper and lots of fresh rosemary before I seared them off in a screaming hot roasting pan. I wasn’t in the mood for the typical roasted potatoes or rice pilaf to accompany my lamb so I went to the dry pantry for some ideas. I found a couple of cans of Garbanzo beans, otherwise known as chick peas, and decided to make a puree.

 I tossed the chick peas in the food processor with the juice and zest of two whole lemons which gave it a nice burst of acidity and fresh flavor. I warmed the puree on the back burner while I got everything else prepped but couldn’t help dunking some old pita chips into the “hummus” while I cooked.

As well as rosemary, fresh mint is another classic herb that goes great with lamb. I wanted to serve the lamb with a fresh Spring salad to emphasize the lightness of this Easter feast.

I tossed together some pea tendrils, fresh mint leaves, parsley, and some wafer thin radishes to create a rather interesting salad. It almost looked like something the Easter Bunny would snack on. The combination of herbs and pea shoots with the spicy radishes were very pleasing. I made a quick vinaigrette in the blender with green olives, garlic, white anchovies, Dijon mustard, and more mint.

The briny, and salty olives would be a perfect topping for the gamey lamb chops, which I threw into the oven to roast.

April showers supposedly bring May flowers so I opened up a bottle of the 2006 Flowers Perennial Red Blend from Sonoma. This magnificent wine is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir, 13% Syrah, 10% Pinot Menuier, and 1% Chardonnay. It’s fruit forward and has stunning aromas of cherry and… you guessed it… flowers. Hints of dark coffee appear in between the bursting plum and strawberry fruit. Not only was the name “Flowers Perennial Red” perfect for my Spring feast, it paired perfectly with the medium rare lamb. 

The grassy notes in the meat played well with the lemony chick pea puree and the texture of the salad was fresh and crunchy. I spooned the green olive vinagriette over the warm chops and lightly tossed the Spring mix of herbs on top of the lamb’s crown. The unique blend of grapes in the Flowers Red had plenty of acidity and is a great food wine in general, especially for an Easter feast. Hopefully the rain will cease, the flowers will bloom, and we’ll send Spring out with some lamb.