Saturday, July 3, 2010

So Juicy I'll Take My Panties Off!


PRIME MINI BURGERS WITH GORGONZOLA AND SPECIAL SAUCE
Makes 12 mini burgers
SPECIAL SAUCE:
2/3 cup good-quality store-bought mayonnaise
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons bottled tomato-based barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon store bought relish
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
BURGERS:
6 slices brioche bread or other rich egg bread such as challah
3/4 pound prime ground beef
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Arugula leaves
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
3 cornichons or small dill pickles, each sliced lengthwise into 4 pieces
First, make the Special Sauce. Put the mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauce, relish, onion, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To prepare the burgers, first preheat an outdoor grill, indoor grill, or ridged stovetop grill pan.
Meanwhile, use a 2-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circular pieces from the bread slices. Set aside.
Put the ground beef in a bowl and season with generous pinches of salt and pepper. With clean hands, lightly but thoroughly mix the beef and seasonings. To form a mini burger, take about 2 tablespoons of the beef and loosely roll it between your palms to form a ball; then, flatten it slightly and set it aside on a clean dinner plate while you shape the remaining meat in the same way to make 12 mini burgers. Lightly drizzle the burgers with olive oil and season their tops with salt and pepper. Turn the burgers over and drizzle and season their other sides.
Place the burgers on the hot grill. Cook for 3 minutes (for medium-rare), then turn them over with tongs. Carefully place about 1 teaspoon of Gorgonzola cheese on top of each burger, allowing it to melt while the other side cooks for about 3 minutes more. Place the bread pieces in gaps on the grill. (If your grill is small, you can also toast them under a hot broiler or in a toaster oven.) Toast them lightly on both sides, about 2 minutes total.
To assemble the burgers, put the toasted bread circles on a serving platter. Top each piece with a small dollop of the sauce. With the tongs, place a burger, cheese side up, on top of 12 of the bread pieces. Top each with an arugula leaf, a slice of tomato and a slice of cornichon. Serve immediately.

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