Happy New Year All!
I've started as I mean to carry on 2012 by beginning with some serious savoury cooking. This year the sweet stuff is being put on the back-burner and we begin with one of London's new trends!
In previous posts I've talked about London's 'craze' of pop-up restaurants, well now it's all about the Street Burger! You may have about places such as Lucky Chip, The Meateasy & Honest Burger.
I've had the splendid joy of being to, two of the three above and I have to say, I don't think I'd ever had a proper burger before I had tried one from the above establishments!
The Meateasy also known as The Meatwagon has now moved to the west-end & re-named itself Meat Liquor. I went to the Meatwagon whilst it was still based in New Cross & have to say it was a fabulous experience of trying my first cloche burger!
So here are the two recipes I used to get the creation above in the photograph.
Light Brioche Burger Buns - Got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Comme Ça restaurant in Los Angeles, via the New York Times
Go! Make these! What are you waiting for?
Makes 8 4 to 5-inch burger buns
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sesame seeds (optional)
1. In a glass measuring cup, combine one cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be on the sticky side so it can be a bit messy, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave them tackier than you would a round loaf.
3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours. (In my freaky, warm apartment this only took an hour.)
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for one to two hours. (Again, this only took one hour in my apartment and I suspect, you’ll also only need an hour for a second rise.)
5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Cloche Burger - recipe found on The Independent website
1kg coarsely minced chuck steak with about 20 per cent fat (get this from your butcher not the supermarket)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little vegetable oil for grilling
4 slices of cheese
4 soft homemade Brioche buns
Mould the mince into round patties the same size or a little larger than the burger buns. Season the burgers then heat a griddle or heavy frying pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, keeping them nice and pink. When it's almost done, splash a little bit of water into the pan and then puts a cloche over the top to let it steam a little.
If you are using cheese, just place on top of the burger for 30 seconds or so to melt it.
Meanwhile, lightly toast the bun, assemble with your chosen relish and serve immediately.
Dill Relish
Chopped dill
Tommie K
Mayo
Once you make a cloche burger you'll never do it any other way.
Go on give it a try!!
