Burger Bonanza

Yesterday I woke up with my mind set on one thing - burgers.

And since I couldn't shake this envie I realized I might have to give in - have a burger - and move on to other food.

So at first I was walking through a rainy Paris (the only Paris we seem to have at the moment) and considered buying a burger. But not any burger would do. This wasn't a McDonald's desire, I only go to McDonald's for fries anyway. I googled "best burger in Paris" but came up with things I can't possibly afford at the moment, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own burger.

There was a time when I was dating a man with a very healthy appetite for meat and pretty much anything barbecued, so I got quite experienced when it came to burgers. We used to make these huge barbecued beef burgers with bacon and guacamole, all topped with amazing whiskey sauce. Impossible to eat more than one.

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Then I went to France, and I didn't have nor money, nor barbecue, nor my boyfriend there to remind me that  burgers are the best. So I didn't really consider it. Until yesterday. 3 years later!

I love burgers! They're genius! Bread, meat and whatever you want to put in there. Whatever you have at home. You can adapt them to any theme party, if someone is allergic to something you just avoid it in that person's burger, if you're sick of beef you can use lamb, chicken or fish, or make a falafel one. Seriously - it is the ultimate food. And it isn't half as unhealthy as we think it is - it all depends on what you eat with it. Skip the fries - have a bulgur salad instead. 

So why is it then that we have gotten used to getting our burgers from a fast food chain where you pay too much money for food we don't really like. Are we too lazy? Do we think it's too expensive? Too complicated? I guess that a poor student like myself is more likely to get some pasta cooking than to start making a burger after a day of studying (or playing volleyball, like we do in my school). Yesterday my Italian friend actually cooked pasta and tomato sauce for lunch, and she said it was disgusting. And last night I cooked burgers for both of us. It was - if I can say so myself - delicious.

Are home made burgers more expensive than McDonald's then? 

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I'd like to say no. But let's show some proof.

(Warning! These are French prices, probably isn't the same in the US.)

So yesterday I made two beef and garlic burgers with caramelized shallots and bacon. The burgers were between 175 and 200 grams each (between 6 and 7 ounces). I bought the buns and the meat to be able to make the burgers but the other ingredients were things I had lying around. Bacon, shallots, garlic, mayonnaise, eggs; things that could have been replaced by whatever was in my fridge that day.

The Turkish "supermarket" at the end of my street has a butcher's section so I bought the meat there; it was 6,90€/kg, so 400 grams cost me 2,67€. For two people. That's not even 1,50€ each. Now if you buy your minced meat in a large supermarket it will cost you the double, at least. So if you have the chance to buy it from a butcher - do so.

The buns were 4 for 1,39€. I did find them for 1,11€ in another store, but the line was too long and I figured 30 cents wouldn't kill me.

So there you go - for two amazing burgers I paid less than 3,40€.

But oh well yes you might tell me that all that other food I had in there cost me too. Of course it did. But none of that is necessary to make a burger. But OK, let's say I paid 5€ for two burgers. That's not even a menu at McDonald's. And it tasted better too.

But it looks so complicated...

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I know cooking feels scary when you are not used to it. I used to despise cooking before I took the bull by the horns and faced that evil kitchen. Just to find out that I love cooking. And I also found out that it is not as hard as it seems. We can all slam some mayonnaise onto a bun, and most of us can slice tomatoes and onions, but the hard thing about burgers is the meat. And it isn't actually that hard.

In some recipes the meat is used as it is, just ground meat patties cooked as they are with some salt and pepper on the outside. I have seen other recipes where they put a tablespoon of water in the mix so that it doesn't get too dry. I do it a bit differently:

Basic Burger Recipe

serves 2 very hungry and poor students(Warning! Metric system!)
What you need...

• 350 to 400g of ground beef
• 1 egg
• a tablespoon of chia seeds, or a tablespoon of breadcrumbs, or a slice of white bread without crust torn apart like Natalie Imbruglia, or some crackers!
• Salt-n-Pepa
• seasoning to your own taste, Examples:a garlic clove, parsley, tarragon, tabasco, finely chopped red onion, parmesan cheese, mustard etc.

How you do it...
Mix the egg with the chia seeds/breadcrumbs/crackers/bread in a bowl, Salt-n-Pepa the mix and add whatever seasoning you wish. Let it all sit for about 10 minutes.
Add your ground meat into the mix and blend. Blend blend blend, I find it is best if you do it with your hands - it get's yucky but no pain no gain right? 
When it's gotten all blended together put it back in the fridge for a while - I find it's better when the patties are really cold.
If you are having a burger party this is the moment to do the patties and keep them already pattied in the fridge, then you just take them out and put them straight on the fire without having to get your hands dirty again.

You should cook the burgers on high heat at first. Once the meat juice is coming up to the surface you can flip them.
Now beef shrinks when you cook them so you should make the burgers a bit larger than you want them in the end. And once you have put them on the heat - DO NOT press them, that will make them dry.

When you've got a nice surface on your burgers it is hard to know if they are done, and it also depends on how you want it. The easiest way is to touch the burger with your fingers and if it feels all mushy it's not done yet. I usually set the heat down to a minimum and then put a lid on for a while so that they cook on the inside. And then it's just mostly feeling. When you take them of the heat they will give away some juice so if you want to keep your burger from dripping don't put the burger directly on the bun. Just wait a minute or two for it to cool down a bit. 

Then, my friend, you are ready to dig in.

Now about toppings...

The best burger I have ever had was at Tusen & 2 in Malmö. I already mentioned this once, but seriously, it was heavenly. I had the Elvis burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, banana and peanut butter. Craziest mix I've ever tasted but oh so good. So if that's all you have at home you can still make an amazing burger. Don't be afraid to try new and strange things. Switch the regular bun to waffles or pancakes, stuff the burgers with cheese,  put some fried pineapple in there. Here are some ideas if you need help though.

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• Italian burger with mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and pancetta 
• Mexican burger with guacamole and tortilla chips on the side
• Blue cheese burger with pears and roquette salad
• Rum flambéd pineapple slices with whiskey sauce
• The breakfast burger with egg, bacon and pancake bun
• The go green one with every veggie you have at home on it. Extra points for whole-wheat buns!
• Greek burger with haloumi, aubergines and tomato sauce

Honestly - just put whatever you have at home in there. 

I hope this has inspired you to get in the kitchen and make your own burger next time. Seriously. If I can do it - you can.

Now I'll go and make plans for a burger party!

See you soon mes amies

Bisous!