Wedding Burger

I took off my beautiful, sparkling wedding band because I didn't want it to get all dirty and beefy

We're calling this the wedding burger because it was the first dinner we made when we got back to our apartment as a married couple. (It is also two types of beef, so maybe it works that way, too.) Some very nice friends of ours got us the massive and awesome chopping block and a very scary cleaver. I love them! I was a little afraid to have a cleaver in the apartment just because it seems right out of a horror movie so now it's wrapped up tightly and hidden in a drawer until next time.

Ever since reading this article on the best burgers, I've wanted a cleaver and chopping block to make my own and test it out. It's definitely not the easiest, but it really only takes about 5 minutes to chop up all the meat. The end result is a very juicy burger with an amazing consistency that is more steak-like than burger-like, or a sort of mix of the two. From the chopping, the pieces aren't uniform, so you get this great bite and texture. Jamie can't wait to have friends over to show off our new burgers, and I can't wait to try again with different cuts of beef.

We used 3/4 chuck and 1/4 sirloin from Ottomanellis which was great, but I do want to try some different combinations just to experiment. The chuck had the nice marbled fat, the the sirloin added some tenderness. This is also a fabulous way to blow off steam, so if I ever have a bad day, Jamie will probably be getting burgers for dinner from now on!

Serves 2 (big burgers)
Ingredients
3/4 lb chuck (cold)
1/4 lb sirloin (cold)
salt and pepper

Directions:

Put the chuck and the sirloin on a thick cutting board or chopping block and chop them into a fine mince.

Cookshop

I've been dying to try Cookshop for brunch after my mom said how great it was. Jamie and I just went this morning and it was amazing! We got the Cookshop scramble and the burger. Both were fab. The scramble was scrambled eggs with creme fresh, caramelized onions, chives, and bacon. The creme fresh made it so creamy, and the caramelized onions made it sweet and went well with the saltiness of the bacon. Plus, I love when eggs are served with a salad.

We weren't planning on ordering the burger, but a girl next to us was eating it and it looked amazing. It's topped with bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar cheese, and chipotle ketchup. So juicy and decadent. The French fried were also great! So crispy and thin, delish with the chipotle ketchup. I highly recommend it for brunch!


Also, it's right off the Highline, so on a nice day it's great to take a stroll after brunch. We walked down back to the West Village and hoped we burned off a fraction of our food. Always feels good to take a walk after a big meal.

Zucchini Pickles

So another zucchini recipe to make use of my plethora of squash! I also found this recipe from Martha Stewart and it comes from Zuni's Cafe in San Francisco. I altered it a little bit. After waiting a few days so that the flavors mingled and marinated I tasted the pickles - delicious! So much flavor. They have much more depth than store bought pickles. Admittedly, they are't as crunchy as cucumber pickles, but such a great tang and sour bite to them. I also don't like sweet pickles, and I think these have a perfect amount of sugar (I wouldn't want them any sweeter). These little pickles are also great on burgers - I tried on a juicy Trader Joe's wagyu style burger recently. The turmeric gives the brine (and pickles) a great yellow color. If you have a canner, I think you can properly can these and then you don't need to refrigerate them until you open the jar.

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced with a mandolin
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (I also used a mandolin)
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

Wagyu burgers

These burgers taste like burgers did when you were little...but even better. None of the 90% lean beef that dries out. These were juicy, flavorful, and umami-licious. I bought the frozen Kobe beef patties from Trader Joe's. They come with two enormous patties, so I thawed them and split it into three. I salted and

peppered the patties and let them sit until they were room temperature. Meanwhile, I made some garlic aioli.

 


 
(Whisk egg yolk gradually adding olive oil and veg oil until thick and fluffy, then add finely chopped garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Add a little mustard to help it emulsify.) I grilled some onions to top the burgers,




then I grilled the burgers in a grill pan on medium high heat for 5 minutes on one side and about 5 on the other. I toasted the buns w some cheddar cheese on the top, spread the bottom bun with aioli, topped it with the burger, then grilled onions, then slice cherry tomatoes (it's winter and those are the only ones with flavor), a little lettuce, and then the top bun with it's melted cheese. We scarfed these down in minutes. They were incredibly juicy and savory, and the aioli was a great but not overpowering flavor, while the tomatoes gave it a burst of freshness and acidity. Best part? The burgers are $6 at Trader Joe's. Try it!!

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