06.29.07
One More Experiment Before the Wife Returns
My God, she has been away a long time, hasn’t she?…
As I mentioned in my last post about food experimentation at home, I mentioned that I wanted to try a turkey burger recipe that I had a modification for that I first read about on Avocado Green Oven.
The idea was simple, make a turkey burger, top it with caramelized onions and apples mixed with reduced balsamic vinegar and topped with fresh arugula and toasted almonds. All in all, I thought I had an idea that surpassed the original recipe which called for just incorporating the caramelized onions and apples (no balsamic) into the burgers themselves, and then topping them like regular burgers.
 Don’t laugh, the bread tasted fine. |
Well, I gave it a shot, and to my dismay, I discovered only after the burgers were on the grill that I did not have any hamburger buns. So I had to put them on some nice whole wheat bread instead. So yeah, they may look a but odd, but I can still judge the result of my experiment.
Again, I was not thrilled with my results. The burgers were not greatly improved by having bread-soaked milk added to them (as I thought they might be when I first read the recipe). I did “juice up” the flavor of the burgers a little by making sure I seasoned it appropriately with salt and pepper, and I love the taste of a touch of Dijon mustard in my turkey burgers as well. But all in all, the topping just didn’t make me want to get up and shout. The sweetness of the topping did nothing especially grand with the otherwise uninteresting burgers. They were good, but I have a better turkey burger recipe.
And so that you all don’t walk away feeling ripped off, here it is:
Turkey Burgers with Mint/Yogurt Sauce
(adapted from a recipe in Cooking Pleasures Magazine - June/July 2005)Makes 2 burgers
Burgers:
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 green onion - minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz ground turkeyMix all ingredients for burger, except turkey, in a bowl. Add turkey to combine - but only just combine. Don’t over mix. Form into patties and cook through thoroughly.
Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic - minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp fresh mint - chiffonade
salt and pepper to tasteMix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until burgers are done.
To serve, of course you will want to have hamburger buns (not wheat bread if you can avoid it) and top with fresh lettuce and a few slices of fresh cucumber.
I have never had a better turkey burger than this, so I am sure this is the one I will be going back to now. But hey, it was worth a shot!
Stumble it!
avocado green oven said,
June 30, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Sorry you didn’t like them, Matt. I still do. I’m glad you tried them.
It sounds like you grilled the burgers (not that had to do with the carmelized onions, etc). I’d had best luck with broiling. Grilling seems to dry them out. But to each his own. I’ll have to try yours.
Olivia said,
June 30, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I have a recipe that is similar to your second one, but includes minced green pepper, 1/4 cup. To compensate for the added moisture which may create an unstable burger, I add a tablespoon of panko per burger, and 1 egg per 4 to pull it all together. I also like a sweet hot mustard instead of dijon. Worcestershire was essential, maybe even a minute squirt of anchovy paste, but only with sweet mustard.
My next favorite recipe is simpler; add small amt. of onion and green pepper both minced, with small amount of squeezed crushed pineapple (5oz.), one egg per 12 oz. meat, Jerk seasoning, and a small amount of panko. Add a nice fruit salsa on top and it’s delicious.
I also have never successfully open grill, but use a flat grill, diner style.
The only time I’ve used milk product was in making turkey meatloaf. I always add cream soaked panko. It adds moisture and fat, thus flavor, and allows the crust to carmelize nicely.