Secret Sauce & Quick

Last week, while scrolling through emails on my phone, I came across a subject heading from Tasting Table that gave me pause: Never Grill a Burger Again.

Did I dare make this vision a reality? How could I not? I’ve always considered burgers one of the hardest things to get right, and this post offered a path to burger domination. I followed the tutorial nearly to a T, and Ben, completely unaware of the experiments I had been conducting, declared it the best burger he’s ever eaten.

How to Make A Great Burger

1. Sear burgers (as opposed to grill) in a heavy-bottomed pan to prevent fat from being lost, which leads to “a dried-out patty with a charred exterior.” Cooking the patty in fat helps keep the patties juicy.
2. Use cold meat as opposed to room temperature to create a good sear.
3. Tasting Table (and others) suggest using a mix of sirloin, chuck, and short rib. I can’t ever find the energy to go through this effort. I buy grass-fed beef and look for 20% fat.
4. Make a sauce: the recipe included below is a mixture of pantry staples (mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, minced pickles, cayenne and cornichons), a combination that is so much greater than the sum of its parts.
5. Quick pickle some onions : thinly slice onions and macerated them in vinegar. These, I find, to be essential. Recipe below.
6. Season aggressively with salt and pepper, use a neutral flavored oil, don’t overcook — depending on the size and thickness of your patties, the timing will vary and may take some trial and error to get right. For patties about an inch thick weighing five to six ounces each, four minutes a side over medium-high heat has become my magic formula for producing medium-rare burgers.
7. Make brioche buns : This recipe is no-knead, foolproof, and delicious: The Best No-Knead Brioche Buns

Description

For the Secret Sauce:

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles or cornichons
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked

For the Quick-Pickled Onions

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt

1. To make the secret sauce: In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until blended. Put the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. To make the quick-pickled onions: In a small mixing bowl, combine the onions and vinegar. Season with salt and allow the onions to macerate until they have softened, about 15 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Condiment
• Cuisine: American

Description

For the Secret Sauce:

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles or cornichons
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked

For the Quick-Pickled Onions

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt

1. To make the secret sauce: In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until blended. Put the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. To make the quick-pickled onions: In a small mixing bowl, combine the onions and vinegar. Season with salt and allow the onions to macerate until they have softened, about 15 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Condiment
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2014/07/02/potato-buns-almost-two-essential-burger-condiments/

In this summer pizza, thinly shaved zucchini top a thin layer of olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. As it bakes, the creamy burrata melts into the summer squash. Out of the oven, a showering of fresh basil makes it. So summery and delicious!

I have no idea if Delancey still serves the Zucchini Anchovy, but when Brandon Pettit and Molly Wizenberg were drafting their opening menu, they included it with a few other sauceless pizzas. A nod to a Roman classic, their version used thinly shaved zucchini in place of zucchini blossoms.

For our friends last Thursday, I made this with the addition of garlic and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt, something Anthony Mangieri adds to every pie he makes. This pizza is heaven, subtly flavored with anchovy, the summer squash and creamy burrata melting into every bite.

This is the beauty of the Lahey pizza dough — all of those air pockets will create the nicest texture in the finished crust:

A little anchovy and garlic go a long way:

A sprinkling of nice, coarse sea salt is a nice addition to any pizza:

The beauty of the Baking Steel :

Description

Notes: As you know, I am partial to the Lahey Dough. It takes five minutes to throw together a day before you plan on baking, and it is worth every effort to plan ahead for — no other dough, in my experience, creates those beautiful air pockets. I also am partial to this Tipo 00 flour , which I order in bulk and store in the freezer. Finally, the Baking Steel creates pizzas with that beautiful oven spring in the crust and a nice crisp undercarriage.

For the dough:

• 7 1/2 cups all-purpose or tipo 00 flour ( 1000 grams ) plus more for shaping dough
• 4 teaspoons fine sea salt (I use Diamond kosher)
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

For the pizza:

• 1 anchovy, minced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• extra-virgin olive oil
• zucchini, shaved as thinly as possible on a mandoline
• fresh mozzarella or burrata
• nice sea salt
• basil leaves
• round of pizza dough

1. Make the dough: Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or tea towel and let dough rise at room temperature (about 72°) in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).
2. Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.
3. Wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap and chill. Unwrap and let rest at room temperature on a lightly floured work surface, covered with a light dusting of flour for about an hour or two before shaping. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead.
4. To Make the Pizzas: Pull out a pizza round from the fridge one hour before you plan on baking. Dust dough with flour and place on a floured work surface. Preheat oven to its hottest setting, 550°F. Gently shape dough into a 10″–12″ disk handling it as minimally as possible. Arrange dough disk on parchment-lined baking peel; top with minced anchovy and garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. Pile on the shaved zucchini. Note: It’s ok to add more than you think feels right here because the zucchini shrinks down a lot. Top with roughly cubed mozzarella or burrata. Sprinkle with nice salt. Drizzle with a splash more olive oil.
5. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a work surface. Top with basil leaves. Slice and serve.

• Prep Time: 20 hours
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Pizza
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American, Italian