10 fabulous Chefs create 10 Gourmet Burger Recipes to die for
Saturday, January 12th, 2008The Lobster Burger
By Michel Richard of Citronelle
4 lobsters (1 pound each)
1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound scallops
2 tablespoons milk
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
4 brioche buns
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Set the tomato slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with garlic and sugar, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes and cool.
When the water is boiling, cook the lobsters for 5 minutes. Transfer to cold water. When the lobsters are cool, remove meat from the claws, legs, knuckles, and tail. Cut the meat into large pieces. Set aside in a bowl.
In a food processor, puree the scallops for a few seconds until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Fold the scallop mixture into the lobster meat. Season with salt and pepper. Mold into 4 lightly packed patties and keep cold.
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, soy sauce, and ginger.
In a pan over medium heat, sautee the patties in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until golden, about 5 minutes on each side.
Split the buns and sprinkle with the remaining olive oil. Lightly toast. Serve the burgers with a slice of tomato and the ginger mayonnaise.
Like his restaurant, Fabio Trabocchi’s extravagant headcheese burger with Osetra caviar is worthy of a celebration. Photograph by Allison Dinner
The Decadent Burger
By Fabio Trabocchi of Maestro
Headcheese terrine:
1 pig head (about 6 pounds)
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 small onion, skin removed
1 celery heart
1 rosemary sprig
3 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons rock salt
2 tablespoons crushed white peppercorns
5 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons Osetra caviar (for topping)
Set the pig’s head under cold, running water for 6 hours. Cover the head in a stockpot with salted water, ice, and the white-wine vinegar. Refrigerate overnight.
Drain the water from the stockpot and set it aside. Set the head under cold running water as you prepare the rest of the ingredients or about 1 hour.
Place the head and reserved water in a pot just big enough to hold it. Set the pot over medium-low heat. Skimming the surface frequently, simmer for 20 minutes, until water is slightly cloudy. Add the onion, celery, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, rock salt, and white pepper.
Simmer very slowly for 8 hours, skimming occasionally and making sure the water stays above the head.
When the head is cooked (its flesh falls off the bone), remove the pot from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Drain the liquid and place the head on a sheet pan. Pull all the meat from the bone and set aside.
Pull flat a piece of plastic wrap 1 foot by 2 feet across a countertop. Arrange the pieces of meat along the side of the plastic closest to you. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Pull the edge of the plastic over the meat and roll into a tightly packed cylinder until all the plastic is used. Tie each end of the cylinder with kitchen string. Refrigerate overnight.
Cut the terrine into 1/2-inch slices and drizzle with olive oil. Let the slices rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Split a bun and toast lightly. Place 2 tablespoons of potato salad (recipe follows) on the bottom of the bun, then top with a slice of headcheese terrine. Finish with a quenelle of Osetra caviar. Serve immediately.
Potato salad:
3 cups canola oil
11/2 pounds small red-skin potatoes, diced
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 bunch of dill, leaves only
4 egg yolks
1/2 small shallot
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 eggs, hard-boiled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Place 2 cups of canola oil in a sautee pan over high heat. Heat the oil to 350 degrees temperature. Working in small batches, shallow fry the potatoes until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes each batch. Drain the potatoes on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
Set a sautee pan over low heat and render the fat from the bacon. Once the bacon is crispy, discard it and add the diced onion to the fat. Sauteethe onion until soft and translucent. Strain, cool, and set aside.
In a food processor, puree the dill, egg yolks, shallot, half of the lemon juice, and the white-wine vinegar until smooth. While the processor is running, slowly add the remaining cup of canola oil. Once the mixture is blended into a smooth green mayonnaise, season to taste.
In a bowl, fold together the potatoes, sauteed onions, diced egg, and vinaigrette. Season to taste.
