around the burger book in one year

Burger Fourteen - Super Thick and Cheezy Burger

2011-07-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Fourteen - Super Thick and Cheezy Burger

Page: 82

It's hot hot HOT outside so what better time to experiment with yet another of Ted's magnificent meaty creations: The Super Thick and Cheezy Burger!

These burgers looked invincible on paper - Ted advised us to 'leave them shaped lie baseballs' to maintain maximum meat:bun ratio. I was excited, Vince was coming to town and we were all hungry for a tea time burger snack. I first combined the following and once I had gently mixed them together, I left the bowl in the fridge for a while to cool off and rest:

Ground Beef
Bone Dust ♥
Crispy Fried Onions ( You can find them in Bulk Barn for all our Canadian Readers - not sure what the alternative would be across the pond.. )

I had also picked up some fresh corn from the nearby Fernwood Farms (http://fernwoodfarms.farmvisit.com) which would provide a perfect and healthy accompaniment to our meat feast.

I had previously cut up small pieces of cheddar and Mozzorella and left them in the freezer for around 2 hours - just before we were ready to green light the BBQ, I mixed the cheese pieces into the burger meat, shaped the meat into [large] patties and placed them delicately on the two cedar planks I had had soaking for a couple if hours *** soaking of the planks is very important, especially if you want to avoid any forest fires next to your house.

Here is Darren proudly preparing the BBQ and the burgers in action on the stove. After a little while, we popped the corn on the grill and left them cooking away above the bubbling burgers.

I have gotta say, these burgers were a triumph! In a flash of genius afterthought, D also coated the patties with our chipotle BBQ sauce and here are the finished burgers! They were delicious - moist and flavorsome with the cedar planks allowing the burgers to retain all their flavor and richness. The burger fell apart in the mouth, it was sensational.

Despite being pretty full, I managed to squeeze in a cob of corn which was [of course] divine. I have now mastered the Canadian method of corn eating: Roll cob on butter brick, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dive in! YUM.

Conrats Ted, it's another keeper - 10/10!

Burger Thirteen: Banquet Burger A La Fran's

2011-06-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Thirteen - The Banquet Burger a la Fran's

Page: 51

Summer is finely here!

And what better way to celebrate with a beer and a burger! Today, Vince was swinging down for the evening so we thought we would celebrate with the famous 'Banquet Burger A La Fran's'. Beware all vegetarians out there, you may find the following material upsetting.

I picked up 2 lbs of beef and a 1 of bacon ( yep.. just a little snack for 3.. ). I cooked up [all] the bacon in Darren's favorite kitchen item, the cast iron pan.

Once cooked, I chopped up the 1/2 the bacon and added it to the beef as well as a shovel of bone dust, a spoon or two of Worchester Sauce, diced white onion, garlic and Bacon fat ( look out slimmers world, this is a 2000 calorie burger alert!).

I shaped the bacon, beefy meat into burgers and left to cool off in the fridge.

After a couple of hours, Darren and Vince took the *huge* burgers down to the grill with a beer or two and watched over them while putting the word to rights ( and discussing our recent 'racoon' problem *grrrrr*)

In the meantime, I chopped up a tomato, onion, lettuce and aged cheddar and bought them, as well as some baps (rolls/ buns for our international audience) down to the grilling zone.

Darren and Vince took the baton from there and watched over the burgers as they cooked away with Darren sporadically basting the burgers with Bacon Fat.

Darren added the cheese and bacon to the burgers and let the cheese melt down whilst he gave the buns a quick toast with a splash of butter.

And here is the finished burger! Delicious and debauched ( not necessarily something one should eat every day, but a fabulous bacon induced treat). We were all fueled up ready for an evening of Kinect Sports and Dance Central! Love it!

** I found this fabulous snack in another of Ted's books, Everyday Gourmet Plank Grilling, http://www.amazon.ca/Napoleons-Everyday-Gourmet-Plank-Grilling/dp/1554701503

I used a soaked cedar plank and Darren got the grill ready for our cheesy treat. It was SO easy, just plank up a full brie, top with honey, fresh peach slices, blueberries and fresh thyme. Heat on the grill until the cheese melts and starts to puff up around the fruit. Delicious!

Burger Twelve - Cedar Planked Tilapia Sliders

2011-05-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Twelve - Cedar Planked Tilapia Sliders

Page: 251

Today's Cedar Planked Tilapia Sliders were a rather unforeseen choice but I felt instinctively that I should get some fish on the BBQ after a very meaty few weeks. I had to hunt down a few of the ingredients ( Ted wouldn't have it any other way...) but after a brief scoot around the various Collingwood Stores, I was ready for action!

Tilapia is the name given to nearly 100 different species of Freshwater, Chichlid Fish rated the fifth most important fish in fish farming. They are fast growing, herbivorous and very short lived and therefore absorb very low levels of mercury.

They are low in saturated fat, low calorie, low carb, low sodium and high in protein and are rich in Phosphorous, Niacin, Selenium, B12 and Potassium; a veritable melange of goodies!

I was very inspired by what Tilapia had to offer so [as instructed by Ted] ordered 1 1/2 pounds of the stuff. I didn't realise this was in fact 9 steaks ( it appears that we shall be eating Tilapia for a while..)

Ted first asked that I finely cut and then ground the Tilapia. I didn't have time to get the grounder out, so went for the chop and ended up with a bowl of fish-mash.

I then called upon my magical list of ingredients for the burger mix:

Japanese Panko Crumbs ( just your regular grocery items then)
Red Onion
Green Onion
Dill
Orgasmic Onion Seasoning
Lemon Juice
Egg White

Once mixed together, I refrigerated the mix and made sure my Cedar Plank was getting a good soak in water to avoid spontaneous combustion.

I then whipped together Ted's Slaw; I mixed together Red onion, Pears and Radishes ( all thinly sliced), added oil and lime juice and chopped Cilantro and left to cool in the fridge.

After an hour or so, I scooped up the fish mix into patties and Darren got the Weber engaged downstairs. Teg called for a hot grill and suggested that we cooked the burgers for 15-18 minutes.

Things are starting to hot up in CWood ( Hurray!) and there is talk of 32 degrees and upwards this week! It's very exciting.

Once the burgers had cooked, we slapped on some Emmenthal cheese and after that had melted over the burgers, they were ready to eat.

I used a warm baguette as our base and we added a spot of mayonnaise and the slaw to juice up the burgers. They were very nice ( Darren gave them 8/10!), a very different BBQ snack and felt very healthy and fresh. Bravo Ted!

Burger Eleven - Planked Mashed Potato Burger

2011-05-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Eleven - Planked Mashed Potato Burger

Page: 273

These burgers are for all the vegetarians out there and definitely worth a look as there is lot of room for improvisation. First up, I put some potatoes to to boil ( I slightly misjudged the quantities.. ) and once they were fully cooked and I added a ton of butter, garlic, splash of milk and then mashed them up.

Once cooled, I added some green onion and parsley ( and more butter) and then formed the mash into burger-sized patties using an ice cream scoop. Darren then sprinkled some Parmesan on top of the potato burgers and we placed them on a [soaked] cedar plank ready for cooking.

And here are the finished burgers; light, golden and smoky from the cedar plank.

They were good, but next time Darren suggested that we should add more butter during the 'mash' and possibly even get something mechanical involved in the mashing process to ensure the potatoes are totally smooth. We would also add more cheese to juice them up a little.

All that said, they are an interesting change from regular potatoes and definitely worth experimenting with.

Burger Ten: Hot Diggity Dog Burger

2011-05-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Ten Hot Diggity Dog Burger

Page: 89

This burger is a party piece: 'The hot diggity dog burger' **make sure you are hungry folks!

Vince and Kerry took charge of the burger making and we were all excited to see what fabulous meaty treat was awaiting us on the BBQ. Vince had made up the burger mix using a classic list of ingredients:

Pork
Beef
Sweet Onion
Bone Dust (see how often this awesome rub comes out the pantry)
English Style Mustard
Seasoning

Once the burger meat had chilled out in the fridge for a little while, Vince laid down a piece of plastic wrap ( cling film/ saran wrap etc etc) and spread a layer of the meat onto the plastic. He then placed a cheese string and a hot dog on top of the meaty disc.

The plastic wrap was then used to roll the meat over the cheese and hot dog to form a super-duper burger dog. Vince sealed the ends of the hot dog and rolled them together in his hands to get the final polished look.

Et Voila! A mountain of burger-doggy goodness. They went straight on a grill and once cooked, Vince places each burger dog on a bun and they were ready to eat!

They were delicious; the cheese melted around hot dog and into the burger to form a mass of meaty goodness. Beware**These burgers are not for the faint hearted. Hilariously, Don, Kerry's Dad had two and then asked for a third ( he is extremely active and on the go constantly).

A great summer time treat and perfect for weekend parties and hot tubs!

Burger Nine: Fajita Burger

2011-05-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Nine - Fajita Burger

Page: 208

Burger number nine was Darren's choice; we have had a wave of fajita love recently so were keen to try out Ted's version on the classic dish. There were a number of phases to this fajita burger preparation so I took myself off to the store, amassed all the relevant ingredients ( or best endeavors; Ted has a habit of asking for quite abstract ingredients, for example, where on earth does one find 'smoked chipotle chillies in adobo sauce. Not in Collingwood, I tell you).

I started off with the burgers to give them time to rest while I prepped everything else. I combined the following in a bowl and was (I am sure you will agree) very intrigued by the recipe:

Ground Chicken
Bone Dust *grin*
Cumin
Chili powder
Oil
Corn Tortilla Chips ( crushed)
Onion
Garlic
Jalapenos

I mixed them all together and popped the bowl in the fridge. In the meantime, I had several other treats to prepare. I had bought some Old El Paso 'Mexican' rice and well as some tortillas ( I love the mexican section in Metro, so handy for such an occasion). http://www.oldelpaso.co.uk/

I had also purchased some refried beans from the Old El Paso Range which ( despite looking and smelling exactly like tinned cat food), I scooped out and ave a quick blast in the microwave.

Then to the salsa, I deviated quite heavily away from Ted's technique here and fried my peppers up in a pan rather than grilling them. I cooked up a red, yellow and green pepper and then added oil, chipotle peppers, garlic, fresh coriander, lime juice and seasoned to taste. WOW, this salsa had punch, holy moly!

As I was unable to find Tomatillos and poblano peppers (????) in every store Collingwood has to offer... I had to drop the salsa verde. I did however make up his guacamole which was delicious and very simple and fresh ( avocado, lime juice, olicve oil, coriander and green onion).

Then onto the burgers. We shaped the burger mix into rectangular patties and Darren scooped them up ready to engage the Weber. They didn't take long to cook, just enough time for me to grate some Monteray Jack cheese, warm the tortillas and record an episode of the Big Bang Theory.

As you can see, we are not having much luck with the weather, it seems like the UK is getting what we should have and the rain has come over here *gaaaa*.

It took a while to prepare but oh my, they were worth it.

The combination of flavors was staggering; these burgers are good! Luckily we made enough to last us for the next couple of days... ( still having problems with portion control). Bravo Ted, another classic from your burger book!

Burger Eight - Orgasmic Onion Seasoning

2011-05-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Eight - Orgasmic Onion Seasoning

Page: 44

I can't 'blog-off' without mentioning our favorite condiment. I urge everyone to either purchase or make up this seasoning, The Orgasmic Onion is amazing and you can use it on everything! I am sure you could substitute the 'Beef Base for some vegetarian if you are more partial to a veggie-filled life style.

All you need for this super charged rub is:

Powder Beef Base
Onion Flakes
Crisy Fried Onion Pieces
Granulated Onion
Granulated Garlic
Cream of wheat powder
Kosher Salt
Sugar
Black Pepper
Mustard Powder
Coriander ( ground)
Cayenne

Three yes of onion! I love it. I swear, this stuff is life changing! Bring on the Orgasmic Onion!

Burger Seven: Orgasmic Onion Burger

2011-05-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Seven - Orgasmic Onion Burger

Page: 97

Ooooo this burger is GOOD! We got to use the famous Orgasmic Onion Seasoning ( that we use on pretty much everything!) so knew this would be a hit from the get go.

To make up the burgers, I mixed together the ground beef and the orgasmic onion seasoning and then left to 'rest' for a while in the fridge.

In the meantime, I made up the [very exciting] Port Wine gravy. We didn't have any port on tap but used some red wine we had kicking around in the kitchen which seemed to do the job. I melted butter in a pan then added some onion, then some fresh thyme and a bay leaf or two and the wine. I let that simmer down and then added some beef stock ( that I had let boil for ages; Ted asked for demi-glace (?) but fortunately mentioned that this was reduced known as beef stock to normal people)

Then the burgers went onto the hot cast iron pan ( no BBQ sadly.. it was covered in snow) and we et them cook, on both sides, for bout 10 minutes.

Ted asked for onion rings to finish off the piece but we had run out... so used some Vidalia I found in the fridge and also had to switch the 'onion buns' for half a warmed, french stick. It worked though! We poured the jus over the burgers which gave the bun and the burger superb flavor and was well worth the work.

I roasted some mini potatoes to finish off our dinner and here it is, the triumphant Orgasmic Onion Burger!

Burger Six - Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger

2011-05-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Six - Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger

Page: 102

I LOVE blue cheese so was excited about trying out this burger. Kerry and Vince offered to host our latest Ted Reader extravaganza, The Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger!

It looks very enticing from the picture and I was excited to try the combination of the relatively 'strong' blue cheese with the beef burger.

We started by making up the blue cheese topping; Kerry combined sun dried tomatoes, red onion, green onion, roasted garlic and blue cheese and left it to settle after a good dose of salt and pepper.

For the burgers, Vince mixed together ground beef, Bone Dust *yay*, onion and the hallowed roasted garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. He then formed patties with the burger mix and placed a layer of frozen blue cheese in the centre of the burger ( leave space on the outside). I had managed to get to the fabulous Dags and Willows (http://www.dagsandwillow.ca) to pick up some Blue Cheese en route. I urge all visitors to Collingwood to pop in and sample their wares; they have an exceptional range of cheese on offer, a treat for cheese fans and always worth a browse.

Anyway, Vince lay the second burger on top of the first, sandwiching the gorgeous blue cheese in the middle and then popped them all in the freezer to rest. After the brief recess in the freezer, Vince put the burgers straight on that BBQ..

... and they didn't take long to cook.

Here are the scrumptious Blue Cheese burgers in their toasted ciabatta buns. Totally delicious and we will definitely make them again.

Burger Five: Tandoori Burger

2011-05-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Five: Tandoori Burger

Page: 207

I was looking forward to making this burger; Darren and I have a mutual love for Curry and this 'spicy chicken' burger looked delectable. This time around, Anna, Dave and Nadia came over to sample some of Ted's special meaty treats!

The recipe was divided into sections; Ted suggested the burger to be served with Cucumber Mint Raita and a Tandoori BBQ sauce ( which would go on to become a stable in our kitchen).

In preparing the burger mix, I added Tandoori Burger Seasoning to ice cold ground chicken.

I then combined this with garlic, green chillies ( minced) plain yogurt, oil, lemon juice and fresh coriander ( cilantro).

We left the mixture in the fridge to rest and absorb all the fabulous flavors. The raita wasn't quite as successful... I combined peeled and chopped tomato, cucumber, garlic, fresh mint, cayenne, cumin, lemon juice, yogurt, sour cream and red onion ( diced) and popped the mixture in the fridge to cool. Unfortunately I mustn't have got the combination of flavors exact and it tasted rather like onion flavored yogurt ( but not in a good way) and was rather runny. I will be more vigilant with the recipe next time..

Darren cracked on with the Tandoori BBQ sauce; he heated oil in a pan over very high heat and added some more of the fabulous Tandoori seasoning. He then added some minced scotch bonnet peppers *** beware these peppers are super hot, garlic, onion and sauteed until the onions were browned. Darren then reduced the heat and added apple cider vinegar, ketchup and honey.

He then started to improvise and added some of Ted's Pineapple Rum sauce which turned out to be a stoke of genius; we have used this marinade time and time again since on virtually everything!

Here are a few snap shots of Darren making the sauce; after all the ingredients were combined, he pureed the mixture to form a thick paste and kept it warm while waiting to cook to burgers.

By then, the burger mix was ready for cooking and we made up ( several) mini patties and threw them on the BBQ. They had a lovely consistency from the yogurt and spices and smelt fabulous on the BBQ. Darren made sure to continually baste the burgers with the Tandoori sauce throughout the cooking process which also maintained the moisture in the burgers.

Darren gently toasted some naan on the BBQ after brushing them with oil and soon everything was ready to eat!

We served the burgers in the Naan with more sauce, shredded lettuce and the Raita *gulp*. Despite the raita being a little off, the burgers were amazing! Such an unusual treat and a great success. Nadia even asked for the recipe!

Burger Four - Tandoori Burger Seasoning

2011-05-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Four: Tandoori Burger

Page: 40

Another classic for the kitchen cupboard kids; this time Ted's Tandoori Burger Seasoning *Taste sensation in a jar*.

This time around, combine the following spices to reach the heights of tandoori taste-heaven:

Salt
Paprika
Cumin ( ground)
Smoked Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Coriander ( ground)
Cardamon ( ground)
Cinnamon
Black Pepper
Brown Sugar
Clove ( Ground)

Once again, store in a jar and you have Tandoori spice available on tap; it's glorious! I had include this picture of Darren post-curry to show how happy he was with our new rub from Ted!

Burger Three: Bone Dust

2011-05-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Three
Page 39

This is just a small blog entry albeit the most important. Here ye I delare: To all you lovers of the summer BBQ, Bone Dust is a life changing addition to the kitchen and can be used on almost everything to enhance the flavor

Ted uses the following ( regular everyday spices) to create this genius combination:

Paprika
Chilli powder
Salt
Coriander ( dried)
Garlic Powder
Sigar
Curry Powder
Hot mustard powder
Black pepper
Basil ( dried)
Thyme ( dried)
Cumin ( ground)
Cayenne pepper

Mix it all together and there you have it! A jar of flavor sensation! Kerry, Vince, Darren and I swear by it! We even put it on veg ( with a dash of oil ) the other day and they was fantastic grilled on the BBQ!

Bone Dust is AWESOME!

Burger Two: Swiss Mushroom Melt

2011-05-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

Burger Number Two: Swiss Mushroom Melt
Page 59

I was extremely excited about this burger. I love mushrooms and have developed a deep unconditional love for beef especially those cooked on the BBQ ( this is all since relinquishing my devotion to a meat free life style; years and years... silly, silly me).

Ted describes these burgers as 'beer infused with sauteed mushrooms and onions'; don't they sound delectable! Ted is well known for his use of the most decadent ingredients available and has a strong penchant for the odd 'tipple' which he readily adds to his dishes.

Vince, the master of the BBQ and Kerry were keen to crack on with the burger book and we picked a gorgeous summer evening for the Swiss Experiment. We combined ice cold sirloin, butter, garlic, onion, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, 1/4 dark ale ( we used coffee porter from the fabulous Mill Street), beef stock and cracker crumbs. We seasoned the burger mix, formed them into patties and then left them in the fridge for an hour or so to 'rest'.

For the mushrooms, we sauteed onions in butter ( Ted loves his butter) and drizzled them with the ale after they had browned. We then added the mushrooms to the front of the pan and drizzled them with ale also. After 10 minutes or so, we mixed the mushrooms and onions together, added some thyme and seasoned to taste.

Vince got the burgers going on the grill and they cooked quickly, within around 10 minutes and then dolloped the mushroom/ onion mix on top of the burgers and then laid a generous slab of Swiss cheese on top. Just before serving, Vince closed the grill lid and allowed the cheese to melt.

The burger buns were brushed with butter; laid face down on the grill and allowed to crisp up before serving.

And here is the finished burger; what a triumph! I would highly recommend these burgers, they appeal to all tastes and are easy to put together for a wonderful summer time snack! I couldn't resist this quick 'first bite' video of Darren and Vince!

Burger One - Planked Beerlicious Baseball Burgers

2010-07-17T21:12:00.001-07:00

Burger Number One: Planked Beerlicious Baseball Burger
Page: 78

On a fabulous summer evening, Vince, Darren and I ( although feeling the loss of Kerry who was at the cottage with the kids) decided to get the ball rolling on our year of Ted's burgers.

I envisioned a few 'compulsary' false starts in the early days and the main problem today was my issue with cooking with the 'exact' ingredients stated in the recipe. I was pottering around Metro supermarket suddenly realizing that what I needed required a little more thought than just 'improvising' once in the store. ted asks for such things as his world famous 'bone dust' which alone has around 12 ingredients.. eeek. I need to step up and concentrate!!

A rush decision made me choose the Beerlicious baseball burgers (can't think why, beer is SO ghastly - the boys would agree with me no end on this one) and after the minor techincal difficulties and Darren courageously heading back to the shop at around 10pm to get the 'correct' ingredients ( he is my hero) we had a 'day one' burger triumph!

We marinated the meat in dark ale ( I used our cheeky bottle of Duchy Originals original ale from my native Cornwall) and a dollop of bone dust ( fortunately we had a mason jar of pre-made bone dust in the cupboard).

Also very important to soak the cedar planks for at least one hour to prevent any incidents involving the planks spontaneously combusting.

We made mini burgers out of the marinated ale and got them started on the plank. After an evening on the water with us, Mark from next door popped over for a snack and everyone eagerly tucked into a variety of snacks I had whipped up while the meat marinading.

We managed to get some footage of Vince and myself cooking the burgers. Once they had got going, Darren militantly stood guard, constantly marinading the burgers and adding cheese slices once they were nearly ready.

The burgers were absolutely fantastic. So succulent, they almost fell apart and everyone was in burger heaven. Thank you Ted for our first burger success!

Introduction: Ted Reader's Gourmet Burger Book In One Year

2010-07-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our year of meat!

We are embarking on a year of burgers, devoting our cooking and eating time to the King of the BBQ 'Ted Reader'. We pledge to cook up every recipe from Ted's new book 'Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Burgers' in one year starting from today, July 16th 2010.

May I introduce the four key members of our burger marathon. All are devoted to the cause and excited about cooking every burger in the book.

1. Kerry

Serene goddess and multi tasking master. Kerry is amazing and our rock.

2. Vince

The voice of the show. BBQ master and phenomenal at selling things.

3. Darren

Entrepreneur extraordinaire, a man of great honor and often seen racing around Georgian Bay on a Jet Ski. I am his number one fan.

4. Libby ( me )

Vegetarian turned carnivore and very excited about making burgers especially using ostrich.

That's the gang. Now here is the task:

We must cook every recipe in Ted's burger book ( including all the lovely sides, drinks and condiments) before the year is out.

Let the games begin!