Son of What's Cooking

[rps]

Last week I experimented with a Bahn Mi recipe. I discovered several things, foremost of which was make more pickles. I also decided a protein with a more liquid or buttery mouth feel would be better. I did some more research and learned this street food is often made with a ground meat. A big light bulb came on:

Burgers! Sliders!

Step one was to talk the beautiful wife/baker into making rolls. She happily agreed.

I acquired some ground meat, what they call Boston blend at Sunfest. The meat is 60% beef and 40% pork. I fine minced about a third of an onion and worked it into the meat with a 1/4 cup of panko. I added salt, pepper, a half teaspoon of Penzy's Bangkok Blend spice, freeze dried ginger and roasted garlic powder, a splash of soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil, and a splash of fish sauce. I mixed that together well and formed patties.



Then I shredded daikon radish and carrot in equal proportions and quick pickled it with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. I also seeded and cut some cucumber slices. I chopped young and tender lettuces I bought at the farmers market to finish the salad on the bun. In addition I sliced some thin jalapeno rings and removed the seeds.



From here, I cook the sliders in oil that includes a touch of sesame, slice the buns and use mayo on both halves, add a burger, lettuce, pickle, cucumber, jalapeno, and the other bun. I splash of soy may be needed.

[wuteversbitin424]

I did not know this forum was here. Im a local chef and i have to say i know some really good chefs and have some really good recipes but there is a lot to be learned from this forum! Great food guys and i look forward to sharing and recieving some good food ideas. Ps the stuffed morels i like with the same set up as rps but i use some local goat cheese and honey and slivered toasted almonds.

[ness]

Yeah -- this is a pretty good little corner of the OAF.

I missed rps' post above. Those rolls look outstanding. I think a great burger has to have a great bun.

[wuteversbitin424]

You are correct...just like the plate is the canvas inwhich you creat your artful dish the bun/roll/bread is the base/foundation for any sandwich. Those are great looking rolls and burgers!

[Chief Grey Bear]

Last week I experimented with a Bahn Mi recipe. I discovered several things, foremost of which was make more pickles. I also decided a protein with a more liquid or buttery mouth feel would be better. I did some more research and learned this street food is often made with a ground meat. A big light bulb came on:

Burgers! Sliders!

Step one was to talk the beautiful wife/baker into making rolls. She happily agreed.

I acquired some ground meat, what they call Boston blend at Sunfest. The meat is 60% beef and 40% pork. I fine minced about a third of an onion and worked it into the meat with a 1/4 cup of panko. I added salt, pepper, a half teaspoon of Penzy's Bangkok Blend spice, freeze dried ginger and roasted garlic powder, a splash of soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil, and a splash of fish sauce. I mixed that together well and formed patties.

Then I shredded daikon radish and carrot in equal proportions and quick pickled it with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. I also seeded and cut some cucumber slices. I chopped young and tender lettuces I bought at the farmers market to finish the salad on the bun. In addition I sliced some thin jalapeno rings and removed the seeds.

From here, I cook the sliders in oil that includes a touch of sesame, slice the buns and use mayo on both halves, add a burger, lettuce, pickle, cucumber, jalapeno, and the other bun. I splash of soy may be needed.

How did I miss this?

Very nice!

[rps]

How did I miss this?

Very nice!

Thank you sir. King Arthur has a killer ciabatta roll recipe which is what Nancy used for the buns/rolls. She starts with a biga and machine kneads the bread. I can bake, but she is an artist.

[ness]

I've come to believe baking is a cooking skill all to itself. Reading a recipe isn't enough; knowing the technique is not enough. The best seem to do it by feel. I wish I had enough time to develop a feel.

[ness]

(See how I left that last sentence just hanging out there? Shush, don't move. This is how we draw JoeD out of his lair)

[rps]

I had some excellent teachers, but the head of the staff was a incredible showy baker. She was so good that when the Queen of England's mother had her 100th birthday, Julie was chosen to bake the birthday cake. Unfortunately, my skills were in taste and not show. I learned but I was not the star pupil. Nancy self taught and has the "feel" you talk about. Every time I show her a trick I learned, she incorporates it and makes it her own and better. Since she enjoys baking, I leave that as her turf - except I serve as her porter. You see the results in those rolls. Awesome.

[ness]

Ciabatta has an interesting back story. It's not some centuries old bread, it's something an Italian baker dreamed up in the 1980s when everybody was buying French baguettes and passing on his Italian bread. It's got a great, airy crumb and a moderately chewy crust. It takes some skill to make, because you need a very wet dough to get the large holes, and that's not easy to work with. We've had an excellent substitute in the stores the last few years. Not sure how available these are. 'Take and bake' breads are not quite fully cooked. They need a few minutes in the oven at home to finish. I really like the offerings from http://www.newfrenchbakery.com