Very improvised, but a dish with lot of contrasts. On the one hand you have the fried pork strips and noodles that give it some crunch and crisp, on the other hand you have slow roasted broccoli with a sweet and sour soy glaze that provides tender and saucy texture and depth, and then the szechuan pepper that gives it some spicy floral notes for an interesting twist. If only all improv came out this good.
Curry Cheeseburger
A what now? Well, the market was out of regular brioche buns and I had some leftover spinach curry, so I decided to try something different. After all, chili cheeseburgers exist, so it’s not like people haven’t thought about topping a burger with thick, stewy sauces. The result? Good, not revolutionary. It’s not like the flavor combination unlocks some incredible new dimension of burgers. But maybe it’s just because I haven’t tweaked the elements just right, who knows.
Red Bell Pepper Pasta
No idea what the Italian name for that would be, but rumors say Italian cuisine is built on a lot of mythmaking and supposed traditions that aren’t all that old actually, so I’ll just go ahead and enjoy this, regardless of categorization. Red bell peppers, broiled until black, peeled and chopped up, made into a sauce with onions and a hint of bacon, generously spiced with chili and topped with some peynir and parmesan.
Chanterelle Carbonara
I was gifted some mushrooms, so what better to do with it than affront some Italians and give Spaghetti Carbonara a bit of a twist? Hint, it works. It’s chanterelles in a creamy savory sauce after all.
I Have Trained For This
No matter the circumstance, all the previous posts, buns I’ve toasted, onions I’ve diced, patties I have smashed into roaring hot cast iron until the vaporized beef fat clings to your clothes like avant-garde grill perfume, they have prepared me for this to build another iteration of a classic cheeseburger and serve it to whoever would walk through the door. Show up expectedly, get a burger. Show up unexpectedly, get a burger. Nothing shall stop me.
Bottom to top: Butter toasted bun, thousand island dressing with mustard, lettuce, beef patty, homemade melty cheese made from Gouda, Emmentaler, Cheddar and Parmesan with extra brown butter, caramelized onions, butter toasted bun
Forget Healing Potions
Science says it, eat cheese, live longer (no seriously: https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/cheese-happy-aging/). While I’m happy to generally oblige, I don’t know what got into me to try for a cheese soufflĂ© on a weekday. I guess it’s because I had a leftover egg white. Was it doable? Kinda. Did it deflate? A little. Was it good? Oh yes. It is a surprisingly light, kinda custardy interior and this nicely browned crust, both intensely cheesy. Health benefits unlocked.
As Promised
3 burgers with melty brown butter cheese. Can’t complain.
Wait What It Worked?
The thought whether I could emulsify brown butter into melty cheese was just an off the cuff idea, but my inner food tinkerer decided to try it out anyway. And, oh wow, this might be the most interesting melty cheese I’ve ever had. A combination of sharp cheddar, parmesan for the extra umami kick and a milder Bergbaron, with some Greek yogurt as liquid base and aforementioned brown butter, it made for some incredible cheese slices. Can’t wait to put in on a burger.
Make Your Own Gooey Cheese
When you want to make a cheeseburger but aren’t happy with the stuff you can buy, you procure some sodium citrate and make your own melty slices where you combine whichever cheeses you like. These ones were a mix of cheddar and Bergbaron, and almost too melty. Use less liquid next time around. Hmm, I wonder if I could smuggle brown butter into the emulsion…
Roast Chicken Ramen
Made from roast chicken stock that I got from leftover chicken bits, a tare with soy sauce, ginger, onion, bonito flakes and sesame oil, served with spinach and a slightly screwed up egg. I’m not going down the ramen rabbit hole just yet, but taking a peek isn’t too bad.