Beef Burgers Recipe

Beef Burgers

Recipe by Jackie Cameron

A beef burger must be completely savoury. Seared in beurre noisette (butter heated until slightly brown in colour and releasing nutty aromas) - with mounds of caramelised onions, Dijon-enhanced mayonnaise, fresh rocket, crispy bacon and sliced avocado all nestled within a homemade crusty cheese bun - it's a taste explosion.

Beef Burger Patties

Yields: 3 x 140 g

Ingredients:

200g Topside Mince

1 sprig Rosemary

2 cloves crushed Garlic

2 medium Tomatoes, 135 g chopped

½ medium Onion, 85g chopped

1 Egg Yolk

Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper

Extras

40 g Cake Flour for dusting

15ml salted Butter

Method:

1)  Mix all the above ingredients together. Roll into a firm ball and roll in the flour to form an outer layer of flour.  Push the patty meat into a cutter to form a neat, round shape.

2) Heat a pan, add butter and get it to the noisette stage (just so it is releasing the nutty aroma), place burger into this and sear. Remove, place burgers onto a tray and set the pan aside

3) Place into a hot oven until cooked (200°C for 25minutes-turning over at half time). Just before serving heat up original pan and give the patty a good searing. Then serve

Burger Bun Rolls

Yields: 6 large rolls

Ingredients

1 pct. Instant Yeast

2 cups Lukewarm Water

5 cups of Cake Flour

8 ml fine Salt

10 ml White Sugar

54ml salted Butter

Method:

1) Sponge the yeast in ½ cup of the lukewarm water together with 2ml of the sugar amount. Let stand in a warm place for a few minutes or until double in size

2) Place this yeast mixture into a large bowl, add enough flour to make a batter, cover with a cloth and allow to form bubbles

3) Then add the other ingredients, mix well and hand-knead for ten minutes or until smooth

4) Place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, place in a warm place and allow to double in size

5) On a floured surface roll the bread rolls dividing the dough into 6 mounds

6) Place onto a greased tray, cover with a cloth and allow rising until double in size

7) Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes or until cooked

Homemade Mayonnaise (for Aioli just add garlic to the below recipe)

Yields: about 200 ml

Ingredients

2 Egg Yolks

10 ml Water

10 ml Dijon Mustard

90 ml Sunflower Oil

90 ml Olive Oil

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice for taste

Method:

1) Whisk the egg yolks, mustard and water very well until thick and creamy in color 

2) Add both of the oils, to form a permanent emulsion, very slowly. (Chef's note: This will prevent the Mayonnaise from splitting and will result in a thick consistency. A perfect situation is when a spoon can stand up right in the Mayonnaise when finished. A lot of whisking!)

3) Finish with lemon juice and warm water and set aside.

Caramelised Red Onions

Yields: 400-450g

Ingredients:

655g Chinese style (sliced) Onion

500 ml Red Wine

150 g Treacle Sugar

Method:

1) Place all of the above ingredients into a heavy based pan. Allow to simmer until onions are caramelised and most of the red wine has reduced to make red wine syrup that is coating the onion slices (which takes about 35 minutes).

Putting the Burger together

Toast the freshly baked buns in the oven-finish with a slice of cheese. Butter the buns, top the base bun with fresh rocket leaves and then the burger patty. Top this with the chunky tomato and onion relish then two crispy bacon pieces. Complete with two tablespoons of avocado guacamole (Avo, salt, pepper and lemon juice), caramelised red onions and a tablespoon of Dijon-enhanced mayonnaise. And serve with crispy Potato Chips

Please post your comments and any food-related questions below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jackie Cameron
Head Chef
Hartford House
www.hartford.co.za
jackie@hartford.co.za
+27 33 263 2713

Beef Salsa with Ginger Recipe

Beef Salsa with Ginger, Chilli, Garlic,
finely sliced Snap Peas and creamy homemade Aioli

Recipe by Jackie Cameron

Another favourite is what I call a beef salsa. Guests often refer to it as a ceviche because it’s citrus marinated. However, it’s actually a tartar as it’s finely-chopped, raw beef fillet. Some guests are apprehensive when hearing the word “tartar”. Fear not; this is a taste explosion! Crunchy, finely-sliced snap peas add texture and all the flavours are enhanced with a creamy homemade aioli. Every mouthful embraces a harmony of ginger, chilli, garlic, sesame seeds and snipped chives.

Yields : 2 portions

Ingredients :

165 g Beef Fillet - all sinew and extra fat removed and then finely cubed

10 g Ginger

1-2 cloves Garlic

2 Chillies – seeds removed

1 T Snipped Chives

30 ml toasted Sesame Seeds

40 ml freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

100 ml Kikkoman Soya Sauce

90 ml Olive Oil

10 ml Sesame Oil

5 Snap Peas

Method :

1) Prepare beef fillet. Finely slice ginger, chilli and garlic. (To about 1 ½ - 2 cm pieces in length and 1mm thickness). Add this to the beef together with the snipped chives and sesame seeds.

2) Mix the lemon juice and soya together and then mix the olive oil and sesame oil together. Pour the lemon mixture over the beef and then the olive oil mixture. (Not the other way around as then the olive oil will coat the beef fillet and not allow the lemon and soya to cure it.). Leave for anything from 5 minutes to 30 minutes before eating.

3) When serving you will find extra liquid that was needed for the above stage but is not needed when eating. When plating squeeze this off and serve with finely sliced snap peas (chef’s note: slice the snap peas and then place in iced water to crisp up) and Aioli (Homemade mayonnaise flavoured with garlic). See thinly sliced salmon recipe for the Aioli recipe just add extra garlic.

Please post your comments and any food-related questions below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jackie Cameron 
Head Chef 
Hartford House
www.hartford.co.za
jackie@hartford.co.za
+27 33 263 2713

Thinly Sliced Norwegian Salmon Recipe

Thinly sliced Norwegian Salmon cured in “Kikkoman” Soya Sauce
with Capers, Fennel, Red Onion, croutons
and homemade mayonnaise

Recipe by Jackie Cameron

I always “shotgun” the cleaning, deboning and portioning of fresh Norwegian salmon because there are always a few slivers that go begging. Nothing is more tantalising than this salmon drizzled with Kikkoman soya sauce. The combination will be remembered for its freshness and sheer simplicity. For the ideal light lunch I suggest preparing a few slices of fresh salmon, or any fresh fish of your choice, cured with soya sauce. Serve this with red onions, freshly-picked fennel, croutons and homemade mayonnaise. This satisfies the appetite leaving you feeling fulfilled not gorged.

Yields :  2

Ingredients :

Mayonnaise

6 Egg Yolks

15 ml Dijon Mustard

1-2 cloves of Garlic – finely chopped

15 ml warm Water

250 ml Olive Oil

250 ml Sunflower Oil

15 ml Lemon Juice

15 ml warm Water

Salad

200 g Fresh Salmon

4 T Kikkoman Soya Sauce

10 Capers

2 Red Onion slices cut into Rings

10 Cherry tomatoes-in half

Fennel Sprigs

Croutons (Chef’s note: small pieces of rebaked, cubed bread that is seasoned.  Adding texture and flavour to a dish.)

Lemon Wedge on the side

Method :

Mayonnaise

1) Whisk the egg yolks, mustard, garlic and water (the first amount) very well until thick and creamy in colour 

2) Add both of the oils, to form a permanent emulsion, very slowly.  (Chef’s note:  This will prevent the Mayonnaise from splitting and will result in a thick consistency.  A perfect situation is when a spoon can stand up right in the Mayonnaise when finished.  A lot of whisking!)

3) Finish with lemon juice and warm water and set aside.

Salad

4) Portion the fish into two pieces of 100g or so.  (Portion sizes that would be sufficient for you)

5) Slice the fish as thinly as possible and place onto a chilled plate.  Top this with the “Kikkoman” soya sauce (chef’s note: you have too use “Kikkoman” as it makes all the difference) and set aside for a few minutes

6) Get all the other ingredients ready.  Treat this above ingredient list as a guideline

Please post your comments and any food-related questions below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jackie Cameron 
Head Chef 
Hartford House
www.hartford.co.za
jackie@hartford.co.za
+27 33 263 2713