In search of the perfect burger
Whether it's beef or turkey or tempeh or mushrooms,these burgers are sure to please.
New Deal Cafe's burger.
Doug Finger/The Gainesville SunPublished: Monday, June 15, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, June 15, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.
Nothing spells summer like B-U-R-G-E-R.That sizzling, straight-off-the-grill patty makes tongues tingle and local burger joints a success.
"I think it's the simplicity of it," says Bert Gill, owner of New Deal Café. His key to a perfect burger? Something that's "simple, fresh and cooked properly."
When Gill, 40, first opened the New Deal Café in the Westgate Regency Plaza shopping center, he decided basic was best.
"We wanted to do a great classic burger. Really, it came down to the meat," he says. Gill, an advocate of using locally grown produce and ingredients whenever possible, opted to make his burgers from ground beef that is processed and aged on the UF campus. "When you age your beef, it begins to break down and makes it more tender," he says. "Also, it loses water weight so it has better flavor. You end up with a much more flavorful ground beef." And with no additives, fill or preservatives, Gill says the beef is "a real winner."His classic burger, cooked with just enough salt and pepper to give it a juicy crust, is paired with simple, un-battered french fries and an aioli sauce.
Gill is among the area's chefs who offer their "build a better burger" secrets that you can try at home.
Parker Van Hart, owner of Buddha Belly on NW 16th Avenue, offers traditional burgers with a twist.
"I kind of look at 'burger' as a patty between two buns and whatever that patty is, it's kind of fun to experiment and do different things with," Van Hart says. That patty could be made of turkey, beef, mushroom or tempeh, a soy product also found on New Deal Café's menu.
Though Van Hart does love the classic burger, he recommends mixing it up. His Mushroom Burger Parmesan uses tomato sauce and portobello mushrooms to create a lighter, healthier meal than traditional beef burgers. Or try ground turkey and blue cheese to create a Blue Turkey Burger to please your palate.
"We've gotten a lot of really good responses about our burgers," says Van Hart, who considers a burger at its best when it's juicy, tasty and fresh. "We have meat lovers who try the tempeh burger and absolutely love it."
Beverly Miller, owner of Bev's Burger Café and two Bev's Burgers drive-in locations in High Springs and Alachua, says freshly hand-pattied hamburgers served up with a side dish of homemade potato salad are a daily reminder of her childhood.
"Back years ago, that's what people did. We used to take hot dogs and burgers, potato salad and baked beans and go to the beach," says Miller, 65, who grew up in Orlando and frequented Daytona and Cocoa Beach. "We were always doing something like that."
Today, Miller's burgers are a High Springs and Alachua staple. The scent wafting from one of her three hamburger havens is enough to draw in big crowds. Internet blogs and restaurants reviews name Bev's Burgers as one of the area's best.
"People come all the way from Jacksonville to eat them," she says.
Burger Recipies
Classic Burger
Courtesy of New Deal Café
Makes 1 burger
Ingredients
8-12 ounces fresh ground beef (naturally aged beef suggested)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
toasted bun
1 slice tomato
2-3 pieces crisp lettuce
1 slice sweet onion
Preparation
- Prepare the size of your burger patty to your liking. Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Grill over high heat, turning frequently, to desired internal temperature.
- Toast bun in oven or over grill and top with burger and condiments.
- Spice it up with a variety of toppings, such as a good blue cheese and thick sliced bacon. Or try caramelized onions, mushrooms and Swiss cheese, or top with a vegetable pickled relish to add flavor.
Mushroom Burger Parmesan
Courtesy of Buddha Belly
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cups flour
1 cup crushed saltines or cracker meal
2 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 slices provolone cheese
Preparation
- Remove stem and gills from mushrooms.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs, cream and hot sauce.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper.
- Place cracker meal in a shallow bowl or plate.
- Dip mushrooms in egg mixture and then dredge in flour. Dip in egg mixture again and then coat with cracker meal.
- Heat oil in skillet. Fry mushrooms in 350 degree oil until golden brown on both sides.
- Move mushrooms to broiler pan, cover with tomato sauce and provolone cheese. Broil until cheese melts and begins to brown.
- Serve on a toasted hamburger bun.
Blue Turkey Burger
Courtesy of Buddha Belly
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons bacon bits
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
Preparation
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except blue cheese. Form turkey into four meatballs. Use your thumb to create an indentation in each meatball. Push a tablespoon of blue cheese into the center of each turkey meatball, cover and then form into a patty. Cook on grill until cooked through. Serve with lettuce, tomato and onion slices on toasted hamburger buns.
Rosemary Garlic Burger
Courtesy of Buddha Belly
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound high-quality hamburger meat
4 cloves roasted garlic, diced fine
1 small onion diced fine
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped fine
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Combine all ingredients well and form into four patties. Cook over hot grill until done to your liking. Serve on toasted bun with lettuce and tomato.
Aioli
Courtesy of New Deal Café
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon water
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Place first five ingredients in a small bowl and blend together using a mixer on low speed. Increase mixer to medium speed and slowly incorporate the olive oil in a steady stream. (If the oil is not incorporating, increase your mixing speed and slow down your pour). Enjoy as a dipping sauce for freshly made french fries, as a secret ingredient for other sauces or dishes, such as tarter sauce or tuna salad, or use as a substitute for plain mayo to add flavor to sandwiches and burgers.
Seasonal Vegetable Quick-Pickle
Courtesy of New Deal Café
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 ears corn, kernels cut from stalk
1 cup beans (any that are in season, such as green beans)
2 green tomatoes
2 bell peppers
1 sweet onion
2 cups okra
1 thyme sprig
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
Preparation
- Roughly chop all vegetables and set aside in a bowl or deep metal pan.
- Combine all other ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Ladle just enough hot pickling mixture over the vegetables to cover them.
- Cover the container with plastic wrap and place the container into an ice-bath to cool. Serve when completely cooled.
Mushroom Burger
Courtesy of Bev's Burger Café
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound hamburger meat
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 cup canned mushrooms
salt to taste (for burgers)
Preparation
- Hand patty the meat to form four 1/4-pound burgers. Salt both sides of the patties.
- Sauté mushrooms with a little butter.
- Grill burger. Top with mushrooms and Swiss cheese.,/li>
- Serve with a little mayonnaise spread on a hamburger bun.
Potato Salad
Courtesy of Bev's Burger Café
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
5 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped white onions
3 cups mayonnaise
5 teaspoons mustard
8 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Preparation
- Cook potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine onions, mayonnaise and mustard. Add potatoes and eggs. Toss. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Chill for about six hours and then serve.
Pea Salad
Courtesy of Bev's Burger Café
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
5 15-ounce cans Leseur English peas, well drained (important!)
2 cups mayonnaise, to taste
8-10 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
chopped onions or butter, to taste (optional)
Preparation
- Add mayonnaise to peas and toss.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Cover and chill for about 2 hours before serving.
Classic Burger
Courtesy of New Deal Café
Makes 1 burger
Ingredients
8-12 ounces fresh ground beef (naturally aged beef suggested)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
toasted bun
1 slice tomato
2-3 pieces crisp lettuce
1 slice sweet onion
Preparation
- Prepare the size of your burger patty to your liking. Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Grill over high heat, turning frequently, to desired internal temperature.
- Toast bun in oven or over grill and top with burger and condiments.
- Spice it up with a variety of toppings, such as a good blue cheese and thick sliced bacon. Or try caramelized onions, mushrooms and Swiss cheese, or top with a vegetable pickled relish to add flavor.
Mushroom Burger Parmesan
Courtesy of Buddha Belly
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cups flour
1 cup crushed saltines or cracker meal
2 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 slices provolone cheese
Preparation
- Remove stem and gills from mushrooms.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs, cream and hot sauce.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper.
- Place cracker meal in a shallow bowl or plate.
- Dip mushrooms in egg mixture and then dredge in flour. Dip in egg mixture again and then coat with cracker meal.
- Heat oil in skillet. Fry mushrooms in 350 degree oil until golden brown on both sides.
- Move mushrooms to broiler pan, cover with tomato sauce and provolone cheese. Broil until cheese melts and begins to brown.
- Serve on a toasted hamburger bun.
Blue Turkey Burger
Courtesy of Buddha Belly
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons bacon bits
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
Preparation
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except blue cheese. Form turkey into four meatballs. Use your thumb to create an indentation in each meatball. Push a tablespoon of blue cheese into the center of each turkey meatball, cover and then form into a patty. Cook on grill until cooked through. Serve with lettuce, tomato and onion slices on toasted hamburger buns.
Rosemary Garlic Burger
Courtesy of Buddha Belly
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound high-quality hamburger meat
4 cloves roasted garlic, diced fine
1 small onion diced fine
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped fine
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Combine all ingredients well and form into four patties. Cook over hot grill until done to your liking. Serve on toasted bun with lettuce and tomato.
Aioli
Courtesy of New Deal Café
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon water
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Place first five ingredients in a small bowl and blend together using a mixer on low speed. Increase mixer to medium speed and slowly incorporate the olive oil in a steady stream. (If the oil is not incorporating, increase your mixing speed and slow down your pour). Enjoy as a dipping sauce for freshly made french fries, as a secret ingredient for other sauces or dishes, such as tarter sauce or tuna salad, or use as a substitute for plain mayo to add flavor to sandwiches and burgers.
Seasonal Vegetable Quick-Pickle
Courtesy of New Deal Café
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 ears corn, kernels cut from stalk
1 cup beans (any that are in season, such as green beans)
2 green tomatoes
2 bell peppers
1 sweet onion
2 cups okra
1 thyme sprig
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
Preparation
- Roughly chop all vegetables and set aside in a bowl or deep metal pan.
- Combine all other ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Ladle just enough hot pickling mixture over the vegetables to cover them.
- Cover the container with plastic wrap and place the container into an ice-bath to cool. Serve when completely cooled.
Mushroom Burger
Courtesy of Bev's Burger Café
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound hamburger meat
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 cup canned mushrooms
salt to taste (for burgers)
Preparation
- Hand patty the meat to form four 1/4-pound burgers. Salt both sides of the patties.
- Sauté mushrooms with a little butter.
- Grill burger. Top with mushrooms and Swiss cheese.,/li>
- Serve with a little mayonnaise spread on a hamburger bun.
Potato Salad
Courtesy of Bev's Burger Café
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
5 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped white onions
3 cups mayonnaise
5 teaspoons mustard
8 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Preparation
- Cook potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine onions, mayonnaise and mustard. Add potatoes and eggs. Toss. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Chill for about six hours and then serve.
Pea Salad
Courtesy of Bev's Burger Café
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
5 15-ounce cans Leseur English peas, well drained (important!)
2 cups mayonnaise, to taste
8-10 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
chopped onions or butter, to taste (optional)
Preparation
- Add mayonnaise to peas and toss.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Cover and chill for about 2 hours before serving.
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