Beer is Delicious: Beer Steamed Burgers

Since there's a three day weekend coming up, I decided to share with you an American backyard dinner: burgers, potatoes and slaw!

Now, to be perfectly honest, I usually feel like crap after this kind of meal. Traditionally, it is heavy and unhealthy. Granted, that's partially on me. I mean, if I'm going to get a burger, I'm going to go all out: Benton's bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, garlic aioli. But it just doesn't have to be like that. 

If you steam your burger, you can use up to 96% lean ground beef. The moisture from the steam keeps the burger juicy and moist. And what better to steam it in than beer? I used The Better Beer Project's prototype for American Pale Ale. 

As for the sides, I baked the potatoes with red pepper flakes and thyme. They are crunchy on the top, soft in the middle and downright addictive. I also didn't use mayonnaise on the slaw. A 1:1 ratio of Greek yogurt and avocado make a dressing that is just as rich and thick. 

Check back later this week for a post about how to end this meal: Horchata Ice Cream. 

OH! And special thanks to my friend Stephen for inspiring this burger recipe. 

I hope you all have a happy and healthy long weekend!

The recipe for Accordion Potatoes can be found here. They are SO delicious, but be warned: they are also a little bit of a pain to make.

Beer Steamed Burgers:
-serves four
1lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1T honey
2T olive oil
2T unsalted seasoning mix (I used Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute)
salt to taste (I used a scant teaspoon)
1/3 cup beer (try to use something that is neither too sweet nor too hoppy; stick with the pale ale family)

Mix beef, quinoa, honey olive oil, salt and seasoning together and form into four patties. Let come to room temperature. Heat a pan over medium with about 1T oil in the bottom. Cook on one side uncovered. When you flip the burgers, add the beer and cover for the remainder of the cooking process. Top with cheese before covering if desired.

*Tips: Cook quinoa in something flavorful, like vegetable stock with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Do not over mix the meat; this can make it tough. Lightly butter your buns and warm them at 300 for about 10 minutes. No one likes a dry bun any more than they like a dry burger!

My burger is pictured with Simple Guacamole:
2 large, ripe avocados
1/2 a red onion
juice of two limes
2 medium jalapenoes
salt to taste

Carrot Salad:
-serves eight 
6 oz Greek yogurt
1 avocado
2T fresh mint, chopped
2T sugar
juice of one lime
20 oz carrots, shredded
salt to taste (just a pinch should do it)
1/2 cup golden raisins (I think regular raisins look like dead bugs in my food!)
*I also added one bulb fennel and one granny smith apple, but the salad is just as good without them!

Place yogurt, avocado, mint, sugar, salt and lime juice in blender and pulse until very smooth. Toss with carrots and raisins. This is best if it has time to rest for a couple hours before serving.

Dessert is Delicious: Summer Clafoutis

Have you ever had a clafoutis (pronounced clah-foo-tea)? I hadn't either, until today. Clafoutis is a French dessert that is the beautiful love child of a cake and a custard. It is light, fluffy and moist and is the perfect little nestling place for sweet summer fruit. I like it, very much. 

I made mine with peaches, raspberries, cherries, buttermilk and orange zest. My mouth waters just thinking about the combination- peaches, raspberries, cherries, buttermilk and orange zest! 

Quite a few eggs give the clafoutis its rise and as it bakes, juice from the fruit oozes throughout the dish. The top turns slightly brown and the smell, oh the smell! If they made peach, raspberry, cherry, buttermilk and orange zest clafoutis perfume I would wear it all the time. 

I sweetened my clafoutis batter only with honey, so I topped it with a touch of powdered sugar when it came out of the oven. Do you remember what your first kiss felt like? I don't mean the one where you knocked teeth and then coughed in his mouth (yeah, I'm a catch). I mean your first good kiss- when you blacked out a little and felt tingly all over? My first bite of clafoutis was a similar experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Summer Clafoutis:

-serves six

(based on Pear Clafoutis, by Ina Garten) 

1/2 cup raw honey

3 large eggs

6T all purpose flour (use cornstarch if you want to go GF)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used reduced fat)

2T vanilla extract

pinch of kosher salt 

zest of one orange

1/2 pint berries

3-4 piece stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines or apricots

butter and sugar for the pan

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a pie dish until covered and dust with about 1T granulated sugar. In a bowl, cream eggs and honey with electric mixer on medium for three minutes. Then add the flour, buttermilk, vanilla, salt and orange. Let batter rest for 10 minutes. Half stone fruit and place it in pie dish with berries around it (remove any pits first). Pour batter over fruit. Bake for 45 minutes or until batter does not jiggle in the middle. The top should be golden brown. Top with powdered sugar.