fontina

The Best Cheese Burgers: As American (and Tasty) as Apple Pie

06 Jul 2011
Fontina Cheese Burger Inspired by San Fransisco

Fontina Cheese Burger with Bacon, Guacamole & Tomato! Are you humming God Bless America right now? Well I am...

Why does America love burgers? Why are burgers considered so very American? What does our love of the burger say about us?

I could easily adopt the burger attitude of the moment and rail against the burger. I could make one of those trendy "heart attack on a bun" jokes. But I'm not gonna.

Because I love a good burger: Big, messy and inspired by America! You see, burgers are an American Institution whose power lies in their iconoclasm and decidedly simple virtues. I believe that the humble hamburger says something about being an American.

It's hard to have grown up in this country and not have strong feelings about our burgers. They're ingrained in our culture. They've come to symbolize so much more than a casual meal. There will always be a part of me that remains a 7-year-old boy peeking under the bun to make sure my mom didn't slip anything sneaky onto my hamburger. That's the kind of power America's burgers have.

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"San Francisco" Bacon Guacamole Cheeseburger

Bacon Guacamole Cheeseburger
By jgreghenry Published May 23, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 8 sli bacon
  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 0 salt and pepper to taste
  • 0 fontina cheese, thinly sliced, to taste
  • 8 sli sourdough bread
  • 1 c baby red oak leaf lettuce leaves, loosely packed
  • 0.5 c guacamole
  • 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
  • 0.25 red onion, sliced and separated into rings

Directions

Preheat your outdoor grill. Add the bacon slices to a cold cast iron skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook them until crispy. About 5-7 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Divide the ground beef into 4 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball and then gently press into patties shaped to match the sourdough bread slices. Sprinkle each patty with salt and pepper. Cook burgers over medium heat. About 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. At the last minute, place cheese slices on top and continue cooking until cheese melts slightly. Move the burgers to a plate to rest. Lightly grill the sourdough slices on both sides. Just enough to get toasty grill marks. To assemble the burgers, place 4 pieces of toasted sourdough slices in front of you. Divide the oak leaf lettuce pieces evenly in a even layer on each slice. Top this with a dollop of guacamole, one or two heirloom tomato slices, the burger, three or four rings of red onion and two bacon slices. Top with the remaining sourdough bread. Cut the burgers in half and serve warm.

Notes:

makes 4 burgers Source: Inspired by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bacon Compote & Butternut Squash Polenta

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bacon Compote & Butternut Squash Polenta
By jgreghenry Published March 7, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 c butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 3 T olive oil, divided
  • 0 salt and white pepper as needed
  • 5 c chicken or vegetable stock
  • 0.125 t freshy ground nutmeg
  • 1 t rubbed dried sage
  • 1 c coarsely ground yellow polenta
  • 0.5 c fontina cheese, grated
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 24 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 one-pound pork tenderloins
  • 4 sli applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
  • 2 clv garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 t fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 tart green apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 0.5 apple cider

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl toss the diced butternut squash cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and white pepper. Lay the cubes out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast until soft and beginning to color, about 20 minutes. Let cool somewhat them puree then in a food processor until very smooth. Set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the stock, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, nutmeg, and dried sage to a boil. Add the polenta, in a slow gentle stream, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to very, very low and cook, whisking all the while until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Switch to a wooden spoon, cook, stirring the polenta from time to time until it is soft and creamy, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a few teaspoons of water if it gets too stiff. Add the butternut squash puree, cheese and butter. Stir to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside covered and warm. You may need to reheat it with a few teaspoons of water right before serving. Return the oven to 400 degrees F. Mince 8 of the fresh sage leaves. Set aside. Bring the tenderloins to room temperature, dry them completely with paper towels. Place a roasting rack on a baking sheet. Sean the pork well with salt and white pepper. In a large skillet set over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the pork tenderloins one at a time and brown it well on all sides. Repeat with second tenderloin. Remove the pork from the skillet, and place them on the rack without touching each other. Place the rack in the center of the oven and roast until an internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F for slightly pink or 150 degrees F. for cooked through but juicy. About 25 minutes. While the pork cooks, add the bacon to the same skillet you used for the tenderloins and cook it over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp. About 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cooking an additional minute. Add the onion, minced sage, and thyme. Cook stirring and scraping the bottom, until the onion is tender. About 5 minutes. Add the apples, stirring often until softened and lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the cider to deglaze the skillet. Lower the heat and reduce until the liquid thickens, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Cover to keep warm and set aside off the heat. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest about 10 minutes. Cut the pork into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange them over a bed of the warm butternut squash polenta and serves the apple-bacon compote on the side. Garnish with the remaining sage leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes:

serves 8 Source: Adapted from CIA Greystone's Seasons in the Wine Country

Proper Cooking Keeps Pork Tenderloin Juicy and Flavorful

07 Mar 2011
Pork Tenderloin from Sippity Sup

Pork tenderloin is like the piggy version of filet mignon. It’s basically the same part of the beast. It is one of the leanest cuts of meat out there. Which is a great argument in its favor. It is also very versatile, easy to cook and easy to eat. There are no bones and essentially no fat. These facts as well as its relatively low price have made it popular.

But like a beef filet it’s not the most flavorful cut. Compared to pork butt or beef rib eye the tenderloins are rather, well… bland.

But bland can be an opportunity, if looked at in the right light. Because the tenderloin has a terrific soft texture. They are pretty to look at, especially for picky eaters and those who don’t really want to know what they are eating. That’s because they lack fat.

The lack of fat means cooking can be tricky with tenderloin. I have seen some pretty dry specimens in my day. I spent a lot of years avoiding the tenderloin of both the cow and the pig. But as the years go by, many of us need to watch our fat intake. So we need to make compromises every once in a while. The old axiom of fat equals flavor, remains true. But fat isn’t the only thing with flavor in this world.

This Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bacon Compote & Butternut Squash Polenta is a perfect example. Plenty of flavor on the plate. But getting big flavor will be a waste of time if the meat is cooked to death and tastes like an old shoe.

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A Mighty Special Mac with Mascarpone, Fontina and Lobster

26 Jan 2011
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Ok. It’s time to take a culinary exhale. Because after the frenzy of holiday cooking we have all been through I feel it’s time to get back to basics. Something comforting and familiar. Something that just makes you want to cuddle up with the one you love. Something like Mac & Cheese!

In fact a simple dish like Macaroni and Cheese is exactly what I am craving. But simple can be elegant and it can be creative. So I have decided to take old-fashioned Macaroni and Cheese, and rev it up a notch. First I plan to use the very best cheese I can get from Wisconsin. And while yummy yellow cheddar makes a great Mac & Cheese, I have another idea in mind.

I think I’ll add chunks of lobster, as well as creamy mascarpone. It's more seafood friendly than cheddar. Besides, this combination really helps this familiar, everyday food assume the comfort and luxury of cashmere!

To put my plan in motion I turned to my cookbooks for guidance. But none of the recipes came close to my fantasy of what the dish should be. I wanted chewy pasta suspended in molten cheese, with a chewy, golden-brown cheesy crust on top. And plenty of perfectly cooked lobster tail. I guess I'll need to develop my own recipe.

One of the best recipes I have ever used for Mac & Cheese comes from Martha Stewart. She starts with a flour-based roux and adds cheese. She calls it Macaroni and Cheese 101. And I gotta admit it’s pretty close to perfection. Except one thing. It relies on cheddar. Now I love cheddar, but feel it may be a bit strong with the delicate flavor and texture of lobster.

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