The Burger's Priest

Being blessed with another incredibly warm March weekend in Toronto, it seemed like everyone was out in the city streets revelling in the joy of our early spring weather. I also never noticed so many people dressed in green (in shorts and sandals too) on the streets to celebrate St Patrick's Day on Saturday. An extra dose of Irish Spring fever in the air!

So what goes better with great weekend weather than a damn good burger? I finally made my way to the The Burger's Priest on Queen St East to try their much talked-about classic American cheeseburger. The two draw-backs about this place are the long line-ups and that it's strictly takeout. Considering the warm weather, I didn't mind waiting outside for a bit and taking the food to go. Once inside, my first thought was that this joint was TINY but the looks on people's faces were of pure happiness and thick with anticipation. I had high hopes for this food considering Zagat's 2012 Restaurant Survey has named this restaurant the 3rd best food in Toronto (following the far more upscale Scaramouche and Chiado/Senhor Antonio Tapas and Wine Bar).

I ordered the "The Priest", a cheeseburger topped with a fat juicy fried Portobello. Did I mentioned the mushroom was also stuffed with cheese? Hello heartburn. It was tantalizing to see the whole masterpiece assembled and cooked right in front of you.

The bottom line: This burger couldn't get any more fresher and juicier. I love mushrooms, so the blend of flavours and textures bursting in my mouth was amazing. It was well cooked, not overdone so juice was dribbling down my face. It did lack a signature taste, compared to a Harvey's burger (which coincidentally is across the street). But the taste is truly home-style: biting into the burger, I dreamily recalled hot summer days and BBQs. This is the perfect burger you can grill yourself, without having to.

The Burger's Priest

1636 Queen St West (and Coxwell Ave)

www.theburgerspriest.com

(647) 346-0617

How to Make Better Scrambled Eggs

Who doesn't want to start the day with a plate of hot creamy, buttery eggs? According to Ruth Reichl, the simple secret for the most luxurious eggs is to keep the heat low and keep stirring. Take it away, Ruth...

Everybody thinks they can make great scrambled eggs. Most people are wrong. They think that great scrambled eggs are fast and easy. They aren’t. They think they need a lot of fancy added ingredients. They don’t. The main point to remember—other than using the best, freshest eggs that you can find along with good sweet butter—is that scrambled eggs, cooked with great patience, have a texture like velvet and a taste that reminds you why you want to be alive.

I learned how to make this kind of scrambled eggs from The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book, and Alice learned to make them from the painter, Francis Picabia, who understood that scrambled eggs should not be fluffy curds, but a dense, almost custardy concoction that you eat with great joy and concentration. To achieve that, Mr. Picabia had five rules:

Cook them over very low heat.

Stir them constantly; he used a fork, but I prefer a heatproof rubber spatula.

Keep adding butter as you cook them. Mr. Picabia preferred 2 tablespoons of butter per egg - which comes out to a stick of butter for every 4 eggs that you’re cooking. “More,” he counseled, “if you can bring yourself to it.” I don’t mind counseling the opposite; it’s really the slow cooking that makes these eggs, not the butter.

Don’t rush; Mr. Picabia says to take half an hour to prepare the eggs. That, I’ll admit, also seems slightly excessive to me. I think you can turn the heat up slightly and do it in about 15 minutes.

Below is the recipe verbatim from The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book. Feel free to adjust it as I have, but as long as you keep the heat low and your hand moving until they’re creamy but nearly set, you’ll end up with the most luscious eggs of your life.

Eggs Francis Picabia

Break 8 eggs into a bowl and mix them well with a fork, adding salt but no pepper. Pour them into a saucepan - yes a saucepan, not a frying pan. Put the saucepan over a very, very low flame, and keep turning them with a fork while very slowly adding in very small quantities ½ lb. butter - not a speck less, more if you can bring yourself to it. It should take ½ hour to prepare this dish. The eggs of course are not scrambled, but with the butter, no substitute admitted, produce a suave consistency that only gourmets will appreciate.

Source:
http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/4078-how-to-make-better-scrambled-eggs

Crispy-Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I'm craving chocolate, nothing hits the spot like fresh homemade cookies (plus a glass of milk or scoop of vanilla ice cream). This cookie is exactly how I like it. The high oven temperature makes the cookie crispy around the edges, while the middle stays thick and cakey due to the short baking time. You can achieve this texture especially if you scoop smaller-size mounds of dough.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Procedure:

Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.

Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (use the paddle attachment for a stand mixer). Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hr or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop scant tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown around the edges but still light in the center, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Source: Food Network Magazine

The Ultimate Burger

Another first for me - making my own burger patty from scratch. This simple recipe calls for two meats: ground beef short ribs and ground veal. The short ribs gives the burger the rich fatty goodness, while the veal adds a velvety texture. The result is simply a deep, juicy and delicious beefy flavour.

Ingredients:

20 oz. (1-1/4 lb. or 600 g) ground boneless beef short ribs
20 oz. (1-1/4 lb. or 600 g) ground veal
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp red wine (the bolder the flavour, the better)
1 egg (optional)
Salt and fresh black pepper

Procedure:

Ask your butcher to debone and grind short rib meat. Advise the butcher not to trim off too much of the fat, as it adds a lot of flavour. Note that deboned meat is about two-thirds the weight of bone-in — handy to know especially when increasing batch size.

Break up the two meats onto a platter, mixing the varieties, in a single layer. Don't overmix at this point or meat will toughen. Set aside.

In small bowl, blend mustard and wine. If desired, beat an egg into this mixture (this will help the patties keep their shape). Drizzle wine mixture over meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. With as little mixing as possible, combine all ingredients.

Form eight 3/4" thick patties (or 6 if you want a thicker burger), packing mixture together tightly. Cover and chill for at least one hour or overnight (allowing patties to "set" in the refrigerator also helps them retain their shape) before barbecueing or pan frying.

Source: House and Home Magazine

Cappuccino Cheesecake with Roasted Pineapple

This happens to be the first cheesecake I've ever made, and it also happens to a personal recipe from Dufflet Rosenberg, owner of the renowned (and my favorite) Toronto bakery Dufflet. Combines two of my favorite things, dark coffee and fresh juicy pineapple. Super rich and moist and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp unflavoured gelatin

8 oz creme fraiche

2/3 cup sour cream

6 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 egg whites

3/ cup sugar

Roasted Pineapple

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup pineapple juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 360 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2 springform pan (bottom upside down, lip up).

In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom and partly up the sides of the pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 min.

Pour coffee into a small saucepan; sprinkle with gelatin and let stand to soften, about 5 minutes. Warm coffee mixture over medium heat until gelatin has completely dissolved, about 2 min. Cool to room temperature.

Combine creme fraiche, sour cream and cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar and whip until stiff and glossy.

Fold coffee mixture into the creme fraiche mixture. In 2 or 3 additions, fold beaten egg whites into coffee and creme fraiche mixture. Pour into baked graham cracker crust. Gently tap sides of pan to smooth the top. Cover and chill until firm in freezer, at least 3 hours.

To make roasted pineapple, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place pineapple pieces in a single layer in a large glass or ceramic baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pineapple juices and cinnamon, and pour over pineapple pieces. Roast pineapple, stirring every 10 min, until tender and lightly browned, about 30-40 min.

To serve, remove sides of pan, cut cake into wedges and top with warm or room temperature roasted pineapple.

Source: House and Home Magazine, May 2010

The Black Hoof

char·cu·te·rie: a delicatessen specializing in dressed meats and meat dishes

I've wanted to visit this popular and highly praised restaurant for a while now. I never heard of a charcuterie and was intrigued to find out. I never ventured out to that part of Dundas West, it's a very conspicuous place for such a restaurant. But sometimes the best restaurants are located in the most untrendy locations. A very trendy thing to do, indeed.

We arrived early before 6, hoping to squeeze in there and get a table quickly. Much to our surprise, it was almost empty. Hint: go on a Monday and early, because it's not a big place and but it will fill up fast.

The drink menu was good and some original cocktails. But I'll just get started with the food. Good variety of meats, cured and fresh. Generous portions at reasonable prices. Innovative pairings. But mostly, it was just delicious and decandant!

We started with the small charcuterie platter. If you want a good starter dish, order the small because you won't be able to finish the rest of your meal with anything more! It was the most beautiful variety of horse sausage, foie gras mousse, venison brasaola, duck prosciutto and a rainbow of pork products like pancetta, salami and chorizo. All prepared in-house with the exception of the pancetta.

For the main course, we chose the the lamb parppadelle, marinated calamari salad, and cow tongue on brioche. Great variety, each one so different in taste and textures. I love lamb so really enjoyed the tender shredded lamb, marinated and tossed with the savory smooth parppadelle. My favorite had to be the cow tongue on brioche sandwich. Tender razor-thin slices of cow tongue nestled between slices of toasted brioche. Both of those dishes had generous portions and very satisfying.

Overall, I recommend the Black Hoof to the serious gourmet carnivore in you. Looking forward to my next visit!

The Black Hoof

928 Dundas Street West

(416) 551-8854

9/10 rating

Better Than Sex Brownies

This sinfully decadent brownie calls for three kinds of chocolate. So worth it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. bitter-sweet chocolate
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8" x 8" square pan.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt together over low heat the unsalted butter, and the semi-sweet, unsweetened, and bitter-sweet chocolate. Stir constantly to prevent the chocolate from scorching.

When just melted, remove from heat. Stir in the sugar.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Stir in the vanilla.

Gently stir the flour and baking powder.

Pour into the pan.

Bake for 21 minutes. (The brownies should be slightly underdone, since they continue to cook after they've been removed from the pan.)

Cool on a wire rack in the pan. Cut into squares.

Store in an airtight container up to three days, if they last that long.

Source: Cookbook author Mairlyn Smith