"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." ~ Alexander Woollcott
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It's my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian 'Quote Cup' passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, and sometimes some photos of family fun. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
Between baseball games and vacations and crazy busy lives we haven't had a 'traditional' Wednesday night family dinner for awhile. Last week we celebrated two birthdays only a day apart. The birthday boys chose a destination new to us in Cottage Grove because of the setting overlooking the river. When we called for reservations they said we didn't need them… what we didn't expect was that they would be closing! We arrived to find the cook shutting down the grill because it had been raining and there was no business… but when she learned we traveled across the metro to get there she opened up just for us. We had a private dinner for four with a beautiful view and no more rain!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
With the two birthday boys both loving hamburgers I thought it was worth re-posting this grilled burger recipe from Food and Wine I posted six years ago. Las Vegas chef Laurent Tourondel claims you can make a burger juicier by dunking the patty in ice water for about 30 seconds before grilling, then brushing them with melted butter while grilling so the natural sugars caramelize while grilling. They were really good, although some said they would have preferred them not so thick.
CHEDDAR BLT BURGERS with Tarragon Russian Dressing
DRESSING 
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
BURGERS
- 12 ounces thickly sliced bacon
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
- 1 1/3 pounds ground beef sirloin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2+ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 6 slices
- 6 hamburger buns, split and toasted
- 6 iceberg lettuce leaves
- 6 slices of tomato
- 6 slices of red onion
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, turning once, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain and cut the bacon into large pieces.
Light a grill and fill a large bowl with ice water. Gently mix the ground chuck, ground sirloin, salt and pepper. Form into six 4-inch patties, about 1 1/4 inches thick. Submerge patties in the ice water and let soak for 30 seconds. Immediately transfer the burgers to the grill and brush with melted butter. Grill over high heat for 9 minutes for medium-rar, turning once or twice and brushing occasionally with butter. Top the burgers with the cheese during the last minut of grilling and let melt.
Spread the Russian dressing on the buns. Set the lettuce leaves and tomatoes on the bottom and top with the burgers, red onion and bacon. Serve right away.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - Minneapolis Realtor Who Cooks
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