When you think of the Fourth of July what pops into your mind first? BBQ? Fireworks? Everyone has their favorite way to spend the fourth; family bbq, watching a huge display, hanging with friends. I wanted to share some food fun with you as well today. No matter if you are staying in or going out, these recipes are great.
I can't talk about the Fourth of July without talking about hamburgers. Today's burger is the All American Burger. As I always say, you should use an 80/20 mix of meat if you are using burger, and an even better mix is to combine burger with some ground sirloin; it really gives it a hearty taste and great flavor that is not your usual back yard burger. Put your meat in a large bowl and add some great All American flavor with some Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, liquid smoke, powdered garlic and dried onion. Mix together and form into patties. A good trick for burgers on the grill: when you are forming your patties make them thicker on the sides and slightly thinner in the middle - this will help you from getting those 'round' burgers and will allow your patties to cook flat.
Place your patties in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow them to get nice and firm, this will help to keep them from falling apart on the grill. While that is chilling grab 2 large onions. We are going to be topping our All American Burger with some fried onion peels, or you can skip that and enjoy them as a great side dish. Peel your onion and then cut into peel-like pieces. Best way to accomplish this is to cut your onion in half and then cut sideways for thick 'peels'. Get a large bowl and add about 2 cups of buttermilk, one beer, one cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix. Drop your onion peels in and allow them to get completely coated. While that is going, take a large dutch oven or large pot and fill with oil. Heat until it is about 375 degrees.
Once your oil is ready, drop your peels in and allow them to cook until they are a nice golden brown color. Remember not to crowd your oil as this will bring the oil temperature down. Bring them out of the oil and place either on a cooling rack or paper towels so any excess oil comes off. Always dust with salt right as they come out of the oil, this will absorb the salt, whereas if you put the salt on when they have cooled it will simply fall off.
Grill your burgers on your grill. While those are grilling up we will talk about some more flavors in the form of a flavored mayonnaise. In a bowl combine about 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise, one cap full of apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered garlic, red pepper flakes for a little heat and chopped chives. Mix all together and put in the fridge for about 5 - 10 minutes to set and allow the flavors to marry together. When your burgers are done go ahead and place your buns on the grill just to heat them through. Once done, spread your mayonnaise on the top bun and then build your burgers. Eat your onion peels on the side or to give it some more power, place a few onion peels on your burger. Another variation on this is to omit the mayonnaise and replace with your favorite bbq sauce. Top with your onion peels and you have one tasty burger for your Fourth of July celebration.
To keep your friends and family going, throw together an easy desert. For the Fourth I like to use the standard 'Fourth' colors; red, white and blue. Clean strawberries and quarter. Rinse blueberries and a handful of mint leaves. Roll up your mint leaves into a little burrito-like package and then chop; set aside. Put your strawberries and blueberries in a container and add some lemon zest, and about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar; this will create a glaze. Take 4 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of Marscapone and a splash of vanilla extract. Combine and set aside. For whip cream you can always take the short cut and simply buy some from the store; or to boost up flavor, you can create your own. To do this get a large bowl and pour in a container of heavy whipping cream. Add a splash of vanilla extract and the zest of a lemon. Use your hand blender to whip until you get stiff peaks - flavored whip cream. To serve you can purchase some clear plastic short/tall cups. Layer just like you would a parfait. In the bottom of a cup place a spoonful of your berry mixture. Place a layer of Marscapone/cream cheese and then repeat until you have about an inch left in your cup. Top with your whipped cream and then garnish with some of your chopped mint.
No matter how you celebrate, enjoy the company of your friends and family. Stay safe and always remember that you can have a colorful and flavorful meal that is easy to put together that all your guests will love!
Cheers!
I can't talk about the Fourth of July without talking about hamburgers. Today's burger is the All American Burger. As I always say, you should use an 80/20 mix of meat if you are using burger, and an even better mix is to combine burger with some ground sirloin; it really gives it a hearty taste and great flavor that is not your usual back yard burger. Put your meat in a large bowl and add some great All American flavor with some Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, liquid smoke, powdered garlic and dried onion. Mix together and form into patties. A good trick for burgers on the grill: when you are forming your patties make them thicker on the sides and slightly thinner in the middle - this will help you from getting those 'round' burgers and will allow your patties to cook flat.
Place your patties in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow them to get nice and firm, this will help to keep them from falling apart on the grill. While that is chilling grab 2 large onions. We are going to be topping our All American Burger with some fried onion peels, or you can skip that and enjoy them as a great side dish. Peel your onion and then cut into peel-like pieces. Best way to accomplish this is to cut your onion in half and then cut sideways for thick 'peels'. Get a large bowl and add about 2 cups of buttermilk, one beer, one cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix. Drop your onion peels in and allow them to get completely coated. While that is going, take a large dutch oven or large pot and fill with oil. Heat until it is about 375 degrees.
Once your oil is ready, drop your peels in and allow them to cook until they are a nice golden brown color. Remember not to crowd your oil as this will bring the oil temperature down. Bring them out of the oil and place either on a cooling rack or paper towels so any excess oil comes off. Always dust with salt right as they come out of the oil, this will absorb the salt, whereas if you put the salt on when they have cooled it will simply fall off.
Grill your burgers on your grill. While those are grilling up we will talk about some more flavors in the form of a flavored mayonnaise. In a bowl combine about 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise, one cap full of apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered garlic, red pepper flakes for a little heat and chopped chives. Mix all together and put in the fridge for about 5 - 10 minutes to set and allow the flavors to marry together. When your burgers are done go ahead and place your buns on the grill just to heat them through. Once done, spread your mayonnaise on the top bun and then build your burgers. Eat your onion peels on the side or to give it some more power, place a few onion peels on your burger. Another variation on this is to omit the mayonnaise and replace with your favorite bbq sauce. Top with your onion peels and you have one tasty burger for your Fourth of July celebration.
To keep your friends and family going, throw together an easy desert. For the Fourth I like to use the standard 'Fourth' colors; red, white and blue. Clean strawberries and quarter. Rinse blueberries and a handful of mint leaves. Roll up your mint leaves into a little burrito-like package and then chop; set aside. Put your strawberries and blueberries in a container and add some lemon zest, and about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar; this will create a glaze. Take 4 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of Marscapone and a splash of vanilla extract. Combine and set aside. For whip cream you can always take the short cut and simply buy some from the store; or to boost up flavor, you can create your own. To do this get a large bowl and pour in a container of heavy whipping cream. Add a splash of vanilla extract and the zest of a lemon. Use your hand blender to whip until you get stiff peaks - flavored whip cream. To serve you can purchase some clear plastic short/tall cups. Layer just like you would a parfait. In the bottom of a cup place a spoonful of your berry mixture. Place a layer of Marscapone/cream cheese and then repeat until you have about an inch left in your cup. Top with your whipped cream and then garnish with some of your chopped mint.
No matter how you celebrate, enjoy the company of your friends and family. Stay safe and always remember that you can have a colorful and flavorful meal that is easy to put together that all your guests will love!
Cheers!
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