don't we all love to get out hands on some tender buns?

and sink our teeth into some juicy flesh?

hot coals bringing a flush to the cheeks...

the 10 minute relationship that we have with a gorgeous, perfect hamburger comes dangerously close to eclipsing the relationship that we have with our partners (let's get a little existential here...it's just a moment)

there is no meal so fine as an old favourite cooked perfectly

so dust off the grill and start toasting some buns and sizzling some flesh

it's going to be a long, hot summer

let's start at the very beginning

it's a very good place to start

(no, this is not 'the sound of music' burger...)

I make my patties using turkey instead of beef. then I add in some bacon...it adds flavour and the fat from the bacon makes the patty deliciously juicy. I figure that if I'm going to eat fat, I'd rather that it tasted like bacon instead of beef. the choice is yours; the recipe will still work fine if you use beef (but try this...)

for 6 1/4 pound patties:

mix: 1 1/2 lb (750g) of ground turkey; 1/2 large onion (finely chopped); 4 rashers (slices) bacon (finely diced); 1 tblspn worcestershire sauce; 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs; 1 tspn salt; 10 grinds of a pepper mill; 1 tspn paprika and 1 egg. use your hands (it feels weird, but good weird)

to divide into patties, I roll the mixture onto a board, form a roll, cut it in half, then cut each half into thirds. shape each into a ball, then I roll each patty in a little flour and squash it down slightly. place the floured patties on a plate lined with wax paper and place in the fridge. these can be made a day ahead

heat your grill up...give it time to really get hot

brush the patties with a little olive oil and place them on the grill (not over flames). close the cover on the grill and give them a good 7 minutes. turn them over the give them another 7 minutes. this should do it, depending upon how thick your patties are. I tend to leave them pretty fat

now, a burger without fries (chips) is like superman without lois lane; he's still a mighty hero, but a mighty lonely one

If you can bear having your oven on in the heat of summer, then try cooking up some potato wedges in goose fat...you do not know what you are missing out on until you try these. click on the pic to go to the site. the recipe is at the bottom of the burger recipe

your job is to deliver the perfect patty, a decent bun and a fine selection of fillings. leave it to your guests to put it all together in a way that makes sense to them

how we build a burger is loaded with nostalgia, quirks and the idiosyncrasies that lie so close to the surface in all of us

rumour has it that in an attempt to cross over into mainstream pop culture, carl jung was working on a theory applying his 4 personality types to the way we built a burger

sound far fetched? well, I recently watched someone with a 'food separation disorder' eat a burger; he cannot eat food that touches other food, so the burger was ordered and served on a long platter. the patty, the bun, the tomato, the cheese...all in a line

but I digress... have it all laid out:

lettuce: some crunchy romaine, some arugula, some iceberg for the old timers...

tomato: slice some hierloom, some beefsteak and maybe some sundried ones

onion: I like to slice spanish onions (the purple fellas) and grill them with a wee drizzle of balsamic and oil, but you should also offer some raw onion slices

cheese: can't go wrong with cheddar, but you can offer gorgonzola, brie, basque or chevre. holler out to everyone to pick their cheese 3 minutes before the patties are cooked in case they want to have the cheese melted on the patty whilst it's still on the grill

the rest: avocado, pickles, marinated peppers or artichokes, fresh basil leaves

saucy wenches: ketchup, mustard, mayo, pesto, tomato chutney, mango pickle, salsa, molcjete, guacamole

guess who's coming to dinner? you know what it's like when you find out that one of your guests is vegetarian 10 minutes before they arrive...so have a portobello mushroom or two lying around. these little devils are juicy and tender in a way that most burgers only dream of being...click the pic for some great portobello burger suggestions

easy, delicious and fast. sounds like just about everyone I've dated!

peel the husks and silk from the corn cobs

douse them in a little olive oil and throw them onto a hot grill. turn them so that they scorch a little on each side. this takes a good 10 minutes

chop some cilantro, crumble some cotijo cheese and slice some lime

you're good to go

squeeze some lime over the hot corn, sprinkle some cotijo, chili flakes and cilantro

mouthwatering!

click on the pic for more ideas

chinese bbq pork loin with grilled apple and squash

oodles of other portobello mushroom ideas

and, to cap it all off, bananas foster cooked and flamed on the grill

take it all outdoors and don't stop until the garden gnome starts blushing!

enjoy

let the love flow...

mannix@thelovebite.com