Burgers. There are just times that a good hamburger hits the spot like nothing else does. And they can be simple and quick and easy and satisfying.
And then, sometimes, you just get a hankering to make 'em something else, something different, something out of the ordinary. A surprise for the palate, perhaps. So instead of the quick and easy and simple approach tonight, instead I decided to tackle something called bulgogi burger sliders on homemade brioche buns with balsamic-soy caramelized onions and a kimchee aioli.
Considerably more effort was required than the normal run-of-the-mill (meal?) burger night.
For instance, in the picture above you can see that I made the buns for these burgers. These are brioche slider buns, and while they were very tasty, there is still a long way to go for me in working with yeast breads and dough. I just need more practice. Lots of it.
And yes: it's hard to beat some good caramelized onions, and these had the extra flavor that comes from glazing julienned red onions in a balsamic-soy concoction.
To get this meal right, I also did not just grab a chub of ground beef at the grocery store. On the contrary! I took advantage of the current sale on ribeye steaks and bought those. I cubed them, chilled them in the freezer a while, and tossed them (in two batches) into the food processor, with a bit of garlic salt and onion powder for good measure. It's the same process I use for peanut butter bacon burgers, except I used ribeye steaks instead of a combination of sirloin tip and boneless beef shortribs.
Tonight's dinner for a gathering of four was stumbled upon online, under an article that touted 10 different ways to do burgers. This one is Korean-inspired or Korean-influenced, and it involved at least two trips to the Asia Grocery just south of downtown. That's because I am not that familiar with kimchee, but I do now know that even in a tightly-closed jar, it'll odor up a refrigerator.
The Korean kimchee was part of the aioli for the burgers. The burgers were topped with slices of smoked gouda and the soy-balsamic caramelized red onions.
The meal passed muster with the fellas and I reckon this recipe is a keeper.
"Brioche Buns," from Cuisine at Home, June 2011, Issue 87, p. 18-20.
"Bite-Size Bulgogi Burgers," by Debbie Lee. Printed in Seoultown Kitchen. Found online at FoodRepublic.com.
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