Improv

Every so often we crave a good ol' American hamburger. You would think this is an easy thing to reproduce, right?
Wrong!

First, let's talk about the beef here in France. I'm sorry la France, but your beef just ain't that good. I can't tell you how many times I've broken down and ordered a bavette grillé or entrecôte thinking, "maybe it will be better this time," only to end up with a practically dislocated shoulder from having to saw my way through the piece of shoe leather lying on my plate. When will I ever learn? The sauces are good. Damn good. But the beef here really leaves something to be desired.

The cut used for haché (ground beef) is very lean, so hamburger making presents some challenges. To compensate for the lack of flavor and to make them nice and juicy, my burgers are bursting with ''stuff".

If we're in a spicy/Cajun mood
For one pound of ground beef:
cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon
moistened bread crumbs, 1/4 cup
minced onion
minced garlic, 1 clove
minced chili pepper
an egg

For a French flavor
For one pound of ground beef:
Dijon mustard, 1-2 tablespoons (I love mustard, so often use more)
minced onion
minced garlic, 1 clove
minced capers, 1 tablespoon
moistened bread crumbs, 1/4 cup
an egg
freshly ground black pepper

No hamburger buns around here, so I buy a nice, fat bread to slice, like un gros pain. A baguette isn't wide enough and is too chewy. You gotta improvise! Sliced red onion and tomato are a must and we don't have an outdoor grill so I pan fry burgers or put them under the broiler.


Now if only we could find Hebrew National hot dogs! I do miss a good hot dog...


UPDATE: I wrote this post this morning and went to Intermarché this afternoon to pick up a few groceries and couldn't believe it...two different sizes of hamburger buns available! The packaging even had a little Statue of Liberty and an American flag on it. When did this happen? Is it the Americanization of France under Sarko?