Hamburgers with Pink Sauce and Quick Barbecue Sauce

Hamburger with Pink Sauce

It was a funny thing, we usually eat burgers (other than at friends BBQs) once or twice a year. Two days before Freya and Paul announced their blogging event Burger Ballyhoo I made hamburgers (Tessa Kiros) .

When I read about it I thought right I’ll dig out my grilling and BBQ books, and even the specific burgers book that I own and see what I can come up with. Well, finding the burger book was a feat in itself, and I actually started to doubt if I had even bought it, but I found it eventually. There are some adventurous burgers in it, and I’ll come back to it in the summer time hopefully – there was a lovely seasoned prawn burger with Creole sauce and a salmon burger with Pernod, mustard and dill mayo that I am particularly keen to try.

I also have a hamburger shaper / maker that I bought about 15 years ago that I have never used that I would have liked to have used, but I just couldn’t find it, maybe it made it’s way to the attic in a ‘not rubbish may use one day’ kind of box.

I sometimes buy our local Aberdeen Angus burgers, and they are lovely but I thought I better make them for this event. The burger I decided to make though is the one I turn to if home-made is on the menu. These burgers taste as we expect burgers to taste, and because of this they hit the spot for us. I have made them with the chopped parsley in the recipe, but it wasn’t my favourite version of a burger, so I don’t add it now. Although I made them as before I thought I would also add another sauce from my burger cookbook too. So here is Tessa Kiros Hamburgers from Apples for Jam and a Quick Barbecue Sauce from Burgers by Marcel Desaulniers (he of Death by Chocolate and Desserts to Die For – and all his others!).

Hamburger with Quick Barbecue Sauce

Tessa’s burgers come with the usual fried (red) onions, cheese, gerkins (dill pickles), tomatoes, lettuce and of course buns; but also her fabulous pink sauce. Due to having some sauce left over last time having rescued it before hubby threw it out I kept it in the fridge a few days, and the revelation here was that it tastes way better after the paprika has settled and the flavour is much deeper. I use locally baked soft white buns for my burger buns, and although I like sesame buns they are a bit too big for my taste, and I haven’t met anyone who didn’t like the pillowy white ones.

The BBQ sauce is an easy job, although it needs to be kept an eye on as is blips away for its 30 minute simmer. I was a bit worried that it might burn, although in the end I needn’t have worried about it. It is thick and treacley, and drizzles like honey. It packed a pretty powerful punch! It was pretty much so dark brown that it looked black, which I was alarmed about because no other barbecue sauce I’ve made before has been this consistency or colour. I liked it, but you have to be careful how much you use – just a dribble or it stops complementing the burger and trimmings and overpowers it all. The burger it was created to go with was a sirlion steak burger seasoned with spices and stuffed with blue cheese and served in specifically made onion buns.

I am pleased that I have at long last used my Burger book - it has been waiting in the wings for 10 years! And I have so much inspiration to try out different burgers. Thanks for hosting Freya & Paul.

The Sauces - in the so cute 'Chicken Run' French bowls

Here are the recipes:

Quick Barbecue Sauce:
4 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons brown spicy mustard
2 tablespoons dark mollases or treacle
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Bring everything to the boil, then simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes. Cool before using.

Pink Sauce:
125ml tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Mix altogether with a seasoning of salt and pepper.

Hamburgers:
3 tablespoons olive oil (I use 2)
2 large red onions
3 thyme sprigs (I don’t use these)
Saute the red onions in the oil with a pinch of salt for 10 – 15 minutes.
780g best minced beef
2 ½ tablespoons chopped parsley (I don’t add this)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix altogether with a seasoning of salt and pepper and shape into hamburger patties. Brush the grill with the oil and cook to still be juicy inside. Serve with the onions, sauce and extras.

Extras:
Cheese slices
Tomato slices
Gerkin slices
Lettuce
6 buns for burgers