Monday, August 22, 2011

FFwD: Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger

I tackled this weeks French Fridays with Dorie selection--Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger (pg 240)--earlier in the week than I normally do. I wanted Matt to grill the burgers on the bbq, so it made more sense to do it on the weekend, since there's no telling what time he'll get home on any given workday.

This is unlike any burger I've ever had. First, you make an onion marmalade by simmering finely chopped red onion, coriander, butter, salt and pepper in water until it's a jammy consistency. I ate more of this with a spoon, hot off the stove, than I'd like to admit. It would be amazing on a hot dog. Just sayin'.

Grind up a seemingly random assortment of items (sun-dried tomatoes--I, again, used some of my slow-roasted tomatoes that are packed in oil in the fridge--capers, cornichons, fresh tarragon, and fresh parsley), then mix it in with the  burger meat.

The marmalade goes on the roll, the burger goes on the marmalade, and slivers of parmesan cheese and thin-sliced dill pickles are supposed to go on top. I forgot to buy the pickles. Woops. A leftover chunk of blue cheese was winking at me from the fridge, so I forsook the parmesan and used blue cheese instead. It worked beautifully with all the other salty and sweet components.

I overdid the tarragon a bit.  There was going to be too much left over that I had no plan for, so I threw in some extra, just to put it to use. It was still good, but the tarragon flavor was very prevalent and tipped the scales farther towards "sweet" than I think was intended.
I take terrible photos of meat.
This is not the recipe I'd tap to satisfy a messy, juicy, ketchup-slathered burger craving, but it holds its own place as something else. It's almost more like a type of meatloaf on a bun than it is a burger.

Conclusion: Liked it, and it lends itself nicely to variations on the basic recipe. Love that onion marmalade. I could eat it on anything--sandwiches, salads. Yum. 

Since I'm trying to backtrack and cover the FFwD selections that were cooked prior to my involvement with the group, I baked Marie-Helene's Apple Cake (pg 432) for dessert. Mine didn't come out looking like the picture, but it did come out tasting deeeeelicious. There was just enough of the vanilla and rum-spiked batter to cover the apples. I thought the cake would rise more in the oven, because in the book's picture, the cake covers the apples. Mine did not, but I think it looked quite adorable with the little browned chunks of apple sitting on top. The cake almost has a dense pudding or custard consistency, and is quite buttery and lovely. I could eat this every day. I won't though.
mmmm...cinnamon whipped cream.
Conclusion: Liked it very much.

This meal prompted an interesting conversation between Matt and I. He said that he's such a fan of Dorie that he would never argue against me buying any of her cookbooks (he doesn't understand my fascination with buying cookbooks, and acts exasperated every time I bring in a new one). I wondered if she would ever publish another cooking book, since her background is in baking. Maybe she'd put everything she had into this one book and would return to baking now. (I sure hope not.) Matt suggested that maybe the reason we love her food and I produce such good results from Around My French Table has something to do with her coming from a baking background. He thinks I'm "an awesome baker" (awww), and said maybe there's a common thought process of people who are natural bakers vs. cooks that makes a cookbook-written-by-a-baker work differently. I'm not sure if that's true, but it's interesting to think about. My hypothesis is that, because Dorie is trained as a baker, the food in this book really is the food she serves at her table. It's her food, with her own personal twists that are influenced and inspired by her friends and meals she has out, but were never tweaked according to the needs of a restaurant. In her intro to Baking, she says that Julia Child told her "We make such a good team because we're really just a pair of home bakers." I think the success of her fans' relationship with Around My French Table is the same. We make a good team because, with Dorie, via her book, we're just (several thousand) pairs of home cooks. What do you think? What makes this book different from others?

21 comments:

  1. I actually made this burger for dinner tonight, and I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the capers in the ground beef. Your burger looks tasty with the bleu cheese and your cake is divine!

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  2. Thanks for the preview, I cooked the onion marmelade yesterday and will be making the burgers today. I'll make sure not to overdo the tarragon.

    Both my husband and I have also been big fans of this book and I agree with your theory that it is because she writes very well for home cooks. Many of my favorite recipes thus far are ones which I can see whipping up any day of the week, in fact I have already repeated quite a few.

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  3. I don't know anything about Dorie, but I want to now.
    I've often wondered if some recipes don't work for me because of the 'cheffy' thing. I know bakers and chefs are quite different animals (I'm a baker myself) - it's a very interesting theory.
    I like that your husband approves of Dorie's books - go get more - make the most of it! :-) XO

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  4. I like the way you think. Matt has no idea he just gave his stamp of approval on me loading my shelves with awesome baking books. Mwa ha haaa!

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  5. Looks great! I'm looking forward to making this one, especially the onion marmalade.

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  6. Funny you thought it seemed more like meatloaf, 'cause that's how I made mine. And it was great!

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  7. Aren't our spouses lucky because we make them such lovely things from her books? I tell mine the price of eating so well is a new cookbook every now and then. Great job!

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  8. I think Dorie's just a damned good cook and is able to translate it better than others. We've loved her book too. Love the bleu cheese, good idea. My hubby thinks I went overboard on the tarragon too. Lastly, the apple cake is one of my favorites...if you're pan was a little big, the batter won't cook up over the apples (but tastes all the same). Thanks for the thought provoking post.

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  9. What an interesting post. I don't know why she's such a good cookbook author - but she is!! I've ended up finding that a recipe I've used for a few years actually turns out to be hers. Talk about interesting!
    Glad you liked these - and yes, the apple cake is wonderful. I agree with Steph, mine didn't really look like the photo either, but still terrific!

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  10. I loved that apple cake - and can't wait for apple season to hit Upstate, NY so I can make it.
    I think I remember reading somewhere Dorie's next project was dessert/ sweet related... And you can always get another bookcase, right????

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  11. I think what makes Dorie's cookbook different for me is that each time I'm making one of her recipes, I feel like she's right there beside me...guiding me on what to do next and well, almost holding my hand while I'm doing it. Does that make sense, or am I just weird?! I'm a natural baker too, so maybe we're on the same wavelength. Great observation by Matt, btw, and how intuitive of him! Your burger looks lovely topped with blue cheese, but I'm distracted by your apple cake. I baked Marie-Helene's version once too, and like you, I could eat it everyday (and did, for as long as it lasted!).

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  12. I am sure you enjoyed yours as much as
    I enjoyed mine . I can now have a french hamburger without having to fly off to Paris ! Thanks to Dorie for sharing this with us :)

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  13. I'm envious of everyone who grills the burgers. You brought up an interesting point about cookbooks writen by home bakers. I feel the same way and the first book that came to mind is Melissa Clark's In The Kitchen With A Good Appetite. Have you tackle this one yet? I think you'll like it very much.

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  14. I've had my eye on that one, but haven't bought it yet. This may be all the inspiration I need!

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  15. Love that you used the slow roasted tomatoes, Ei! Your burger and Marie Helene cake look great! You make me want to make that cake again!

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  16. It sounds like we have similar opinions about the burger. It was good, but not the burger to satisfy a messy, juicy craving!

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  17. I'm with you - good sandwich but not a juicy delicious burger. Glad you enjoyed the onion marmalade. I didn't have success with it.

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  18. I'm going to think on the baker/chef thing. I've been both - I don't approach the food differently, but do think that good cookbook authors have 1) really cooked all their recipes, not just to try them for a book, but have "lived" them. 2) that they recognize that the home cook has a different perspective, knowledge, time and equiptment - but are interested to learn when directions are clear and results are rewarding. I feel the same way about Marcella Hazan's cookbooks.

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  19. I love the addition of blue cheese. My burger also veered towards the sweetish side, and that would have been the perfect contrast. I have to admit that I have a lot of cookbooks at home, and like Maya (not crazily) said, the directions are very clear - to the point it is difficult for us home cooks to screw up. I am not much of a baker, but have enjoyed AMFT so much I bought her Baking book too.

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  20. I ended up using Asiago for my burgers; blue cheese sounds like a fantastic choice, too.

    I'm not sure that it's the fact that she's a baker that makes AMFT so successful. I think it's her approach to recipe selection and writing. The recipes are a mixture of twists on the familiar, with an equal amount of experimentation and less usual dishes. She also pays close attention to the steps involved in a recipe and is very good at giving descriptions, as well as instructions. She gives us the experience of learning from another cook, rather than figuring something out from a book.

    Glad you tried the apple cake - it's one of my favourites and I'm looking forward to making it again this fall.

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  21. I had to laugh at your husband's comment about not getting your fascination with new cookbooks. Mine says the same thing, over and over again.
    I agree with DessertByCandy's recommendation of Melissa Clark's book. I've only made one recipe, but it's great reading. I love her essays. The food looks good too, but haven't had time to tackle the recipes.
    Not sure why AMFT is such a good one, but I think because it has such a personal feel. I'm more of a cook than baker, so I'm not convinced about the baking background. Regardless of the reason, I'm really enjoying this book. As the owner of hundreds of cookbooks, I've made more recipes from this one book than any other, and have loved most of them.

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