Hamburger | I Can Cook That

Pumpkin Blue Cheese Burger

Philly a is a food town. I joke that when people come to visit, all I want to do is show off our restaurants and bars (although our museums, parks, and history are not too shabby either.) I love all of the different food events that happen in Philly as well – festivals, “weeks,” and of course, competitions. The region’s largest food competition is nearly here – the Philly Burger Brawl.

Philly Burger Brawl, now in it’s 9th year, is switching things up a bit this year with a new date in the fall and an all new, even larger, location at the Navy Yard. This year, over 60 Philadelphia region restaurants will fire up the grills and battle for Burger Brawl presented by Jim Beam. The grills come out and the gloves come off on Sunday, September 15, 2019, with VIP gates opening at 1:00pm and general admission opening at 2:00pm. Attendees are invited to enjoy all-you-can-eat samples of the very best burger in Philadelphia and then vote for their favorite. Food critics, writers and celebrity judges will also name one winning burger, “Judge’s Choice.”

Tickets are on sale now at phillyburgerbrawl.com for $45 for advance general admission (or $50 at the door) which includes samples and one free cocktail. VIP tickets are also on sale for $100 with perks like early entry, a VIP lounge and unlimited drinks. Children under 10 are free, no ticket required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Twenty-one with identification to drink. Parking is free. Event is rain or shine.

This event is one of my favorites because of its philanthropic side – all proceeds go to The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia to support hardware needs to implement math and reading literacy programs in underserved elementary schools. Specifically, event proceeds support hardware needs to implement math and reading literacy programs in underserved elementary schools. Past proceeds have helped fund the purchase of Chromebooks and associated equipment in many Philadelphia Schools. The hardware has enabled schools to implement curriculum plans where the hardware requirements were otherwise unfunded.

Here’s a list of all attendees:

Bainbridge Street Barrel House
Barbuzzo
Bernie’s University City
Black Cat Tavern
Brick & Brew
Brickwall Tavern
BurgerFi
Chic-a-delphia
Craftsman Row
Culture on the Circle
Del Frisco’s Steak House
Elevation Burger
Flannel
Frankie and Jimmy D’s
Greenhouse, New Hope
Hanks Place
Hard Rock Café
Harper’s Garden
Hip City Veg & Bombon Bar
JT Brewskis Pub
Lucky’s Last Chance
m2o Burger
Milk Boy
Misconduct Tavern
Moonshine Philly
New Wave Cafe
Outlaw’s Burger Barn & Creamery
Pineville Tavern
PJ Clarke’s
Profeta Farms
Prohibition Tap Room
Ripplewood Whiskey & Craft
Rouge
Sabrina’s Cafe
Second District Brewing
Shrimpy’s BBQ
Steam Pub
Stove and Tap
Taproom on 19th
The Bercy
The Common
The Red Owl Tavern
Three Monkey’s Café
Tradesman PHL
Tredici Enoteca
Twenty Manning
Twisted Tail
Village Whiskey
Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro
Yards Brewing Company

So how did the Philly Burger Brawl come to be? In 2011, Maggie and Rob Wasserman created a culinary competition on the playground of The William M Meredith Elementary School. They invited several of their restauranteur friends to duke-it-out with their best burger – The Philadelphia Burger Brawl was born! The Burger Brawl team partnered with The Fund for the Philadelphia School District to provide financial management and direction. Together they engaged leadership in the Philadelphia School District to help identify literacy programs that required funds to be launched. Since 2011, the Philadelphia Burger Brawl has raised over $283,000.00 (and counting!) to fuel much-needed programs.

To highlight the event, I wanted to share a take on my personal vote for best burger in Philly. My favorite burger I’ve ever had in Philly was about two years ago. Yes. It was that good that I still think about this burger ALL the time. One of my favorite bars, Watkins Drinkery, has a rotating seasonal menu that always includes awesome burgers (and other food. Seriously, their menu rocks). But their Fall 2017 menu had the BEST burger – “signature beef blend, shaved pumpkin, whipped bleu, pistachio, brioche.” So this little burger is my ode to that fantastic-ly awesome burger.

Ingredients:

1/2 sugar pumpkin or squash of your choice (I used 1/2 Kabocha Squash, a couple of Delicata Squash would be great too)
4 oz whipped cream cheese
4 oz blue cheese
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used a blend of 80% lean and Wagyu ground beef)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
4 brioche buns
salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Pumpkin Blue Cheese Burger

Grilled Southwest Turkey Burgers

Note: I was sent a coupon for Sargento Ultra Thin Cheese Slices through Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection. Opinions are mine alone.

Well, summer weather came out of nowhere, didn’t it? Rising temperatures mean it’s grilling season! Throwing a burger on the grill doesn’t have to mean an super unhealthy meal though!

AND you don’t even have to skip the cheese to make a healthier burger! These turkey burgers are filled with deliciousness without being heavy and are topped with Sargento® Ultra Thin® Colby Jack Cheese Slices, pico de gallo, and avocado slices.

At 40 calories a slice, Sargento® Ultra Thin® Colby Jack Cheese Slices do nutritious in the most ultra-delicious way. The cheese slices are made of 100% real, natural cheese but are sliced thinner, so you can enjoy the cheesy deliciousness in moderation.

Ingredients: (recipe makes 3 larger burgers or 4 smaller burgers)

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons pico de gallo
2 tablespoons sliced green onions (scallions)
3-4 hamburger buns
3-4 slices of Sargento® Ultra Thin® Colby Jack Cheese Slices
1/2 avocado, sliced
pico de gallo, for topping

Continue reading Grilled Southwest Turkey Burgers

Lamb Burgers with Feta-Mint Spread and Sweet Potato Fries

I’ve been in a bit of a cooking rut recently; I’ve had a difficult time figuring out what new recipes I want to try. Luckily, Cooking Light always has some inspiration for me. This time, it came in the form of a lamb burger.

This lamb burger recipe is actually half lamb/half beef and is really simple to make. I also made sweet potato fries as a side, super delicious!

Ingredients:

Burgers:
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
8 ounces lean ground lamb
8 ounces 90% lean ground sirloin
Cooking spray
4 hamburger buns
1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup baby arugula

Fries:
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Continue reading Lamb Burgers with Feta-Mint Spread and Sweet Potato Fries

Goat Cheese Stuffed Lamb Burgers

Oh yes, you read that correctly. A delicious grilled lamb burger, with goat cheese inside. I have been craving Goat Cheese Stuffed Lamb Burgers for a good week now and finally managed to find ground lamb (which was surprisingly difficult for some reason) to make them. I used a recipe off of Finish Your Broccoli‘s blog that she made a while back to make the actual burger. I took some liberty in making it but for the most part it’s basically the same.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb
3 tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp minced fresh mint
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch cayenne
4 oz log goat cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
Tzatziki
Sliced cucumber
Pita bread or hamburger buns, toasted

Add the ground lamb, plain yogurt, panko, mint, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne to a large bowl.

Mix to combine.

Add the goat cheese, olive oil, parsley, and basil to a small bowl.

Mix to combine.

Take the meat mixture and divide it evenly into four patties.

Make a well in each patty and add an equal amount of the cheese mixture into each well.

Form the meat patty around the cheese mixture.

Heat a grill pan (or grill) and cook the burger to your liking. Because they are so thick, you might need to cook them long and slow.

Grill the hamburger buns or pita bread.

Top the burger with tzatziki and sliced cucumber.

And there you have it!

You bite in and get a really delicious, moist burger.

With a flavorful, gooey center.

Mmmm.

This is EXACTLY what I was craving. And it’s really quick! What more could you ask for?

Southwestern Burgers with Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries & Chili Aioli

The high humidity continues in Philadelphia so I decided to just give in and have a summery meal. I made this inside on a grill pan, but the burger can be made on an outdoor grill just as easily. I will focus more on making the fries, because the burger is mostly stacking ingredients.

Ingredients:

Burger:

4 hamburger patties

4 slices of pepper jack cheese

1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced

1 avocado

4 hamburger buns

Sweet Potato Fries:

4 larger sized sweet potatoes, cut into wedges

Salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 teaspoons chipotle powder

Chili Aioli:

1/3 cup mayo

1 tablespoon chili sauce (like Sriracha)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. I honestly don’t think I succeeded in actually getting “wedges” but oh well. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and sprinkle with salt.

Melt the butter, either on a stovetop or in the microwave.

Drizzle the melted butter and sprinkle the chipotle powder over the sweet potato wedges.

Cook for 30-40 minutes, turning each piece over half way through so that they cook evenly.

While the fries are cooking, combine the Sriracha and mayo in a bowl.

Cook the burgers to desired degree of doneness. Toast the buns on the grill as well. Add about 1 teaspoon of the aoili to the tops of each bun. Top each burger with one slice of cheese, a slice of red onion and 1/4 of the avocado.

Serve with the fries and the aioli.

I am in love with this dinner. I seriously considered making this again the next night. The sweet potato fries were the perfect mix of sweet and spicy, especially when paired with the aioli. I could eat the fries and aioli by themselves! I always love avocado on burgers, and the addition of pepper jack cheese and red onion made it even more delicious. This is a must try meal!