Making *fancy burgers* - what condiments?

amblight
amblight Posts: 350 Member
in Recipes
I'm having a dinner on friday, and I plan to make 'fancy burgers' :b 2 of the guests aren't really big on meat (not really vegetarian, but just doesn't care much for it) so I am making black bean/squash patties (might throw in an eggwhite to make it stick better), and so I thought I would make the whole burger a bit more 'posh' or 'fancy', with alternatives to all the burger ingredients.

I'll be baking large rye and sesam-seed buns, making a dressing from tomato puré, skyr (high-protein icelandic dairy product) and curry and a bit of chili insted of ketchup, we'll have feta instead of regular sliced cheese etc. I'm thinking instead of iceberg lettuce or something, we'll have baby spinach leaves, and spring onion instead of white onions.

For a good meal, I need something sour, something sweet, something spicy, something salty and some 'umami/meaty flavour'. Since there is no meat, I was thinking I could make something of mushrooms. Do you thinkg a mushroom spread would work/look good? Or maybe, if I buy a large portobello, I could make slices so big that one slice covers the whole bun? That could look fancy.

I'm not sure if I've got the sour and sweet covered - buns can have a sort of sweet flavour, and skyr can be a bit sour... I was thinking maybe pickled ginger could work? That's sweet and sour, isn't it? I think we also need some sweeter veggies, like red bell pepper, but what could be an alternative to that?

Replies

  • kagevf
    kagevf Posts: 509 Member
    hmm sounds all good already...can i come over? im hungry!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Mushrooms are great - either slices of a large one, or suate some regualr ones. My favourite are chestnut mushrroms as they hold their shape best when cooked.

    But.....feta?
  • smelons
    smelons Posts: 450 Member
    You could caramelise some red onions to get a sweet flavour.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    black bean burgers call for some guacamole and salsa!

    or sauteed mushrooms, or mushrooms and onions - serve as a topping/side.

    or if you can find the big portobellos - then grill the mushrooms (whole, just take off the "leg" and clean out the under side a bit) and use them as your "meat".
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Mushrooms are great - either slices of a large one, or suate some regualr ones. My favourite are chestnut mushrroms as they hold their shape best when cooked.

    But.....feta?

    Not a fan of feta? :b I am, and so are my guests + I'm getting 9lbs for free tomorrow, so I expect to be eating a lot of feta these coming weeks! I'm a bit worried on how it will go into the burger though, as it's not exactly sliceable... Perhaps it will be bottom bun + mushroom slice + feta crumbles + patty, and the rest of the fillings balanced on top of that

    I don't think we have a huge mushroom selection at my local shop :b The reason I was going for 1 large slice rather than smaller ones, is the stacking problem of a burger - if there's lots of small things, they tend to fall out, especially if they are attempting to balance on top of a patty which almost always is slightly too small for the bun!
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    black bean burgers call for some guacamole and salsa!

    or sauteed mushrooms, or mushrooms and onions - serve as a topping/side.

    or if you can find the big portobellos - then grill the mushrooms (whole, just take off the "leg" and clean out the under side a bit) and use them as your "meat".

    Ohh, guacamole! Or at least avocado! That's perfect, I'll deffinitely add that to my list :)
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    You could caramelise some red onions to get a sweet flavour.

    Excellent idea! I'm going to do that! :D
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    yummy! All of that sounds great!

    I was thinking large portobello mushrooms with caramelized onions, melted swiss cheese, fresh spinach and avocado slices. For some spice, some fresh jalapeno would be great too! Maybe some crispy bacon slices for a little taste of meat.

    Have fun!! :drinker:
  • smelons
    smelons Posts: 450 Member
    This thread is making me hungry!

    Could you not melt the feta on top of the mushrooms when you're cooking them? If you crumble it on afterwards, it may not melt fully and could drop out upon eating.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    all great suggestions

    how about a homemade salsa with something different like mango?
  • Jes21sica
    Jes21sica Posts: 90 Member
    Couldn't you mix the feta into the actual burger patty?
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    oh and, ummm, we'll need your address... sounds like a great meal!:drinker:
  • smelons
    smelons Posts: 450 Member
    Couldn't you mix the feta into the actual burger patty?

    Of course! I was thinking it was a portabello mushroom in place of a burger. I find that mixing cheese throught the whole burger often means that the flavour gets lost, but if you put a chunk in the middle and mould the burger round it, you get a nice cheesy treat waiting for you in the centre.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    You could caramelise some red onions to get a sweet flavour.

    Excellent idea! I'm going to do that! :D

    Onion marmalade covers both sweet and sour.

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1404/red-onion-marmalade
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    I'm a big fan of chutney or relish on a burger, better option than ketchup and definitely more fancy ;). Tomato chutney, mango chutney etc, depending on the flavour you are going for.

    Caramelised onion or fried onion is also awesome and a staple on my home made burgers.
  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
    Couldn't you mix the feta into the actual burger patty?

    you could, you can use feta just like you would blue cheese... some are afraid of feta but it's a good cheese for many things I like it on my burgers too
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Feta's lovely....in a salad!

    I like melty cheese on my burgers.
  • SutapaMukherji
    SutapaMukherji Posts: 244 Member
    Umm... since this already sounds sooooo damn delish... I am gonna give you ideas only if you invite me :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • nlbez
    nlbez Posts: 111 Member
    What about corn on the cob as a side not very fancy but nice. X
  • pocketmole
    pocketmole Posts: 614 Member
    when i have black bean burgers i like them a couple of ways, but the ways i do it most often are with bacon (veggie bacon for me but you could always use real bacon), lettuce, tomato, and whisky cheddar cheese or with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and pepper jack cheese. whenever i make my mediterranean burger i like to put feta cheese on top, but then i melt a slice of cheese on top of it as well - holds the feta in place, tastes amazing. :)
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Feta's lovely....in a salad!

    I like melty cheese on my burgers.

    Yea, I get that, that worried me a bit too, but since I'm making the "ketchup" creamy, I'm hoping that the combination between those will still get a nice feel and flavour :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    grilled onions, goat cheese, and sweet pickled beets.

    I also like that combination when I'm doing "fancy" bratwurst.
  • kickivale
    kickivale Posts: 260 Member
    Pickle something!!

    When in doubt, PUT A PICKLE ON IT.

    Everyone will be like awww yes.
  • MissLCWolff
    MissLCWolff Posts: 69 Member
    In my experience, there's no dinner that doesn't benefit from the addition of ground cumin. You can mix it into the avocados/guacamole or ketchup dressing, or even use it to season the burgers. I use it in guacamole because it adds a really rich, meaty taste.

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