While looking for a friend's of a friend blog posts about D&D, I came across Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. In the same day, a Khymos post sent me on a link journey to a comment in the Ideas in Food blog, and I started Jonesing for a good burger. I ended up making two too-big burgers for $4. $2 each for juicy heaven.
12 oz 80/20 ground beef - 800 calories - $2.40
2 potato buns - 180 calories - $0.33 or $0.50 (from a package of 12)
2 strips of store brand bacon - 80 calories - ~$0.42
1 tablespoon of butter - 100 calories - $0.09
2 oz colby jack cheese - 200 calories - $0.50 (because we didn't have goat cheese!)
2 spare slices of onion
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of flour
a square foot of plastic wrap
I chopped the onion and bacon into small pieces, then browned them in a little steel skillet with a little fat from some other bacon. Then I mixed the bacon and onion into the beef with the Worcestershire sauce (maybe put the butter in there too, next time), packed the beef into a "log" (it was only 2" thick) and wrapped it in the plastic, then put it in the fridge to rest for an hour. I took out the log, cut it in half to make the two patties. I floured the patties, then fried them in the butter while lightly toasting the buns. I put the cheese on the patties after flipping them.
That's it. We did not put anything else on these succulent burgers. These blew away every other fancy burger I've had, so juicy and delicious. One of my regular complaints about burgers at restaurants (I'm not talking about the awful trash at fast food joints) is that the buns are too big. I don't want an enormous roll engulfing my burger and making it hard to fit in my mouth, giving me a lot of flour taste over the beef and fat. The small, generic, potato buns from any supermarket are the perfect meat-holders for me.
Our only lament was that we had no goat cheese. A little chevre from Trader Joe's would have topped this off nicely. Actually, we also decided that 4 ounces is the right size for a burger. The 6 oz burgers were delicious, but unnecessarily large.
So, each burger I made had about 650-700 calories and cost $2, but I would happily use a third less meat and swap the Colby Jack for some chevre ($0.50/oz), shaving off over a hundred calories and about $0.25 per burger.
Showing posts with label Butter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Butter. Show all posts
2011-04-22
2010-11-04
Fettuccine with Gorgonzola Sauce and Scallops
I went a little fancy last night, but still without breaking the bank. I made some fettuccine while making other pasta, and Trader Joe's continues to be a good source for Gorgonzola at $5.79/lb. The local supermarket had sea scallops for $8/lb, which is a special treat for me, and asparagus for $2/lb. I won't pay for heavy cream, and I turned all my milk into yogurt, so I used yogurt in the sauce and it worked just fine.
Whole Wheat Fettuccine:
1 cup flour, 1 egg, 2 Tbsp milk
$0.50, 500 calories
Gorgonzola Sauce:
1/3 lb Gorgonzola cheese - $2 - 500 calories
2 Tbsp butter - $0.19 - 200 calories
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour - $0.02 - 50 calories
1 cup plain yogurt - $0.37 (organic, homemade) - 80 calories
splash of lemon juice
splash of sake (or whatever white wine is lying around, optional)
Scallops:
8 sea scallops, 1/2 lb - $4 - 200 calories
1 Tbsp butter - $0.10 - 100 calories (not all consumed)
pepper
Asparagus:
1/2 lb asparagus - $1 - 30 calories
1 Tbsp olive oil - $0.05 - 100 calories (not all consumed)
pepper
Read all this first. You'll be juggling around the stove. Start cooking the pasta, frying the asparagus in oil with pepper in a skillet, and frying the garlic in butter in a small pot. When the garlic is browned, whisk in the flour to make a garlicky roux. When the roux is foamy, whisk in the yogurt (cream, milk, whatever) and bring to a simmer.
Remember to drain the noodles when they're done, and set aside. Also set aside the asparagus when it is done. Toss a tablespoon of butter on the skillet when the asparagus is off, turn up the heat, and sear the scallops for about 2 minutes on each side. Crumble up the Gorgonzola and whisk it into the sauce until it melts. The scallops will have slightly crisp golden ends, and be so tender in the middle. I used Alton Brown's method, but I may go for longer time at a lower heat in the future. Do not use a non-stick skillet.
The pasta and sauce alone run under $3.50 and about 1400 calories. This whole decadent meal ran $8.50 and 1800 calories, or $4.50 and 900 calories per stuffed person. Even after breakfast, a hearty PB&J, and an apple in the afternoon, we come in comfortably at the average daily budget for someone receiving supplementary nutritional assistance.
Whole Wheat Fettuccine:
1 cup flour, 1 egg, 2 Tbsp milk
$0.50, 500 calories
Gorgonzola Sauce:
1/3 lb Gorgonzola cheese - $2 - 500 calories
2 Tbsp butter - $0.19 - 200 calories
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour - $0.02 - 50 calories
1 cup plain yogurt - $0.37 (organic, homemade) - 80 calories
splash of lemon juice
splash of sake (or whatever white wine is lying around, optional)
Scallops:
8 sea scallops, 1/2 lb - $4 - 200 calories
1 Tbsp butter - $0.10 - 100 calories (not all consumed)
pepper
Asparagus:
1/2 lb asparagus - $1 - 30 calories
1 Tbsp olive oil - $0.05 - 100 calories (not all consumed)
pepper
Read all this first. You'll be juggling around the stove. Start cooking the pasta, frying the asparagus in oil with pepper in a skillet, and frying the garlic in butter in a small pot. When the garlic is browned, whisk in the flour to make a garlicky roux. When the roux is foamy, whisk in the yogurt (cream, milk, whatever) and bring to a simmer.
Remember to drain the noodles when they're done, and set aside. Also set aside the asparagus when it is done. Toss a tablespoon of butter on the skillet when the asparagus is off, turn up the heat, and sear the scallops for about 2 minutes on each side. Crumble up the Gorgonzola and whisk it into the sauce until it melts. The scallops will have slightly crisp golden ends, and be so tender in the middle. I used Alton Brown's method, but I may go for longer time at a lower heat in the future. Do not use a non-stick skillet.
The pasta and sauce alone run under $3.50 and about 1400 calories. This whole decadent meal ran $8.50 and 1800 calories, or $4.50 and 900 calories per stuffed person. Even after breakfast, a hearty PB&J, and an apple in the afternoon, we come in comfortably at the average daily budget for someone receiving supplementary nutritional assistance.
2010-09-10
Potatoes Anna
This five-ingredient potato dish turned out quite well. I got it from What Einstein Told His Cook, but I had to change a couple things.
First, clarify some butter. I did this the day before. I only clarified a half pound. Just toss some butter sticks in a pot on the lowest possible stove setting. When it is all melted, spoon off the top foam (and keep it as a flavorer for popcorn or potatoes), then pour the center clarified butter into a storage container. On the bottom will be some white milk solids, and I don't know what they're good for. It may be easier to separate the layers if they are cooled and solidified, but I didn't do that. The reason to clarify butter is that it raises the smoking point by about a hundred degrees F, so you can cook things in butter at higher temperatures without burning it. It also removes a lot of lactose, which you care about if you're lactose-intolerant.
2 lbs white potatoes (Yukon golds, whatever)- ~$1.20
4 Tbsp melted clarified butter - ~$0.35
salt, pepper, garlic powder - $0.05
Slice the potatoes into 1/8" slices (just eyeball it or use a machine). Preheat your oven to 450 F. Use about a third of the butter to coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Put down potato slices in concentric rings or a spiral in the skillet, slightly overlapping or not. Brush with butter, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Repeat layers of potato/butter/seasoning until you are out of potato. Pour on any remaining butter.
Turn a stove burner up to medium. When you hear sizzling, turn off the burner and put the skillet in the oven. Cooking time will vary. Mine took about 70 minutes. The potatoes will be golden on top, and make sure to use a spatula to check that the bottom later is crispy and brown.
Ideally, you're supposed to be able to flip the whole thing onto a plate. I don't have a plate that big, and it was not a big deal to cut into slices, spatula out, and flip the slices over onto plates.
This is a great side dish for six for about $1.60 and 1000 calories, or about $0.27 and 170 calories per person. Very tasty. Do NOT put ketchup on this. It's great how it is, which is covered in butter.
The original recipe called for 4 medium potatoes in an 8" skillet for 30-35 minutes, but I used 4 enormous potatoes in a 12" skillet, and mine took twice as long. The original also said to have the lid on, but this trapped so much steam from the potatoes that dripped back down that they were getting a little mushy instead of crispy, so I took the lid off.
First, clarify some butter. I did this the day before. I only clarified a half pound. Just toss some butter sticks in a pot on the lowest possible stove setting. When it is all melted, spoon off the top foam (and keep it as a flavorer for popcorn or potatoes), then pour the center clarified butter into a storage container. On the bottom will be some white milk solids, and I don't know what they're good for. It may be easier to separate the layers if they are cooled and solidified, but I didn't do that. The reason to clarify butter is that it raises the smoking point by about a hundred degrees F, so you can cook things in butter at higher temperatures without burning it. It also removes a lot of lactose, which you care about if you're lactose-intolerant.
2 lbs white potatoes (Yukon golds, whatever)- ~$1.20
4 Tbsp melted clarified butter - ~$0.35
salt, pepper, garlic powder - $0.05
Slice the potatoes into 1/8" slices (just eyeball it or use a machine). Preheat your oven to 450 F. Use about a third of the butter to coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Put down potato slices in concentric rings or a spiral in the skillet, slightly overlapping or not. Brush with butter, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Repeat layers of potato/butter/seasoning until you are out of potato. Pour on any remaining butter.
 |
This is a great side dish for six for about $1.60 and 1000 calories, or about $0.27 and 170 calories per person. Very tasty. Do NOT put ketchup on this. It's great how it is, which is covered in butter.
The original recipe called for 4 medium potatoes in an 8" skillet for 30-35 minutes, but I used 4 enormous potatoes in a 12" skillet, and mine took twice as long. The original also said to have the lid on, but this trapped so much steam from the potatoes that dripped back down that they were getting a little mushy instead of crispy, so I took the lid off.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
