Beef Burger donned with Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras and Chopped Lobster Salad

Decadence Defined.Hudson Valley Foie Gras and the delicious taste of Maine Lobster Meat, makes this buttery scallion burger a superb combo. The soft seared Foie Gras, The crisp lobster meat, a light, sweet/spicy pickled tartar-style sauce, held together by the firm beefy, rich burger. Growing up, we lived in Northern Jersey and we loved to barbecue, spending time outside, in various family backyards, back and forth over the Hudson. My French uncle always boasted about Foie Gras around the holidays; eating it was such a novelty and a symbol of “the good times”. Sometimes we visited our aunt living in Massachussetts, where fresh fish markets carrying Maine lobsters were abundant. In the summertime, we would go to the Hamptons, and eventually worked in the restaurants there, where we learned what the excitement of food was about. It began with culinary observation, but evolved to palette experimentation. Culinary chefs may combine these ingredients in different dishes, but this assembled “trifecta of taste” is sure to be a hit at any gourmet BBQ from Napa to the Hamptons.

Ingredients:

PATTIES
2 lbs. Ground Beef (80% Lean)
8 oz. Chopped Scallions
4 tbsp. Any Slow Churned Butter (Salted and Softened)
1 tbsp. Coarse California Sea Salt
3 tbsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
Canola Oil (for grill)

TOPPING
8 oz. Hudson Valley Foie Gras

LOBSTER SALAD
12 oz. Maine Lobster Meat (Cooked & Chopped)
1 Carrots Diced
1 Cucumber Diced
1 Blood Orange Cut
3 strawberries Diced
1/2 Vidalia Onion Diced
1 Diced Tomato
2 tbsp Clarified Butter
1 tbsp Sea Salt
2 Fresh Squeezed Lemon
8 oz. Frisee Lettuce (when served)

TARTAR-LIKE SAUCE
½ cup Hellmans Mayonaisse
2 oz McIlhenny Tobasco
6 Small Pepperoncini Finely Diced
1 Med Sour Dill Pickles Finely Diced
1 tsp Black Pepper Ground pinch
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper pinch
1 tsp Ground Cumin pinch
1 tsp Coarse Sea Salt

BUN
Martin’s Non-Seeded Potato Burger Buns or other Potato Bun
Any Slow Churned Butter (Salted)

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Put a sauté pan on the the grill and allow to heat up.

To make the patties, place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped scallion, butter, and coarse sea salt. Add Whole Black Peppercorns to the heated pan. Shake pan periodically to allow Peppercorns to toast all over. Once pungent peppery smell arrives and pepper berries are wilted, (about 5 minutes), remove Peppercorns and put in small food processor; grind the black pepper down until powdery. Add most of the pepper to the meat mixture, saving some for the sauce. Knead the meat gently and evenly for several minutes; do not compact. Gently form round burgers giving roughly even weight, shape and size. 30 minutes is enough time for the meat to sit with all the ingredients added.

To make the Foie Gras, cut the foie gras in 1/2″ thick slices. Sear the slices in the pan, for 30 seconds on the 1st side and 20 seconds on the other until it develops a slightly firmer, crisper texture. Do this rapidly and do not over cook it.

To make the lobster salad, add lobster meat to mixing bowl. Chop carrots, cucumber, sliced orange, diced strawberry, onion and tomato pulsing in the food processor. Do not over chop. Add all ingredients to lobster meat and mix with spoon. Add clarified butter and sea salt to lobster meat and mix with spoon; squeeze fresh lemon in bowl and continue to mix. Let remain cold. Save the frisee lettuce for later when you will top the lobster salad on the frisee.

To make the tartar-like sauce, in a new mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and tobasco. Finely chop the pepperoncini and pickles and add to bowl. Add remaining black pepper from earlier, Cayenne pepper, cumin and sea salt. Mix together well. Keep cold.

Lightly soak a paper towel in Canola Oil. Using tongs, rub soaked oil towel on the grill to prevent meat from sticking. Take the formed patties, cook 5-7 minutes on the hottest side of the grill, flipping only once. (For presentation/appeal, spin burgers with spatula 180′ to create nice cross-hatch marks.) Cook patties to medium. With 2 minutes left on the last side of each burger, put the foie gras on the burgers, take the buns and spread salted butter on them. Place bread on least hot side of grill. Close top to allow all to heat up for 60-90 seconds. Remove meat and bread from grill.

Open rolls, apply tartar-like sauce generously to both bun sides, place burger with foie gras on bun, place frisee on, then lobster salad on top. Serve immediately.