Serves
6 people
United States
New York’s 21 Club is credited with serving the original New York gourmet burger back in 1950. Since then, a whole new trend for artisan burgers has emerged, but the original New York gourmet burger, served with Cheddar cheese, tomato, pickles and grilled onions, still takes some beating.
INGREDIENTS:
6 sesame-seeded burger buns
6 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices pancetta
Smoky barbecue sauce
FOR THE BURGER PATTIES:
2 lb (900g) minced beef
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 ó oz (70g) dry breadcrumbs
FOR THE RED ONION MARMALADE:
4 tbsp butter
Pinch salt
6 red onions, thinly sliced
6 fl oz (175ml) orange juice
3.5 fl oz (100ml) red wine
vinegar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp honey
1 small beet (beetroot), cubed
TO GARNISH:
French fries
Coleslaw
Lettuce and tomato
Sweet pickled gherkins
To make the burger patties, mix the minced beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl. Shape into six generous burgers, then chill until required.
For the red onion marmalade, melt the butter in a heavy-based pan and add in the onions. Sprinkle over the salt, then cook gently until soft and translucent, but not colored. Add in the orange juice and both vinegars, then stir in the honey and the cubed beet.
Continue to cook gently until all the excess liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened. Allow to cool.
Season the burger patties with salt and pepper, then grill for about 3-5 minutes on each side (the exact cooking time will depend on whether you prefer them medium or well done).
Meanwhile, toast the burger buns and add a slice of cheddar to the bottom half. Place the cooked burgers onto the cheese to melt. As you remove the burgers, add the slices of pancetta to the grill to crisp up.
Top each burger with a generous spoonful of the onion marmalade and a squeeze of barbecue sauce. Finish with the crispy pancetta before adding the top half of the bun. Serve with French fries, coleslaw, crunchy lettuce and slices of tomato, and a few sweet-pickled gherkins.