French Onion Soup Gratinee

Recipe by: Jersey Tomato

 "About as good as it gets! This is the version of French Onion Soup that people seek when they go to restaurants. I have been making it for 30 years and it never fails to please. It makes an exquisite presentation, too!”

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 sprigs fresh parsley

1 sprig fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 thick slices French or Italian bread

8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature

1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature

4 pinches paprika

To Make

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.

Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.

Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.

Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.

Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

Chile Con Queso Cheeseburger

By NcMysteryShopper

If you love Chile con Queso, sink you teeth into this cheesy gooey burger for a real taste explosion! Have a napkin and some tortilla chips ready to catch what your mouth misses because you will want to save every bite! Beer Recommendation: A rich malty, roasty beer that absorbs the heat and provides a great counterpart to chilies and grilled meat is a good choice to pair with these burgers. If you happen to find a Noche Buena, a great dark beer from Mexico, this would be my first choice. Second would be Negra Modelo, a slightly sweet brew with some fruitiness, it's malty for a Mexican beer and goes well with Anaheim and Jalapenos.

• 2 anaheim chilies
• 2 jalapenos
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon tomatoes, finely diced into very tiny cubes, no seeds or 1 tablespoon juice
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cumin
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon chili powder
• ¹⁄₂ cup monterey jack cheese, Shredded (you can use Caciotta as well)
• ¹⁄₂ cup cheddar cheese or ¹⁄₂ cup longhorn cheese, shredded
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¹⁄₂ lbs ground beef
• 4 kaiser rolls or 4 onion topped hamburger buns, split
• lettuce leaf, for serving
• sliced onion, for serving
• sliced tomatoes, for serving
• mayonnaise, for serving
• ketchup, for serving

 To Make:

1. Light your grill and when it is heated brush the grate with oil. Put the Anaheims in a small bowl with olive oil and toss to coat. Thread the jalapeños and garlic onto a metal skewer or a wooden one that has been soaked in water and grill until blackened all over. Repeat with the Anaheims using grill tongs to turn. Peel and remove stems and seeds from the chilies and discard. Peel garlic. Add tomatoes to a small bowl. Chop the chiles and garlic and add to the tomatoes. Fold in the cheeses, sprinkle with cumin, and chili powder and season with salt and pepper, toss.
2. Cut eight 6"squares of wax paper; divide the beef among them. Pat each portion into a 5" round pattie that is a little thicker in the center. Using a 1/4 cup measure, mound one-fourth of the cheese mixture in the centers of 4 patties. Top with the remaining patties; press the edges to seal and pat smooth. Pat the centers so that the burgers are even. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Brush the insides of the rolls with oil.
3. Brush the grate with a little more oil and grill the burgers over a hot fire, turning once, about 7 minutes for medium to medium-rare meat. Lightly toast the rolls on the grill. Place the burgers on the rolls and top with lettuce leaves, onion and tomato. Serve with mayonnaise and ketchup.

 

Cream Cheese Stuffed Garlic Burgers

By Sarah in New York

I got this recipe from a grilling cookbook. I thought I was in burger heaven when I took a bite of this hamburger. The cream cheese just seeps out of these garlic burgers. Mmmm... their good!

• 2 lbs hamburger meat
• 10 tablespoons instant minced garlic
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 ounces cream cheese with garlic and herbs

To Make:

1. Put hamburger meat in a bowl and add garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Mix together with your hands until just blended.
3. Make 12 patties no more than 1 inch thick.
4. Spread cream cheese in the center if 6 patties, approximately 1 oz. per patty. (Don't spread all the way to the edge).
5. Put remaining patties on top of the cream cheese and seal the ends all the way around with your fingers. (Don't pinch too hard or the ends will be too thin).
6. Grill on high to your desired taste. (About 8-10 minutes).

Note: It takes a little longer than normal for the meat to cook inside because of the cream cheese.

Chicken Cheddar and Guacamole Burgers

Recipe by: kemosuave

 

"Looks and tastes great. With the price of beef nowadays I needed a healthier and a little cheaper way to get my burger fix. You could use ground turkey instead of chicken, I would think. And toasting the buns adds another layer of flavor."

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 slices Cheddar cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
• 1/4 cup guacamole, or to taste
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste

To Make:

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

2. Mix ground chicken, 1/3 cup cilantro, Cheddar cheese, garlic, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; shape into 4 patties.

3. Cook patties on grill until the bottom is browned, 3 to 4 minutes; flip the burgers and top with a slice of Cheddar cheese. Continue cooking until no longer pink in the center, 1 to 2 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Transfer burgers to a plate to rest until juices are reabsorbed into the meat, about 3 minutes.

4. Put burgers onto split buns and top with guacamole and cilantro.

All-American Bacon Cheeseburger

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon steak sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
• 8 cooked bacon strips

Toppings:

•  lettuce leaves
•  tomato
•  onion
•  pickle slices

To Make:

1. In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.

2. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 3 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Top with cheese. Grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. Serve on buns with bacon and toppings of your choice. Yield: 4 servings.