Jucy Lucy

The Jucy Lucy is a cheeseburger with the meat inside the patty, rather than on top. The dish originates in Minneapolis, with the specific establishment (and spelling) being a matter of some debate. As much as this blog tends to focus on international cuisine, I do especially enjoy celebrating foods of the American Midwest. Although the Jucy Lucy hails from my home state, I've only had the opportunity to taste one once, until now. What makes it unique from a normal cheeseburger is the cheese explosion you get when biting in. Since the cheese is concentrated in the center, it's a more heterogeneous experience, with some bites being much cheesier than others.

I did a bit of research, and there was quite a bit of variation in the amount of meat, cheese, and type of cheese used. American cheese is the classic choice, but I think there's room for experimentation. I went with a sharp cheddar (Wooden Shoe brand from Corsica, South Dakota). I used my standard size beef patty, which is 5 ounces (just under 1/3 pound) each. This was plenty big enough to accommodate the cheese. I used rendered bacon fat saved from BLTs to fry the burgers, but go with what you have. Toppings included our homegrown tomatoes.

One thing that really kicked up these burgers were the buns. We had originally planned to use store-bought buns, but ran out of them midweek making other sandwiches. Ariel made these delicious buns based on a recipe from King Arthur Flour, but with bread flour instead of all purpose, and whey replacing the water. I'm not sure how much of a difference the whey makes, but the breads she's been producing with it have been great. For a few of them, we tried sprinkling some everything bagel seasoning on top, which was a good addition.

The Duane Purvis All American

As of writing this post, we are a few weeks into the COVID-19 crisis. For me, this has included moving my classes online, which has left me as busy as ever without leaving the house. Even as cabin fever sets in, cooking and blogging are pleasures still available to us in these strange times. I have a few more posts planned as Passover arrives next week, so stay tuned!

We recently found ourselves reminiscing about the West Lafayette days. The Triple XXX restaurant, located a short walk down the hill from my old office in the Krannert Building, has been a Purdue icon for nearly 100 years. The restaurant came to wider attention from an early appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. 

The Duane Purvis All American (like many menu items, named for a Purdue football star) is arguably the most famous offering at Triple XXX. It's a classic diner cheeseburger with one unusual addition: peanut butter. It sounds strange, but for some reason, it just works. The hot hamburger on top the peanut butter turns it into a bit of a mess, but a delightful one. I've done my best to recreate the burger based on my recollection and the restaurant's online menu. Although Guy Fieri didn't enjoy his Duane Purvis All American, I certainly do. As they say in West Lafayette, "don't be nervous, try the Purvis!"

Patty Melt

It's a great day for America, everybody, and I'll tell you why. We're making patty melts! I love classic American food, and it doesn't get any better than this. It may look like a regular sandwich, but it's anything but regular. A perfect patty melt takes love and dedication. The result is greasy, meaty, cheesy deliciousness. I'm not often a big stickler for ingredients of the highest quality, but I don't make any exceptions when it comes to cheese. Real Swiss Emmentaler for me, none of this "Swiss" cheese for me. When it melts, the texture stays slightly firm and a little stringy. The patty melt also lends itself to variations. You could try creating a spicy mayonnaise or adding vegetables as well.

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound ground beef (85% lean)
• 2 slices rye bread
• 1/4 sweet onion
• Sliced Emmantaler 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 tbs butter
• Olive oil

Instructions

We'll start by caramelizing the onions. Slice the onions into strips. Cook the onions in a pan on medium-low to medium heat with a bit of olive oil. Stir frequently so that the onions do not brown. Instead, we want them to get very soft and develop their own caramel color. If the onions look like they are drying out, add a little water to the pan. You can also add a tiny bit of sugar to help them along. I cooked them for almost an hour. Set the onions aside when done. Note that this is a pretty long process, so you can always caramelize the onions ahead of time.

Dry out the pan a little. Season the beef and form into a patty. Keep in mind that you are going to put it on bread instead of a bun, so try to make it thinner than you normally would to cover more area. You should also form it into an oval rather than a circle. As they cook, burgers tend to get thicker. Fry the patty on medium-high heat. Flip once the bottom is nicely charred. Cover with cheese and continue cooking. You can consider covering the pan to help melt the cheese. 

Now, assemble the sandwich: bread, burger, onions, bread. You could also add a slice or two of tomato here. Melt half of the butter in the pan, and put the sandwich in. Cook until the bottom slice is crunchy but not burned. Take it out, melt the rest of the butter, and flip the sandwich. Fry until crunchy. Serve with a generous supply of ketchup.

Mushroom and Swiss Burger

It is said that on their long rides across the steppe, the Mongols would keep a piece of meat under their saddles, which would tenderize the meat, and that this was the origin of the hamburger. Whether or not this is true, the burger is arguably the most famous part of classic American cuisine, and it's hard to find a diner or pub that doesn't serve them. One of my favorite burger styles is the Mushroom and Swiss burger. This isn't your run-of-the-mill fast food burger - we're using real Swiss cheese. I've chosen to broil the burger to emulate the effect of grilling while still indoors.

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound ground beef (85% lean)
• 1/4 small onion
• 3-4 big mushroom slices
• Swiss cheese (Emmentaler or gruyère)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Kaiser roll
• Olive oil

Instructions

We'll go with the one pan approach here, but you could easily use a second one to cook the burger. Slice the onion into thin strips, and cut the mushroom into more easily handled pieces. Heat olive oil in an oven-safe pan. Saute the onions and mushrooms until onions become soft and a little brown. Set these aside.

Fire up the broiler and make sure the rack is as high as it goes. Mix the salt, pepper, and Worcestershire into the meat. Form into a patty 3-4 inches in diameter, to fit your roll. Burgers tend to reduce in diameter and increase in thickness as they cook, so make it a little thinner than you want it to turn out. Put the patty in the pan, and broil for 4 minutes. While this is happening, you can slice the cheese. Cut enough to make a thin layer over the top of the burger.

Flip the burger over, and cook about 3-4 more minutes. When you have about a minute to go, take the pan out, cover the burger with cheese, and put it back under the broiler. Slice the roll in half, and toast in a toaster oven for a few minutes. When done cooking, place the burger on the toasted bun, top with the onions and mushrooms, and serve with ketchup for dipping.