I started off mixing up the ground bison with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and ground parsley. After that was all mixed up, I grated some more of the asagio cheese and then worked it into each burger patty as I shaped them. I threw some butter into two skillets on the stove and let it melt, then I put the shaped patties into one pan, and the sliced portabello mushrooms into the other. I also toasted up the leftover asagio potato buns that I made Sunday night, there was only three left because The Boyfriend has been nibbling on them for the past two days :D. Instead of using the potato buns as the buns for the hamburger, I just put them as a side, I had gone out earlier to get some store bought hamburger buns.
I found that it took a little bit longer to cook the bison burgers then it usually does when I buy frozen ones. I'm not sure if that was because they were bison, or because they were fresh instead of frozen. After I dressed the buns and put the burgers on them, I topped them off with the sauteed mushrooms and served!
The responses:
The Boyfriend: He had been against the bison in the first place, because he had said he'd had it before, and it felt it was a gamy meat, he also doesn't like mushrooms. But! He was willing to "take one for the team" per-say. :) He said that he didn't really taste the cheese inside but that the bison was very good, he even had seconds (without the mushrooms)! He did say that the mushrooms were o.k.. He said that if I hadn't told him that it was bison, he probably wouldn't have known the difference, but because he knew, he could taste a distinct flavor difference, and he liked that. He also said that the pickles I put on were overpowering the taste, so he left them off of his second burger, to taste it better and suggested that I not use pickles when I want someone to taste something like this.
Princess: She liked it. She thought that the bison tasted better than regular hamburger and she LOVED the mushrooms, in fact she wants me to buy more for next weeks dinner!! She also did not really taste the cheese in the burger, but she did pick all the cheese off of the potato bun!
Monkey: Unfortunately, he did not get to partake in this meal as he's at boy scout camp for the week. :(
Me: I also loved the burgers, and the mushrooms were awesome! I did taste a distinct difference from regular hamburger and I also liked it more. I, too, did not taste the cheese in the burger, I guess maybe I should have either put more in, or maybe topped it with more.
We're thinking next week of venison, with a burgundy wine and mushroom sauce and a jicama and dicon puree. The Boyfriend's already said that he does not like venison, so the protein might change, if I can think of a new one. Or, I might make him have it anyways. :D
Start posting me some new ingredients people, I'm running out of ideas!
Thanks,
Jazaray
If I haven't said so before, let me say it now - if you can, buy my favorite cookbook, Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." He just released a new version (http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Everything-Completely-Revised-Anniversary/dp/0764578650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282338350&sr=8-1). Also really good is the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. It's based off the show of the same name and they have a whole team of cooks who test recipes endlessly to make sure nothing comes out too dry, soggy, overcooked, or undercooked.
ReplyDeleteSome (hopefully) constructive criticism: when you try to cook some new things, particularly for an audience who may not be used to trying out new items often, it's helpful to lessen the shock by reducing the number of new ingredients. I know the temptation is there to introduce new everything, but it also means that you increase the chances that there will be *something* someone doesn't like. It's like getting a pizza. If you get a basic pepperoni and decide to try the Italian sausage, it's not as much of a divergence than if you get the super combo pizza with roast beef, cilantro, and sauerkraut.
At first, I would go slow and in this particular instance, you might have been better off to try bison burgers with Swiss cheese, button mushrooms, with some beef gravy. If the bf is going to be swayed by "it's different; I don't know if I like it" thought, then perhaps less information is better. Just say you're making burgers, but with a slightly different twist. The meat may taste more tangy and the cheese is bolder.
Dicon? Do you perhaps mean Daikon? I'm hardly impartial, but Jicama + Daikon + venison seems like you're going the same route as the Bison + Asiago + Portobellos.
Venison can be VERY divisive - people quite often tend to love or hate it. I'd temper the Venison with some other more traditional sides, perhaps some wild rice and potatoes? Save the more exotic side dishes to complement the daily ground beef casserole or chicken.
Thank you Yaku, that makes SOOO much sense!!! I will see if I can find either of those books around here locally, but if not, I'll definitely get them online. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Jazaray