Dear LPG, 

When I decided to dedicate some time in the kitchen to paying homage to the 4th of July, I must admit that after all I learned about waiting when it comes to making Icelandic yoghurt last month, I was looking for something I could not mess up.  Although I don’t partake quite as much anymore I suggest that we in England know nearly as much about a good burger as the Americans.

I decided to try to recreate the two out of their three most popular ones because we also have them in the UK and when I read each recipe, the one thing I noted is that they don’t play about with their meat.  I was a bit worried about not putting a bit of egg or something in with the minced beef to stop it from falling apart but both the griddled ones and the grilled ones held together perfectly with absolutely nothing mixed in.

Then it was all about the build which took a little time because of the subtle differences.  I had no problem taste testing them myself, though I did solicit a little help.  I preferred the mustard to the mayonnaise-filled one and while the taste was as authentic as promised the picture shows that my burger-building skills need a bit of honing.  I know that they are not that good for you but having tried this recipe last week after not having had a hamburger for a very long time, I have decided to indulge again later today.  The house smelled like McDonalds for a while but the taste-bud memory was a good one.

I have been cheating a little for the past couple of months by choosing what I thought would be relatively easy national dishes to attempt, so next month I plan to salute the Principality of Liechtenstein by attempting to create something a little out of my comfort zone.  I understand that Ribel is one of their national dishes. Used as an accompaniment to complement applesauce, stewed fruit, or Vorarlberg cheese, I hope that I can do it justice… 

 
CB, Lewisham 

CB offers some recipes… 

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