Julia Child's Hamburger

Yup, Julia Child's Mastering The Art Of French Cooking has a section on hamburgers. Let me tell you, these are so moist and savory. The red wine sauce made from the pan brownings compliments the burger perfectly.

The recipe starts on page 300. I added some dijon mustard and parsley too. Here's my abridged version so you get the gist, but please use the book's version if you have it!

Ingredients:

3/4 c finely minced yellow onions

2Tb butter

1.5 lbs lean ground beef (8 to 10 percent)

2 Tb softened butter

1.5 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp thyme

1 egg

1/2 c flour spread on a plate

1 Tb butter and 1 Tb oil to coat skillet bottom

1/2 c red wine

2-3 Tb softened butter

Cook onions slowly in the butter for 10 minutes until tender but not brown. Set aside in a bowl. Add the beef, butter, seasoning and egg to the bowl and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend. Make patties 3/4 inch thick.

Dust patties lightly with flour. Cook over moderately high heat in butter and oil. 2-3 minutes on each side. Set patties aside on a warm plate.

Pour fat out of skillet and add red wine and boil down rapidly until it reduces to a syrup. Off heat, swirl in the butter by half tablespoons.