A REAL CHEESEBURGER
Halloumi burger recipe uses cheese to make the patty itself for an Instagram-worthy meal,
It was about time that a cookbook featured a chapter on how to do Instagram-worthy food photography.
The book is Eat Delicious by self-taught cook Dennis Prescott, the tattooed, bearded, fedora-wearing New Brunswick man otherwise known as Dennis the Prescott, the man behind a popular Instagram account of the same name.
Before Prescott even gets to the recipes in Eat Delicious, he offers seven pages of tips on “creating delicious, mouth-watering, ‘I want to eat you right now’ food photos.”
Among his tips: Don’t fuss over the type of camera used. Photograph more than just food for practice. Tell a story with each photo. Capture drizzling syrup or a blurred chef pacing (movement makes for great images). Odd numbers are better than even (plate three dishes rather than two).
And let the work reflect your personality: “Me? I love bands like Radiohead and Sigur Ross,” he writes. “I dress like Johnny Cash. I love dark shadowy bars and smoky New York City-style jazz bands.”
The rustic, hipstery esthetic of his food photography matches his personal style.
It would be easy to cast aside Prescott’s recipes when his Instagram origins place so much emphasis on the photography. But Eat Delicious has an impressive array of tasty health-nut dishes and comfort food — such as his “insanely good” Halloumi Burgers.
“Close your eyes,” he writes, “breathe deep, and imagine a world where the ideal burger exists, forged solely and entirely for legit cheese-lovers. A burger patty that’s made almost entirely of cheese.” The book: Prescott’s debut book runs the gamut with 125 recipes from the perfect egg to the perfect cheeseburger, an eastcoast-inspired lobster boil and trendy poke and nutrient-filled “Buddha bowls.” The quote: “If we’re blessed enough to be able to enjoy three meals a day, let’s make them as freakin’ delicious as possible.” The tester: Grilled halloumi could change your life. I’m a recent convert, first trying the salty dish in September at a SoHo brunch spot in Manhattan. Forget beef patties — this BBQ season is all about the halloumi patty. Recipes I’m dying to make: Maple Co- conut Curry Squash Soup, Smoky Beef and Beer Chili, Lemon-Garlic Butter-Poached Lobster Rolls, Salmon Poke Bowls.
Halloumi Burgers
Star Tested Halloumi, which originates in Cyprus, is a semihard, unripened white cheese with a high melting point that makes it ideal for grilling and frying. At about $7 for a 250gram pack at Loblaws, it’s a little pricey, but you won’t regret it. Patties: 1/4 cup (60 mL) sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) dried oregano 1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper 3 Kalamata olives, pitted 1 pound (450 g) halloumi cheese, grated with large holes of box grater 2 large eggs 1/2 cup (125 mL) bread crumbs Lemon-garlic yogurt spread: 1/2 cup (125 mL) Greek yogurt with high fat content 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh parsley, minced 1 tbsp (15 mL) scallions, finely sliced 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) hot sauce of choice Burgers: 6 burger buns 1 large tomato, sliced 1/2 English cucumber, shaved with a vegetable peeler 1 cup (250 mL) baby arugula leaves To make burger patties, in a food processor combine sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, garlic, oregano, cayenne, olives and halloumi.
Pulse for 1 minute. Add eggs and bread crumbs and pulse until mixture comes together.
Shape halloumi mixture into five or six 1/2-inch-thick patties (depending on size of buns), slightly wider than burger buns.
Transfer to plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Combine all yogurt spread ingredients in small bowl and stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Split and toast insides of buns until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. In same pan over medium heat, fry burgers in batches of two or three for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until both sides of patties are browned and crispy.
Build burgers with 2 tbsp (30 mL) of yogurt spread, 1 halloumi patty, 2 tomato slices,1/4 cup (85 g) shaved cucumber and a small handful of arugula.
Makes 6 large burgers. jforani@thestar.ca