100 Dollar Burger

Ingredients:

1 pound (455 g) Wagyu brisket, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick strips, fat trimmed, almost frozen

1/4 pound (115 g) boneless Wagyu short ribs, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes, almost frozen

1/4 pound (115 g) grade B or C foie gras, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes, frozen

2 tablespoons (9 g) black truffles or black truffle shavings

1 teaspoon (2.5 g) Worcestershire powder or (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon (5 g) sea salt

1 teaspoon (2 g) fresh cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon (0.8 g) fresh thyme leaves

Caul fat, for cooking

Small bunch arugula

1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

4 Brioche Buns, toasted

1/4 cup (60 g) Meyer-Lemon Aioli (recipe follows)

4 lobster tails, cooked and cut into 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick coins

1 recipe Portobello-Truffle Cream (recipe follows)

Method:

In a large bowl, toss the meats, foie gras, black truffles, Worcestershire powder or sauce, sea salt, pepper, and fresh thyme together. Following the grinding technique in chapter 1 (page 15), grind the mixture and shape into four 6-ounce (170 g) burgers. Wrap each burger in a piece of caul fat.

We strongly suggest you cook the burgers rare because the meats are so tasty that you’ll lose some of the nuances by cooking beyond medium rare. Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. If you have an infrared thermometer, the skillet should register at least 500°F (250°C). Or test by brushing on a bit of oil. When the skillet starts to smoke, it is ready.

Brush oil onto the skillet and sear the burgers for 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 2 minutes or until a thermometer registers an internal temperature of 125°F (52°C). Transfer the burgers to a plate to rest for 5 minutes.

To serve: While the burgers are resting, dress the arugula with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon (14 g) Meyer-Lemon Aioli on the bottoms of the toasted brioche buns, overlap the lobster tail over the aioli in a ring, and place the rested burger on top. Evenly spread the Portobello-Truffle Cream over each burger and top with dressed arugula. Set the remaining halves of buns on top. Serve and wow your friends. YIELD: 4 burgers

MEYER-LEMON AIOLI:

1 egg

Zest from 1 Meyer lemon, chopped (or from 1 lemon)

Juice from 1 Meyer lemon (about 3 tablespoons [45 ml]) or 2 tablespoons (28 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

2 small shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 teaspoons (10 g) Dijon mustard

1 cup (235 ml) canola oil

Kosher salt

Place the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, shallots, and mustard in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Slowly drizzle oil into the food processor until the mixture is smooth, thick, and shiny, with the consistency of mayonnaise. Season with salt. Refrigerate for up to 1 week, covered. YIELD: 1 1/4 cups (285 g)

PORTOBELLO-TRUFFLE CREAM:

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

12 baby portobello mushrooms, washed and sliced 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick

2 shallots, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon (0.7 g) fresh rosemary, minced

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

1 tablespoon (4.5 g) black truffle shavings, plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) juice

1 tablespoon (4 g) fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Place the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more, until the mushrooms and shallots are soft and wilted. Increase heat to medium high, add the heavy cream, truffle shavings, and juice and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. YIELD: About 1 1/2 cups (330 g)

100 Dollar Burger