Picnic Meal Plans: Burger Night
French Vinaigrette Salad | entrée - Hamburgers | Roasted Corn Relish | Dana's Flourless Chocolate Cake
French Vinaigrette Salad
Recipe Summary
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Salad |
| Meal: | Burger Night (Picnic Meal Plans) |
| 2 | Tb | vinegar, red wine |
| 1 | Tb | mustard, dijon |
| 0.5 | cup | oil, olive |
| 1 | small | shallots, sliced |
| 0.75 | tsp | salt, table |
| 1 | dash | pepper, fresh ground |
| 1 | lb | lettuce, mixed |
| |
Whisk vinegar, shallot and mustard together in a small glass bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Toss with mixed lettuce and serve.
Shown here with a baked goat cheese medallion.
entrée - Hamburgers
Recipe Summary
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Cooking on a Budget |
| Meal: | Burger Night (Picnic Meal Plans) |
| 1.5 | lb | beef, ground |
| 1 | Tb | garlic powder |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
| 1 | medium | egg |
| |
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form 6 equal sized balls. Flatten into burgers. Grill or cook in a pan on high heat.
Roasted Corn Relish
Recipe Summary
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Salad |
| Meal: | Burger Night (Picnic Meal Plans) |
| 2 | large | corn on the cob |
| 1 | cup | tomatoes, cherry |
| 1 | small | pepper, green |
| 0.25 | medium | onion, red |
| 2 | medium | mangoes |
| 2 | medium | avocado |
| 2 | Tb | lime juice |
| 1 | Tb | garlic, minced |
| 1 | Tb | vinegar, white |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 1 | Tb | cilantro, chopped |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
| |
Husk corn, roast on grill for 7 -9 minutes until browned but not burnt. Cut corn from cob. Cut tomatoes in half, cut pepper, mangoes, and avocados into bite size pieces. Slice onion very thinly. Place all in a bowl. Add oil, lime, cilantro and vinegar. Stir and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
Note: To remove corn from cob try using a bundt (tube cake) pan, place the pan right side up on the counter, place ear of corn resting in hole in middle of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut kernels from cob; the bowl of the bundt pan will catch all the corn.
Note: Buy mangoes and avocados that are not fully ripe, they will be easier to cut. Put limejuice on avocados as soon as possible to avoid them turning brown.
Dana's Flourless Chocolate Cake
Recipe Summary
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Burger Night (Picnic Meal Plans) |
| 8 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 16 | oz | chocolate, semi-sweet bits |
| 9 | large | egg, separated |
| 1 | cup | sugar, granulated |
| 3 | Tb | cocoa |
| 1 | recipe | chocolate ganache |
| |
Preheat oven to 350. butter a 9” springform pan; line the bottom with buttered wax paper, dust with cocoa powder. Melt chocolate and butter together, allow to cool slightly. Separate eggs; beat yolks on medium for 1 minute, add sugar and beat until light yellow. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until just peaking. Blend cooled chocolate with egg yolks, add cocoa; fold in egg whites. Pour into pan, bake for 40-45 minutes. This is a very moist cake and an inserted knife should come out barely wet. Allow to cool for ½ hour prior too removing from pan. Pour chocolate ganache over top, leave on counter until ready to serve.
If you refrigerate this cake the ganache will lose its shine.
·Note: This is almost a souffle; it will rise and drop, if the center caves in don’t panic. Fill with berries and pretend it was on purpose. It happens to all of us.
