Grilling

My pal Christine, and former WauwatosaNOW blogger, posted something on FB earlier today that had to do about the best burger bun and how she preferred a hard roll for a grilled burger.  To whit I would agree with her observation.  Presuming, of-course, that said hard roll should not be so chewy that the diner should have to hold it in a death grip and tear-into it to take a bite.  Alas, many of the television cooking gurus seem to suggest the use of a potato roll for a burger - which is much too bland for this griller's tastes.  The discussion eventually led to a childhood German bakery long closed and where to find their hard roll recipe.  Long story short, the recipe lives-on in the interweb but there is no German baker to make them en-mass.  Bottom line is a good hard roll is hard to come by.

Nevertheless, the local family grocer in Brussels bakes their own Kaiser rolls daily and during the tourist season if you strike early you can snare a half-dozen from their bakery.  While technically not a hard roll by my definition they do sport a nicely-baked crust, are soft enough to hold a charcoal toasting and hold together under the challenge of a third-pound burger and its toppings.  Moreover, you can purchase a ground chuck burger from behind the glass case in any number you choose and a friendly local butcher will wrap them carefully in white butcher paper.  Old school style.

Behold the result - a Marchant's burger and bun.  Homemade dill pickle, ketchup, mustard, sautéed garden onion and American cheese for good measure.

Thanks for the inspiration, Chris...