Beef Sliders on Brioche with Sticky BBQ sauce and Thousand Island Dressing

Ever since I started baking brioche buns (see my Pulled Pork burger with Korean Slaw) and using them for mini beef burgers (a.k.a. sliders), there was no turning back. Given a choice, brioche wins over plain hamburger buns (particularly those that are sold by the dozen at the supermarket). Not all brioche buns are created equal. I have ordered brioche burgers before when dining out, and have come across really thick, heavy, dense and sweet buns that makes the mammoth of the burger a feat to eat (and enjoy). The recipe that I've used for these brioche buns is adapted from Taste.com.au magazine (August 2014 edition). Rich, melt-in-your-mouth and buttery with a hint of sweetness, these brioche buns make supremely delicious burgers. I've also tried buttermilk brioche buns and they are equally good, with the slightest tang from the buttermilk.

These beef sliders are saucy, juicy and packed full of flavours. To make them even more awesome, I made a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce along with a "Thousand Island" dressing (inspired by In-N-Out Animal style). This special sauce with an all beef-patty, lettuce, cheese on a toasted sesame seed brioche bun was the perfect albeit-messy-to-eat-with-sauce-smothered-everywhere-but-oh-so-tasty burger. Read on to get the recipes.

Beef sliders

800g premium beef mince (Angus or Wagyu)
1 medium brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Barbecue sauce (adapted from Gordon Ramsay):
1 large onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper

"Thousand Island" sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3-4 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
2-3 tsp tabasco sauce
Salt and black pepper

To serve:
Brioche buns (scroll down for recipe)
Sliced tomatoes
Lettuce leaves
Cheddar cheese slices
Barbecue sauce
Thousand Island sauce

Method

1. For the barbecue sauce, heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and garlic with some seasoning and the sugar, and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Cook for 10-15 minutes until onion is caramelising, then add vinegar and let it cook out for a few minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce, mix well and continue to cook for about 8 minutes until sauce has reduced to a dropping consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. For the Thousand Island sauce, mix all ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
3. To prepare the beef patties, first sauté the onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and let it cool a little. Add worchershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the beef mince and gently mix to combine.
4. Lightly shape into 12 patties. Make a small indent in the centre of each patty to prevent shrinkage while cooking.
5. Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat, and fry each patty for 2-4 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked. Place a cheese slice on the patty and let it melt. Transfer to a plate.
6. To assemble the burgers, halve the brioche buns and toast them in the pan until lightly browned. Spread some Thousand Island and barbecue sauce on the bottom half, and top with lettuce, tomato, beef patty, Thousand Island and barbecue sauce, and cover with the other half of the bun. Serve immediately with fries and onion rings if desired.

  

Brioche Buns
Adapted from Taste.com.au
makes 12

Ingredients

2 teaspoons (1 sachet/7g) dried yeast

1/3 cup (80ml) warm milk

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 cups (300g) strong plain bread flour (+ 1/4 cup extra)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, lightly whisked

120g butter, softened and cut into 2cm pieces

1 egg yolk lightly whisked with 2 tsp milk

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

1. Combine the yeast, milk and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until frothy.
2. Combine the flour, salt and remaining sugar in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour yeast mixture and eggs into the well and stir until just combined. Turn on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment.
3. Add 1-2 pieces of butter to the dough and knead until well incorporated. Gradually continue to add butter cubes, 2-3 at a time, and knead until well incorporated. With the extra 1/4 cup flour, sprinkle one tablespoon of flour at a time and continue kneading the dough until it's smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). The dough should pull away cleanly from the sides of your mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a large lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1.5 hours or until dough doubles in size.
4. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a baking tray with butter. Use your fist to knock back the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions. Roll each dough into a smooth ball and place on the tray, spacing them out about 2 inches apart. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour to rise and double in size.
5. Brush each brioche with the egg yolk and milk mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Leave to cool slightly before slicing in half for your burgers.

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Cream cheese cinnamon rolls with blueberries and white chocolate icing

I've come across many recipes for cinnamon rolls, from yeast-free doughs to the fancier ones using buttermilk or cream cheese. The key to a good cinnamon roll (or scroll/bun) is to use good quality cinnamon and in the right proportion to the sugar filling. The addition of a syrup (like maple syrup) makes for a sticky cinnamon roll, and you can add nuts or fruits to that as well. In my "search" for cinnamon, I learnt that there are hundreds of types of cinnamon, but the main ones are Ceylon Cinnamon, Chinese Cassia Cinnamon, Saigon Cinnamon and Indonesian Korintje Cinnamon. In this recipe, I've used Indonesian cinnamon which has a strong aromatic flavour that is sweet and spicy, and perfect for cinnamon rolls. Make sure you check the label on your bottle of ground cinnamon to see where it's sourced from.

In this recipe, which I have adapted from Saveur, I made a few changes and substitutions. I've made Anna Olson's Soft Blueberry Stick Buns a few years ago, and loved the addition of cream cheese in the dough which gave it a creamy and soft texture. I've also added potato flour to help retain the moisture in the rolls. These rolls are best served warm on the same day. Leftovers can be gently heated in the microwave before serving.

Cream cheese cinnamon rolls with white chocolate icing
Adapted from Saveur

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH:
1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast
½ tsp. plus 2 tbsp sugar
½ cup milk, at room temperature
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted, plus more for kneading
1/4 cup potato flour *
¾ tsp. fine salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

FOR THE FILLING:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. good quality ground cinnamon *
½ tsp. fine salt
2 tbsp. maple syrup
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dried blueberrries (optional)

FOR THE ICING:
1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1 tbsp milk (or substitute with plain milk or hot water)
60g (2 oz) white chocolate, melted

Method

1. Make the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a hook, combine yeast, ½ tsp. of the sugar, and ¼ cup warm water heated to 46°C (115°F). Stir to combine and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, 1 minute. Turn mixer off and add the flour and salt. Mix on medium speed until the dough just comes together. Turn mixer speed to high and knead dough for 4 minutes. Gradually add the butter followed by cream cheese, and continue kneading until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 6-10 minutes. Sprinkle more flour into the bowl if necessary. Remove bowl from the mixer, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 ½–2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

2. Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter in a large bowl; stir to combine. Stir in the maple syrup. Set filling aside.

3. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it's no longer sticky, adding more flour as necessary, about 1 minute. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10" x 20" rectangle, with the short sides parallel to you.

4. Spread the reserved filling over the dough, leaving a 1" border at the edge farthest away from you. Sprinkle with blueberries if used. Lightly press the filling into the dough. Using your hands, lift up the bottom edge of the dough and roll it forward into a tight cylinder. Place dough cylinder, seam side down, on a cutting board and, using a thin, sharp knife, trim off the ends; cut cylinder crosswise into 8 equal-size slices. Nestle the slices, cut sides up and evenly spaced from one another, into a buttered 9" x 13" light-colored metal baking pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to let rise for 2 hours. (Alternatively, the rolls may be refrigerated overnight.)

5. Heat oven to 190°C (375°F). Uncover the rolls. (If refrigerated, let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.) Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the rolls comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

6. Make the icing: While the rolls are baking, whisk together the sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk in the melted chocolate.

7. Transfer the pan of cinnamon rolls to a cooling rack; brush with remaining melted butter. Let cool for 5 minutes. Dip the tines of a fork into the icing and drizzle all over the rolls. Serve immediately.

* Cook's notes:

1. I have substituted some of the plain flour with potato flour which helps keep the bread moist
2. Use good quality ground cinnamon. Indonesian cinnamon (Korintje) is ideal with its spicy sweet aroma.

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Pulled Pork Burger with Spicy Mayo and Korean Slaw

 

This started with a craving for a Korean-style slaw with a spicy gochujang dressing. Gochujang (as many of you might be familiar with) is a Korean red pepper paste that are sold in tubs and come in varying degrees of "heat". You can usually tell by the number of chillies on the label. I chose one with 3 chillies I think, as these things can pack quite a punch in terms of heat and intensity of flavour. So, I was wondering what would go with Korean slaw, and thought of bo ssam (Korean boiled pork belly with lettuce wraps). I found David Chang's bo ssam recipe using pork shoulder/butt and decided to turn that into a pulled pork burger with Korean slaw. And what's a burger without mayonnaise, especially a spicy gochujang mayonnaise? And to top it off (no pun intended), I baked these wonderful buttermilk buns (or brioche) which were moist, tender and didn't fall apart like most buns do when you're halfway through a burger.

 

 

Korean food doesn't just stop at Korean Fried Chicken and Korean hotpot. Give these a go at your next party. They don't require much preparation (the buns are relatively easy too) and will feed an army or two. Moreover, you can make the slaw one day ahead, which allows the cabbage to absorb the tangy, spicy and sweet flavours from the dressing. Oh, and that slow-roasted pork? Amazing.

 

 

Pulled Pork Recipe

Adapted from David Chang's Bo Ssam Recipe

Serves 12-16 | Prep 20mins | Cook 6 hours | Prep one day ahead

 

2kg (4-5 pounds) bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt, skin-on

1/2 cup caster sugar (granulated sugar)

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup light-brown sugar

 

Using a sharp knife, score the pork skin at 1cm intervals. Place pork in a large bowl or roasting pan. In a medium bowl, mix together granulated sugar and 1/4 cup salt. Rub sugar mixture all over pork and cover bowl with plastic wrap; transfer to refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.

 

Preheat oven to 160C (300F).

 

Transfer pork to a large roasting pan, skin-side up, discarding any accumulated juices (or drain accumulated juices from roasting pan that pork is in). Brush off any remaining salt/sugar from the skin and pat dry with a paper towel. Transfer roasting pan to oven and cook, basting the meat every hour with rendered fat in roasting pan. After 2 hours, carefully remove crackling from the pork and place on a baking tray. Continue roasting the pork and crackling for another 3-4 hours until meat is tender and easily shredded with a fork.

 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and brown sugar. Rub mixture all over pork.

 

Increase oven temperature to 250C (500F). Return pork to oven until sugar has melted into a crisp crust, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and cover pan with a foil to keep warm. To serve, use two forks and pull the pork into shreds, mixing them with the rendered fat in the pan. Enjoy on a buttermilk (brioche) bun with Korean slaw and gochujang mayo (see below for recipe). For a "healthier" alternative, serve in a lettuce wrap using Cos/Romaine lettuce, with ginger-scallion sauce, ssamjang, kimchi and Korean slaw.

 

Korean Slaw

Serves 12-16 | Prep 20 mins | Make one day ahead

 

1/4 small savoy cabbage, finely shredded

1/4 small red cabbage, finely shredded

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned

1 small red onion, sliced thinly

2-3 stalks scallions, sliced thinly

 

Slaw dressing (mixed well in a bowl):

7 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons gochujang

4 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

 

I like to prepare this one day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. This allows the cabbage to absorb all those flavours from dressing. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Place the cabbage, carrots, onions and scallions in a large bowl and gradually add the dressing, tossing to ensure it's evenly mixed through. Cover with clingwrap and refrigerate overnight until ready to serve.

 

Gochujang mayonnaise

 

3/4 cup gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

1 cup + 2 tablespoons Japanese/Korean mayonnaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

 

Combine and mix well in a bowl. Set aside until ready to serve with burgers.

 

Buttermilk buns

Adapted from Alan Eisenband, Head Chef, Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall

Serves 12-16 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 30 mins

100ml milk

28g active yeast (10g. dried)

90g sugar

2 free range eggs

840g strong bread flour

70g butter, softened at room temperature

400ml buttermilk

14g Malden sea salt

80ml vegetable oil

 

Glaze:

1 egg yolk + 1/2 tbsp milk

Sesame seeds (black/white)

Sea salt

 

Prepare this while the pork is cooking in the oven. In the bowl of a stand-mixer, add salt and sugar followed by flour and yeast. Mix using a dough hook on medium speed. Combine the milk, buttermilk, eggs and oil then add to the bowl, still on medium speed. Once a dough forms, add the butter in small knobs and knead until gluten is formed (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle a bit of flour if it's still too sticky. Prove in a bowl covered by cling film or a damp cloth in a warm place. Once it doubles in size, bring back down making sure as much of the air is removed from the dough, then form round buns and prove again. When ready, glaze with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt. Bake at 160C (300F) for 25-30 minutes until crust is richly brown and glossy. When done, remove from the oven and leave to cool before cutting.

 

Assemble the burgers!

Slice the buns in half, spread with butter and toast them buttered side down on a hot grill pan.

Spread some gochujang mayonnaise on the bottom half of the bun, followed by some pulled pork, bits of crackling. Top with a handful of Korean slaw and cover with the other half of the bun. Add more mayo if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

Nice Buns!

 

More spicy mayo for more oomph!

 

 

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Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Breads are actually pretty easy to make. You mostly let the machine do the kneading, then leave the dough to rise while you go about doing your chores, updating your Facebook status and checking out what's happening on Twitter, enjoy a cuppa etc. Then, it's time to roll out the dough and shape them into whatever you like, which doesn't really matter because after you let them rise again, they somehow bounce back into shape. I hardly make breads because I'd have to make a big batch, and they are best eaten on the same day.

 

These cinnamon rolls however, can be kept overnight refrigerated, about two days. All it takes is a few seconds in the microwave, and you've got fresh, soft and tasty cinnamon rolls all over again. I was never a big fan of cinnamon rolls as I find them a little too sweet and sticky for my liking. These, on the other hand, are not sticky nor overly sweet. It's the combination of that cream cheese frosting and the almost-savoury cinnamon filling that make this so addictive, and yet not too rich that you'd stop at one.

The kids came back from school one day saying that they had super-awesome cinnamon rolls in school, and that gave me the perfect excuse to make these. As they preferred their rolls plain, I skipped the frosting on half the batch. I must say, I was pleased with how they turned out. If you leave the frosting to set on the rolls for a few minutes, it leaves a thin crunchy layer on top, like Krispy Kreme frosting. The rolls rose beautifully despite the fact that it was a cold winter's day, and it helped to place the dough under the cooker hood lights for some heat.

The kids enjoyed the rolls although they still preferred the one from school, because those were sweet and sticky! Looks like I'll be making more cinnamon rolls this weekend, and I have just the perfect recipe in mind!

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk, warm (slightly above body temperature)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp dry yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup plain flour, plus extra
1/4 cup potato flour
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp plain flour
1/4 cup butter, softened

Frosting:
3 tbsp cream cheese
3 tbsp butter, softened
2/3 cup icing sugar
1 tsp milk (approx.)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Method

Measure out the milk in a measuring cup and heat up in the microwave for 30 seconds until warm. Mix through 2 tbsp sugar and the yeast. Set aside for 15 minutes until it turns frothy and nearly doubled in height.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, pour in the yeast mixture followed by the egg, salt, plain and potato flours. Attach a dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 minutes until it's mixed through and almost coming together. Add the softened butter and mix on medium speed for about 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. Add a few extra tablespoons of plain flour during kneading if the dough looks sticky.

Turn out the dough into a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a cloth or clingwrap and set aside in a warm place (like underneath the warm lights of your cooker hood). Let it rise for about 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and plain flour for the filling.

Lightly grease a large baking pan (or two small ones).

When the dough is ready, punch it down. Roll it out onto a lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick, large rectangle. The short side of the rectangle should be parallel to you.

Use your fingers to spread the softened butter all over the dough, to within 1/2 inch of the border. Sprinkle and spread the filling mixture all over the butter. Then starting from the long side furthest from you, roll it up tightly and seal the edge with a little water.

Use a serrated knife to cut into 16 slices (about 1 inch thick). Arrange in the baking pans, spacing them out about 3/4 inch apart. Cover with clingwrap and set aside for an hour or so until it has doubled in size. Remove clingwrap.

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Bake the rolls in the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, beat the frosting ingredients together, adding the milk last to thin it slightly to a spreadable consistency.

Remove rolls from the oven, and spread some of the frosting over each one. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then drizzle more frosting on top. Serve warm. Leftovers can be refrigerated, and heated up the next day in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

 

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Garlic Bread Recipe

Here is a simple but delicious recipe for garlic bread, made with fresh crusty baguette from the bakery. I added some extra-virgin olive oil to the garlic butter mixture which helps cut through some of the richness from the butter, and at the same time give it a lovely aroma and flavour. The kids love, love, love garlic bread, but they were a little fussy when they saw the green bits of parsley in it. Guess I'll have to remember to make a separate batch for them next time, without the parsley. You can use any sort of bread to make this, and I usually use Turkish pide as I love the crispy and chewy texture when it's hot out of the oven. If you're using a baguette, try getting a good quality one with a nice crust. I got mine from Baker's Delight and it turned out really crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside without turning all mushy. You can make extra loaves of garlic bread and refrigerate or freeze them for another day. Serve them with pastas, soups, stews or just have them as a snack or appetizer. You won't be able to stop at one!

Garlic Bread Recipe

Ingredients

2 x 35cm quality baguette (or 1 long french loaf, halved or quartered cross-wise)*
1/2 cup  (120g) butter, softened
2 tbsp (30ml) Extra-virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped continental parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (430°F). Slice the baguette into 1 inch-thick slices, without cutting all the way through the base. You can halve the baguette cross-wise to make a smaller loaf so that you can refrigerate or freeze any extras for another day.
2. Combine the butter, oil, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Use a knife to spread the mixture over the cut sides of the baguette. Wrap each baguette in aluminium foil. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove and unwrap the foil immediately. Serve hot.

* Note: You can substitute with hot dog buns, which will give you Pizzahut-style garlic bread which has a softer crust.

Piping hot garlicky buttery bread with a crunchy crust. Soft and delicious inside.

Butter, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and continental parsley

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