MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer / Styling by KATHY GOLD
Slider Philadelphia-style, with provolone, onions, bell peppers. The baby burgers make the perfect palette for sampling toppings just as colorful as fireworks. Now that’s a Fourth of July cookout.
- Philly Uncorked, Barbecue Wines
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Bang-up baby burgers
Bombs bursting in air! And little sliders bursting with meaty flavor and ooo-aah toppings!
2. Scrape the gills from the portobellos (or other mushrooms) and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the zucchini, tomatoes and bell peppers to the baking sheet. Brush all the vegetables with the herbed oil. If you are grilling the fresh eggplant, brush it, too, with the herbed olive oil.
3. Brush the grill rack with the olive oil, transfer the vegetables to the grill, and cook, turning as needed and being careful not to let the olive oil flame up, until tender. The zucchini and tomatoes will be done first, needing just 2 to 3 minutes per side. The peppers will be done next. If you have been careful to just brown them, they will not need to be peeled. The mushrooms and fresh eggplant will need about 5 minutes per side.
4. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with some of the remaining herbed olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
5. To build the burgers, generously spread the gill side of 4 (or 8 smaller) mushrooms with pesto. Top with yellow zucchini, several tomato slices, green zucchini, eggplant slices, and several strips of bell pepper. Drizzle another small spoonful of pesto over all and close with another mushroom. Arrange some of the arugula salad on the side and serve immediately.
- From Burger Bar by Hubert Keller with Penelope Wisner (John Wiley & Sons, 2009)
Note: To make cilantro-arugula pesto, put 12 roasted, salted macadamia nuts and 1 or 2 garlic cloves in a food processor and process until they are finely chopped. Add 1 bunch of well-trimmed cilantro, 2 cups packed arugula, and 1/3 teaspoon lime zest and process until you have a coarse puree. With the machine running, add 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a thin stream and process until smooth. Pulse in 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the pesto to a container, cover, and refrigerate until needed, or for up to 2 days.
Per slider: 303 calories, 4 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 29 grams fat, trace cholesterol, 71 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.
Red, White and Blue Dessert Shots
Makes 8 servings
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup seedless raspberry jam, such as Polaner's
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pint fresh blueberries
8 tall shot glasses
1. Combine the raspberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes.
2. Pour the cooked raspberries, jam, and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor and process until completely smooth. Chill. (Sauce will thicken as it chills.)
