Published Tuesday, September 07, 2010 7:40 PM

Pure burger with a fresh sauce

By J.M. HIRSCH
Associated Press

Television chef Melissa D'Arabian wants her burgers pure and her condiments fresh.

And so, when she crafted a patty for AP's 20 Burgers of Summer series, the star of Food Network's Ten Dollar Dinners stuck with a nicely grilled basic ground beef burger topped with just a smattering of mozzarella cheese.

"I'm a purist when it comes to burgers," she said in an interview.

"I know a lot of people like to mix things into the meat. I'm really about just treating the meat right and grilling it right and getting a really juicy piece of meat."

As for dressing it up, she drew her inspiration from chimichurri sauce, a zesty sauce traditionally made from parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil that is used to garnish grilled meats in Argentina.

Her version calls for peppery-sweet basil.

"Nothing says summer to me like fresh basil," she said. "You take a raw sauce and you put it on some warm meat. The idea is that the warm meat heats the sauce just enough for the flavors to really bloom in your mouth. The warmth of the burger just makes the flavors come to life. It's a simple recipe, but it really works."

PERFECT BASIL SAUCE

* Start to finish: 5 minutes. Makes 1 cup.

* What you'll need:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sour cream

3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil

1 scallion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

* How to do it:

In a blender, combine all ingredients and puree until creamy and pale green in color. Season with salt and pepper.

FRESH SUMMER BASIL

BURGER

* Start to finish: 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

* What you'll need:

11/4 pounds ground beef (80 percent lean)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 large tomato, sliced and lightly salted

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

4 hamburger buns, toasted

Basil sauce (see recipe above)

* How to do it:

Heat a grill to medium-high.

Form the ground beef into 4 patties, making a small indentation in the top of each. Brush each burger with a bit of vegetable oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Cook the patties on the grill for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Two minutes before removing the burgers, top each with the mozzarella cheese.

Top each bun with a burger and a tomato slice. Spread a tablespoon of the basil sauce onto the bun top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serve with additional basil sauce on the side for dipping.

* Nutrition information per serving: 484 calories; 218 calories from fat (45 percent of total calories); 24 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 93 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrate; 36 g protein; 2 g fiber; 812 mg sodium.

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