TASTE
Best of the Better Burgers is Island-style
| • | A chef's travels |
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Da Kine is fine for Kristine Snyder, who won the grand-prize pot of $50,000 for her Hawai'i-style burger over the weekend in the 2008 Build a Better Burger contest at Sutter Home Winery in Napa Valley.
It brings her recipe contest winnings to a lifetime total of more than $150,000.
The Kihei, Maui, harpist beat out more than 9,000 entries to become one of five regional finalists in the "beef burger" category. Among those judging was Art Smith, also known as Oprah's personal chef, who added his congratulations to the chorus when her win was announced.
It's been a whirlwind ever since, Snyder said by phone from New York on Monday (she heads back home today). After being immediately whisked away to take photos and do Food Network interviews — which will air next spring — she jumped on a plane bound for New York, where she re-created her burger on Monday's "Today" show on NBC.
Well, the "Today" burger wasn't an exact replica: She had to sub a different kind of linguicua for the Island Portuguese sausage. When she cooked it for the judges in Napa, she used the Isle version, which she'd shipped with her on the 10-hour trip (including car rides), frozen ahead and packed carefully with block ice.
"Ours is definitely better," said Snyder, who also brought husband Dan along for the adventure.
While Snyder is no stranger to winning contests — she's also nabbed top prizes at chicken and beef face-offs, as well as being a semifinalist in the Pillsbury Bakeoff — this one, she said, is the "cream-of-the-crop contest" with a top prize only second to Pillsbury.
"They treat us like royalty," she said, marveling over the limo, the stay at the W hotel in Midtown Manhattan, dinner at Butter (a hot new New York eatery) and the styling job she got before filming the "Today" show.
Snyder always makes sure her recipes are Hawaiian-style, so it's good she wins the big purses, because then "I can afford to live on Maui a little longer," she said.
What will she do with the extra money?
"I want to go to Disney World. I know it's such a cliche, but I've been dying to go."
Oh, and perhaps buy a new range and a new grill. And maybe something nice for her husband, too, she said with a laugh: "He's being very nice to me. I just won $50,000. He wants a high-def TV. We'll see if I give it to him."
She's obviously leaning toward "yes."
"I was a basket case beforehand," she said, adding that having her husband around kept her from going wiki-wacky: "He puts up with me! He grounds me: 'Just do it like you've been doing it.' He's very calm."
In her notes for the Web site, Snyder talks about her burger: "This burger is as local as it gets, both in taste and ingredients. The patties are tender and juicy, thanks to fresh papaya and sweet onion, and are spiced with ... Portuguese sausage, which is so popular in Hawaii that it is on every breakfast menu (including McDonald's). The accompanying salad employs heating oil to its smoking point, a local cooking method, resulting in a dynamite burger accompaniment."
She added a sweet and savory mix that was inspired by an award-winning Island goat dairy to create a mouth-watering ginger-infused cheese spread, which she described as "Ho, dat's da kine!"
Surfing Goat Dairy's cheese can be found in Hawai'i and California or online. Due to papaya's tenderizing enzyme, do not make the patties more than 2 hours before grilling. Some sweet onions can still have a pungent bite. To remove that, soak the onion slices in iced water for 15 to 20 minutes; drain on paper towels. The quality of the buns or rolls is more important than the type. They should be fresh and moist but not airy or delicate; they need to be substantial enough to hold the patties without falling apart.
Here's her recipe:
HAWAII DA KINE BURGERS WITH SWEET-CHILI GLAZE, GINGER-GOAT CHEESE SPREAD AND HOT WATERCRESS SALAD
Ginger-goat cheese spread:
Patties:
Sweet chili glaze:
Hot watercress salad:
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
To make the spread, combine the cheese, mayonnaise and ginger in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.
To make the patties, place the sausage in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add the chuck, papaya, onion and spiced salt. Combine well, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Form into 6 patties and refrigerate until ready to grill.
To make the glaze, combine the sweet chili sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
To make the salad, pour the oil into a fireproof skillet and heat on the grill until it reaches its smoking point. While the oil is heating, halve the avocado slices and place in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and toss gently. Layer the papaya, watercress, onions, garlic and pepper flakes over the avocado and carefully drizzle the hot oil over the top. Add soy sauce, toss to combine.
Brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, basting often with the glaze until the desired doneness is reached. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the buns cut sides down on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.
To assemble the burgers, spread the goat cheese spread over the cut sides of the bun tops. Place a patty on each bun bottom, and top with equal portions of the salad. Add the bun tops.
Makes 6 burgers.
