Normally I put my disclosures at the bottom of the post, but the book I'm featuring today is a special case. This isn't a review. It's cover copy and a recipe and a heads up that One Kiss with a Rock Star
by Shari Slade and Amber Lin went on sale yesterday. Having been a beta reader for the manuscript, I can't be anything like objective about it. But this blog is just me and I didn't want its release to pass uncelebrated. I thought the book was sexy, serious, sweet and funny. In a completely biased and wholly unprofessional way, I hope you'll consider reading it!Also, I made a really slammin' burger based on a scene from the book.
Cover Copy
Half-Life bassist Krist Mellas is caught in a PR nightmare after his dirty sex video blew up online. His agent has the solution: a fake engagement with sultry pop princess Madeline Fox. Krist can’t think of anything worse than a charade with the bubblegum bombshell…except losing the band.
Madeline knows better than anyone what it means to live a lie in the spotlight. She’s determined to help Krist without ever letting him find out what it costs her—or about her girlhood crush on him. But after a smoking hot back alley encounter with him leaves her breathless, she can’t deny she wants the snarling bad-boy rocker.
In a world of glitter and diamonds where the kisses are fake but the climaxes are real, their facades start to crack. And the publicity storm may shatter them both.
WARNING: This book contains a scorching threesome, a dirty talking pop princess, and a surly rocker who hits all the right notes.
Near the end of One Kiss with a Rock Star, Krist winds up alone in a fancy restaurant wanting a burger and fries and a beer. The snotty waiter informs him that they have foie gras stuffed prime rib burgers with caviar, truffle fries and a list of microbrews to select from. The scene perfectly encapsulates how ill-fitting Krist's life has become and how yearning for more doesn't always mean, well, MORE. Plus it gives him a beer to cry into.
Here's the thing though. I may wish I were a rock star (or secretly believe myself to be one while singing at the top of my lungs at stoplights), but I'm really not. Nor do I have a rock star's budget. I rather expect few of my readers do either. After all, we're constantly buying books! So instead of stuffing these burgers full of foie gras and caviar, I topped them with just about an ounce of foie gras for each burger. And then I added some onions cooked until they carmelized with a little bit of smoked maple syrup and flambéed with bourbon. The sweetness of the onions pairs perfectly with the rich foie gras and earthy truffle fries.
This recipe is insanely decadent in a way I just love, with expensive ingredients turned into comfort food: my favorite kind of ridiculous indulgence. Like the smoked Gouda and bacon macaroni and cheese I make occasionally. That, incidentally, would go great with this. However, in the book it's truffle french fries so that's what I've done here. I used truffle oil here rather than actual truffles,which is pretty common in restaurants. Truffled mashed potatoes, for example, rarely have actual truffles in them.
As for the onions, I suppose you don't have to flambé them, but it's fun. Plus, don't rock stars love pyrotechnics? If you've never done it before, it isn't hard. You will want your long match and a fire extinguisher or baking soda handy though when you're ready to pour in the alcohol. I've never had a mishap, but any time you're working with open flame, it pays to be careful, ya know?
Other that that, this recipe is pretty easy, for all that's it's also pretty decadent. The only other tricky part is right at the end where the fries have to come out of the oil, the buns have to get toasted, the foie gras is searing and the burgers need flipping. I could have used a sous chef. It all worked out. But it's something to keep in mind if you have another handy kitchen helper around.
Or even two handy kitchen helpers.
Burgers with Foie Gras & Smoked Maple Syrup Bourbon Carmelized Onions and Truffle Fries
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 1 hour
Smoked Maple Syrup Bourbon Carmelized Onions
3 medium onions, sliced
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup (smoked maple syrup if you can find it)
1/4 cup bourbon
Truffle Fries
1/2 gallon canola or vegetable oil
4 medium Russet potatoes, sliced into thin strips.
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Burgers
1 1/2 to 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef, formed into patties
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 hamburger buns (I used brioche rolls)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Foie Gras
4 ounces foie gras, deveined and cut into four equal portions
1 tablespoon potato starch or Wondra flour
1. Heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat until butter melts. Add onions, sugar and salt and cook slowly until onions begin to carmelize, about 15 minutes.
2. Raise heat to medium-high. Add maple syrup and cook until boiling, about 30 seconds. Pour in bourbon, heat for 10-15 seconds, then light with a long match. Shake pan until alcohol burns off and flames are extinguished. Remove onions to a bowl and set aside.
3. To prepare fries, heat the oil to 250 degrees F. When it's hot, fry the potatoes in batches, 4-5 minutes per batch until tender. They won't brown at this stage, but you do want them cooked through. Remove to a plate or tray prepared with paper towels to drain.
4. Raise the heat to 375 degrees F. Working in batches again, fry potatoes until golden, 2-3 minutes per batch. When all potatoes are browned, remove to plate or tray prepared with paper towels and add salt, shaking to coat. Sprinkle with truffle oil and again shake to coat. Start with a 1/4 teaspoon. You can always add more and it's a very distinct flavor so you don't want to add too much.
5. To prepare burgers, heat your grill or a skillet to medium-high heat. Add your burger patties, cooking 3-4 minutes each side depending on desired doneness.
6. To prepare buns, brush each cut side with melted butter. In a pan or under the broiler, toast until golden, about 1 minute.
7. To prepare foie gras, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge each piece in potato starch or Wondra flour. Add to skillet, cooking about 30 seconds each side until just seared. Don't leave it much longer than that or it will completely melt.
8. To serve, add one burger pattie to a bun, top with one foie gras slice and a tablespoon or two of the prepared onions. Serve with the truffle fries.
Disclosure: I received One Kiss With a Rock Star from the authors and I was a beta reader for the manuscript (in case you somehow missed that up top).
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