GOUDA IN A JUICY FREEKING BURGER

Gouda Cheese, to the left, taken from wikipedia.com, is a cheese from the Netherlands, from the city of Gouda, and is made of cow's milk. It is heated until the curds separate from the whey, and some of the whey is drained and water is added. About 10 percent of the mixture are curds, and the curds are pressed into circular moulds for several hours which gives it its known shape.


The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution that gives the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste. The cheese is dried for several days before being coated to prevent it from drying out, and then the cheese is aged. The age classifications can be from several weeks of aging to several years before it is ever eaten. When the cheese ages it develops a sweetness likened to caramel, often times will have some crunch to it, older cheeses may have a saltiness to it. Young Gouda is aged from 1 to 6 months and is rich yellow in color with a red or yellow wax coating. It is easy to slice with a cheese slicer.  The older Gouda cheese can be more brittle, more pungent, and has a black wax coating. Older Gouda can be creamier too. It is a strong flavored cheese.


RON'S GOUDA BURGER
1 1/2 lbs. of ground chuck
1 cup of grated aged Gouda
4 1/4 inch thick slices of aged Gouda (reserve these, it will go on the burger as it cooks to melt)
1/4 cup of fine minced round sweet onions
1 tsp. of curry powder
1 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. of garlic salt
1 tsp. of sea salt
1 tsp. of black pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. of mayonnaise


4 Onion burger buns, buttered and toasted
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices of tomatoes
4 slices of sweet round onions
8 crispy bacon strips cooked


1 bag of French fries (frozen) and cooked following directions on bag, set aside.


1. Heat up your grill or get 2 fry pans on the stove over high heat.
2. Mix all of the burger ingredients together, and form 4 patties, set aside let the flavors settle in as the grill or pan gets hot. (Do not add in the 4 slices of Gouda, reserve it)
3. Cook the patties to about medium well, about 4 minutes for the first side, flip it then add on a slice of Gouda on each patty, and cook for about 4 minutes until it melts. Place it on the buns top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and crispy bacon. Smother top bun with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard or whatever turns you on. Serve with fries. 


A good beer with this would be a good Pilsner, 


Photo: wikipedia.com