Welcome back to the Lit Burgers series! It’s been a very long time since I’ve written for the series (click HERE to check out the first one), but I’m happy to say that today I have a delicious literary-themed burger from the animated show, Bob’s Burgers, that will make your very tastebuds happy.
Here’s how I explained the series long, long ago: For each episode of Bob’s Burgers, there is usually at least one burger special written on the chalkboard on the wall of Bob’s restaurant. Some of the specials have a bookish spin to them, so my goal is to create all those burgers and give you the recipe
This week’s burger is the “I’ve Created a Muenster Burger,” which is a delectable play on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I have to come clean here…I haven’t read Frankenstein, and I feel guilty about that gap in my literary knowledge. Women writing about monsters is the best!
What makes this burger a Frankenstein-esque burger? The most obvious monsterly part of the burger is the Muenster cheese, but I chose the other toppings with Dr. Frankenstein’s terrible creation in mind.
I included mushrooms as a topping because they’re a fungus, and fungi sound gross. I added garlic to the mushrooms for some stink-factor. Then there’s the spicy guacamole. Guacamole seemed fitting since it’s green and Frankenstein’s monster is usually depicted as a big green dude. I went with the spicy kind because monsters usually inflict pain and spicy foods can be painful sometimes.
I hope you enjoy this culinary creation!
I’ve Created a Muenster Burger
Burger
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp salt and fresh pepper
oil spray
4 burger buns
Toppings
1 tbsp olive oil
Baby bella mushrooms sliced
1 clove minced garlic
Salt & fresh pepper
8 slices Muenster cheese
Store-bought spicy guacamole (I used Wholly Guacamole)
Mayonnaise
Makes 4 burgers
DIRECTIONS
Preparing the toppings:
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, stir in minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, moving the it around constantly. Add the sliced mushrooms, then salt and pepper them to your taste. Cook until the mushroom are soft and have stopped releasing their moisture.
Open the guacamole and try it with some tortilla chips, just to make sure everything is up to snuff flavor-wise 😃.
Have the Muenster cheese ready to place on burgers once the burgers are finished cooking (2 slices per burger – lots of Muenster for the monster burger!)
For the burger:
Divide the ground beef into four equal patties (4 oz. each). Salt and pepper the burgers generously.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot, spray a small amount of oil in the pan. Place the burgers in the pan and cook on one side until browned, then flip. If you want a medium-temperature burger, continue cooking until the burger reaches an internal temperature off 150 degrees.
When the burgers just about done and while they’re still in the skillet, top the patties with mushrooms and the Muenster cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. After about 30 seconds, lift the foil and the cheese should be nice and melty.
Assembling the burger:
Toast the buns. Once they are toasted to your liking, squiggle a healthy amount of mayonnaise on the top buns.
Place burgers on the bottom halves and top each patty with guacamole (as much or as little of each as you like). Put the the top half of bun over your Franken-burger and take a bite!
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