James McNair - Burger Parties: Recipes from Sutter Home Winerys Build a Better Burger Contest

Text and photographs copyright 2010 by Sutter Home Family Vineyards

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

SUTTER HOME and BUILD A BETTER BURGER are the registered trademarks of Sutter Home Winery, Inc. Ingredient product names, and other names, logos, designs, titles, words, or phrases in this book may also constitute trademarks, service marks, trade names, or other protected intellectual property of Sutter Home Winery, Inc., or other entities.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher
eISBN: 978-0-307-81342-8

Editorial assistance by Andrew Moore
Recipe development and testing assistance by James Houghton, Matthew Bennett, and Andrew Moore
Photography by Dan Mills
Food styling by Kimberly Kissling
Food styling assistance by Sarah Fairhurst and Tina Stamos and intern Dana Bonagura
Prop styling by Joanna Badano (location) and Kimberly Kissling (studio)
Flowers by Tesoro, St. Helena, California

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A great burger is reason enough for a party! For many of us, life just doesnt get any better than biting into a big, juicy burger. When all the components are perfecta patty thats charred on the outside and moist and tender inside, a high-quality bun thats toasty warm, spreads that are packed with flavor, toppings that are crisp and cool and balance the burger with sweet and acidic flavorsthe combination creates a party in the mouth. Its no wonder that burgers are Americas favorite food and today are more popular than ever.

The celebrations that weve created for your pleasure are all centered around some of the bestand most uniqueburgers youll ever taste. Each was a prizewinner or an outstanding finalist in Sutter Home Winerys Build a Better Burger Recipe Contest and Cook-Off. The annual search for the best home-cooked burgers in America has been going on since 1990, and James has been head judge ever since the contest began. Jeffrey has been the culinary director and executive chef for Sutter Home Winery and for the contest since 1999. During those years, weve encountered an amazing array of creative burgers from good cooks across the country and have chosen some of the best to star in this collection.

Weve let the burgers guide us in choosing party themes and offer ideas for creating a festive atmosphere, with suggestions for decorations, table settings, music, and activities. We developed side dishes and sweet endings to complement each burger, along with some spirited wine-based cocktails and wine pairings.

All of us at Sutter Home Winerys Build a Better Burger hope that this book provides inspiration for fun celebrations that are perfect for todays emphasis on relaxed, festive, and inexpensive entertaining. Lets party!

Put down that spatula! Before throwing patties on the grill to entertain your friends, you need to do some planning to create a perfect party that is fun for everyone, including yourself.

First, you need to concoct a .

Next, turn your attention to creating the right ambience for the party. Staging a party with creative, fun decorations and tableware is important to set the mood and atmosphere; our suggestions go for the optimal experience, but you may choose to elaborate further or simplify.

When planning table settings and linens, keep your parties environmentally friendly by choosing washable real dishes, glasses, flatware, and napkins, or buying disposable products that are eco-friendly and biodegradable. Keep in mind that everything on the table doesnt have to match, but the pieces should be compatible. Dishes in white, beige, or earth tones can mix and match with just about anything and any theme. A collection of California pottery plates in various colors always go together, as do mixtures of black and white patterns or collections of hand-painted designs. If you have plenty of room and few budget restraints, you might have fun building a party pantry with dishes that work for various themes and seasons that you can use year after year.

Nice glasses influence our perception of wine and make the experience of drinking seem more pleasurable. If you have room for only one or two sets, choose an all-purpose wine glass or one with a large bowl for reds and one with a bit smaller bowl for whites. Dont forget the European tradition of bistro glasses for wine as an alternative to stemware for casual burger parties.

Be sure to have lots of napkins on handthe best burgers can be very messy! Dish towels make great oversized napkins for drippy burgers. White napkins are always acceptable, but colorful solids or prints add a festive note.

While its impossible to beat fresh flowers on the table, consider other options: seasonal fruits or vegetables, potted herbs or flowering plants, a grouping of candles, a collection of seashells, interesting rocks, or other natural elements that enhance the party theme. The photos in this book will give you lots of good ideas.

Music can play a big role in establishing the mood, and choosing it requires some thought and probably a trip to a music store (check world music sections for ethnic music) or ordering from an online seller or downloading. For most of the parties in this book, we suggest theme-enhancing music. Its always special to have live music, so if someone in your group plays guitar or another portable instrument, ask him or her to bring it along. Or tune up and dust off your piano, and plan for live entertainment at some point in your gathering. A sing-along is always a fun party activity.

Evening parties can be greatly enhanced by lighting that creates a mood appropriate to the party theme. Light switch dimmers can quickly create a romantic feeling. For outdoor parties, pull out the strings of tiny white lights from your box of Christmas decorations. They can add a lot of atmosphere to a garden all year round, as can tiki torches, hanging paper lanterns, and strings of overhead bulbs. And indoors or out, nothing beats lots of candles adding their special glow to the night.

Once youve chosen your party theme and made a head count, you need to create a shopping list before you hit the grocery store or farmers market. Choose a party menu with recipes that use ingredients in season, and, when you shop, always look for the best ingredients you can find. If a burger calls for sliced tomatoes, choose vine-ripened ones from the backyard garden or local farmers market.