COLE'S COOKING A TO Z –by Brete Harrison

The humble hamburger brings smiles to faces both young and old.

Grilled in a pan or on an open fire, well done, medium or less so, finished simply or dressed elaborately, the hamburger is an all-season favourite.

But summer's the best time to experiment with different toppings and condiments to fit a casual gathering or a formal feast.

A few tricks turn the All-American Burger into a more sophisticated sandwich. Hamburger Au Poivre is lean ground beef or chuck coated with coarsely crushed pepper and flamed with brandy for a dramatic finishing touch.

COOKING A TO Z KITCHEN SUCCESS TIP:

There are a few simple tricks to grilling hamburgers. One of the most important is to flavour the meat with your favourite seasonings before you cook it.

Second, you should make the burger patty thick to begin with so that the outside is charred, while the inside remains juicy.

Third, don't handle the ground beef too much. The less you handle them, the lighter and fluffier your burgers will be.

ALL-AMERICAN BURGER

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons oil for meat, plus oil for grill

4 hamburger buns (or seeded Kaiser rolls)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, salt and pepper, working quickly and gently.

2. Divide mixture evenly into quarters and gently shape into patties about one inch thick. Pour oil onto hands and lightly coat outside of burgers.

3. Start fire in a charcoal kettle or gas grill. When coals or fire are ready, place burgers on a lightly oiled grill. Cook each side four to five minutes for rare, five to six minutes for medium, or eight to nine minutes for well done.

Keep lid closed during cooking process, flipping burgers over only once.

Press down burgers with a spatula several times during cooking process so that they cook evenly. Serve immediately on warm hamburger buns with all your favourite fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc.).

Serves four.

CHEESEBURGERS

After you flip burgers over, flatten them a bit with a spatula and lay several thin slices of your favourite cheese on top. Cheese, particularly a cheddar or jack, will melt more quickly with lid closed than open.

BACON CHEESEBURGERS

Place pieces of fully cooked strip bacon on top of burgers just before you add cheese.

BARBECUED BURGERS

Baste the burgers with your favourite barbecue sauce as they cook, spreading more sauce on the burgers at the table.

HAMBURGERS AU POIVRE

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef or chuck

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon each salt, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed

1 tablespoon each butter (or margarine) and salad oil

? cup regular-strength beef broth (homemade or canned)

2 tablespoons very finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons brandy

Watercress, for garnish

1. In a large bowl, lightly mix ground beef, garlic powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Shape into four large patties, then rub and press crushed pepper into both sides of patties. Cover with waxed paper and let stand at least 30 minutes.

2. In a large, heavy frying pan, heat combined butter and oil over moderately high heat until foamy.

Cook meat patties in the heated mixture until well-browned (approximately three to six minutes on each side for desired doneness). Remove to a heated platter and keep warm.

3. Pour off the cooking fat, then stir broth and onions into pan, along with remaining browned bits. Boil, stirring until most of the liquid is gone.

Remove from heat and add brandy. Heat slightly, swirling to mix. Carefully ignite and flame. When fire has died down, spoon remaining liquid over burgers. Garnish with bouquets of watercress. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

For additional culinary information and recipes from Cole's Cooking A to Z, e-mail AtoZ@culinarysocietyofamerica.com.