In 1999, French farmers rioted over the existence of McDonald’s in France. In 2000, French chef Daniel Boulud responded with his decadent DB Burger, featured at his DB Bistro Moderne and Daniel Boulud Brasserie for $32. For those who may not be able to travel but want the experience, CHOW has attempted to re-create the towering hamburger, replete with fresh Parmesan Kaiser Roll, Tomato Confit, Horseradish Mayonnaise, red wine–braised short ribs, black truffles, and of course foie gras.
What to buy: We followed Chef Boulud’s lead and used ground sirloin for this recipe. It has a low fat content (15 to 20 percent), which helps counteract the richness of the shredded short ribs.
Preserved black truffles can be found in jars in specialty grocery stores or online. If you can’t find whole truffles, splash a bit of black truffle oil over the short rib mixture before you add it to the burger.
Foie gras can be found at specialty grocery stores and butcher shops and online. Its fatty, velvety texture adds extra indulgence to this burger, but if you can’t find it or prefer not to eat it, leave it out and use a little olive oil to sauté the vegetables.
This recipe was featured as part of our Hamburger Through Time story.
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Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange the rack in the middle. In a small bowl, mix truffle slices with short rib meat until evenly combined; set aside.
Heat a medium frying pan over high heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Add foie gras to the pan and sear until browned, about 15 to 20 seconds per side. Set foie gras aside, reserving fat in the pan.
Reduce heat to low, add carrot, celery, and white onion to the pan, and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add rib mixture and reserved braising juices, and stir until meat and vegetables are well coated. Remove from heat and set aside.
Season sirloin well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form into a tightly packed ball, then create an indentation about the size of a golf ball in the middle. Fill the indentation with 2/3 of the rib mixture and top with foie gras. Cover foie gras with remaining rib mixture, then enclose sirloin around the filling so mixture is completely encased. Flatten burger slightly to form a thick patty.
Set a metal rack inside a baking sheet and place burger on top. Roast for 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle of the patty reads 120°F. Remove from the oven and assemble sandwich.
Spread 1/2 of the mayonnaise on the bottom bun, then layer it with red onion, tomato slices, frisée, and burger. Top with butter and arrange tomato confit over that. Spread remaining mayonnaise on top bun, and use to close burger. Serve on a plate with a knife and fork.
Beverage pairing: Murphy’s Irish Stout, Ireland. The burger is complex, pitting short ribs, foie gras, truffles, and horseradish against each other. A wine would have trouble making peace with these diverse elements, but a good dark beer can calm the ruckus down, and this stout will also refresh with its creaminess.
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