Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger

I got the idea for this recipe when I started craving the cheeseburger I had when I visited New York many months ago. One of the restaurants that I went to, Cosimo’s, only had one burger on their menu, and it was something very similar to this. It was really very good, and I’ve thought about it several times since then. Finally, I decided that there was no reason I couldn’t make it myself!
The burger that I had at Cosimo’s had a different sauce, which I can’t even remember, and had onions on it. Since I had some leftover chipotle crema, from when I made fish tacos, I decided to use that on my burger instead of trying to remember and concoct a mayonnaise similar to the one they used. And I forgot about the caramelized onions until after my burger was almost gone, so that didn’t make it on my sandwich this time. It didn’t matter, though, because this burger was so good, I didn’t even miss them! In fact, I think that if I had put the onions on, it might’ve been a little too much… The bacon was superb, as always, and the chipotle crema gave it just the right amount of kick and added flavor. As for seasonings, I’m really a purist when it comes to seasoning the actual burger - salt, pepper, and seasoning salt right before placing on the grill.
I had a delightful grilled vegetable medley with the cheeseburger at the restaurant, but I served my burgers tonight with some homemade French fries. My mom had a large crinkle cutter in her kitchen utensils drawer that she never used, so she said I could have it. Ever since then, I’ve been crinkle cutting everything! And, since homemade fries taste so much better than the cardboard junk you buy from the freezer section at the grocery store, I couldn’t resist. It turned out to be a wonderfully tasty dinner!

Printable Recipe

2 ciabatta rolls
16 oz. ground beef (85% lean)
1 (3 oz.) jar real bacon bits, divided in half (recommend Hormel)
4 slices Provolone cheese
2 green lettuce leaves
Chipotle Crema, recipe follows

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half, horizontally, to make a bun for the burger.
Prepare the ground beef into 8 ounce patties, being sure to make them fairly large in diameter so that they will cover the entire ciabatta roll; sprinkle the patties with a little bit of salt, pepper, and seasoning salt just before placing on the grill. Grill the hamburgers to desired doneness. When the burgers are almost done cooking, mound one half of the bacon bits on top and spread out to cover the entire burger. Just before removing the burgers from the grill, place two slices of Provolone cheese on top of each burger, covering the bacon bits. When the cheese is slightly melted, press the remaining bacon bits on top.
Arrange the lettuce on top of the bottom piece of the ciabatta roll and spread the chipotle crema on the top piece of the roll. Lay the bacon- and cheese-covered hamburger patty on top of the lettuce leaf and cover with the top of the roll. Yield: 2 large cheeseburgers


Chipotle Crema:
1 c. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. buttermilk
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
¼ tsp. kosher salt

Put the heavy cream in a 16-ounce microwave-safe glass jar; add the buttermilk, stir the mixture, close the jar, and store in a warm place for 24 hours. The cream will have thickened to the consistency of thin yogurt.
Add the chipotle chile and salt and process with an immersion blender, in the jar, until smooth, approximately 20 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: Approximately 1 cup

Fish Tacos with Fresh Strawberry Salsa and Chipotle Crema

This has become my all-time favorite recipe for fish tacos. I started out making Alton Brown’s recipe, which is a great base, but it seemed like it needed a little something more. I love Alton Brown and I hold him in high standards, but I just needed a little bit more this time… Something bright-flavored… Mind you, I don’t like a lot of extras on my fish tacos, so I didn’t want them overflowing with a bunch of crap that would mask the other flavors already in the dish.
Last week, I had picked up strawberries when they were on sale at my local market for only $0.98, and they needed to be used up, so I got the idea for a strawberry salsa into my head. The search began for something close to what I wanted… To my surprise, I actually found the perfect recipe to accompany what I was thinking in my head! There aren’t a whole lot of ingredients in this salsa, which is exactly what I wanted! I didn’t want something with jalapeños in it, since I already had the chipotle crema, and the ingredients matched the other flavors so well that I couldn’t pass it up. I did change the juice aspect of it, simply because I wanted to keep all of the flavors somewhat similar, but it was fantastic otherwise.
Then, I decided… Well, since I have these other strawberries to use up and they’re so authentically Mexican, I’ll make some strawberry margaritas to go with my dinner! I used a recipe on All Recipes that had rave reviews as my base, and went from there. I froze my strawberries and then used those instead of ice cubes, so that my margaritas weren’t watered down. I also sincerely believe that tequila is more than enough alcohol, so don’t usually add multiple liquors in my drinks. I do like the bright orange flavor, though, so I juiced the last lonely orange in my refrigerator.
What a great spring dinner this was! It was actually a warm day here in De Pere, so the lightness of the dish was most welcome. And, of course, the margarita was great to wash it all down! :-)

Printable Recipe

6 cloves garlic
2 c. packed cilantro leaves
4 limes, zested and juiced
4 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ c. tequila
2 lb. tilapia fillets
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 small round flour tortillas
Shredded cabbage
Lime wedges
Chipotle Crema, recipe follows
Strawberry Salsa, recipe follows
Strawberry Margaritas, recipe follows

Put the garlic, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small food processor bowl and pulse until combined, approximately 20 seconds. With the processor running, add the tequila. Put the tilapia fillets into a 1 gallon resealable bag, add the garlic mixture and move around to coat each fillet. Set aside at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat an electric nonstick griddle to 375°.
Brush the griddle with the olive oil. Cook the fillets until just cooked through and opaque about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cut into strips and serve in warm tortillas with shredded cabbage, lime wedges, crema, and strawberry salsa.


Chipotle Crema:
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. buttermilk
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
¼ tsp. kosher salt

Put the heavy cream in a 16-ounce microwave-safe glass jar. Microwave on high until the cream is just under 100°F, about 30 to 40 seconds. Add the buttermilk, close the jar, and store in a warm place for 24 hours. The cream will have thickened to the consistency of thin yogurt.
Add the chipotle chile and salt and process with an immersion blender, in the jar, until smooth, approximately 20 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: approximately 1 cup


Strawberry Salsa:
1 pint fresh strawberries, diced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. coarse sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lime and ½ medium-size orange

Mix all ingredients together, and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes approximately 2 cups


Strawberry Margaritas:
8 oz. frozen strawberries
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 - 6 fl. oz. tequila
2 fl. oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
4 fl. oz frozen limeade concentrate
Lime wedges, for garnish
Sugar, for rimming the glasses

Fill a blender with the strawberries, sugar, tequila, orange juice, and limeade concentrate; blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. If you’d like, add a few ice cubes and blend again. Serve in margarita glasses with the rims wetted from running the lime wedges around them and then dipped in sugar.