Gourmet Burger, The [Hardcover]

Paul Gayler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2005

In The Gourmet Burger, top European chef Paul Gayler presents a delectable range of delicious and imaginative burger recipes. Divided into six sections, Gayler shares some truly innovative and unique recipes for burgers made from beef (Bloody Mary Burger with Tabasco-cumin Ketchup, New Mexican Burger with Potato Mole, and Irish Stout Burgers with Mashed Blue Cheese Dressing), poultry (Bacon Wrapped Turkey Burger with Cranberry-peppercorn Relish), lamb (Spiced Mediterranean Burgers), fish (Miso Basted Salmon Burger with Mango-cucumber Salsa) and even vegetarian recipes (Southwest Red Bean Burger with Green Chili Mayo).
Chef Gayler has collected and created recipes for burgers to suit every occasion and appetite, plus information on the origins, history and popularity of the burger, along with expert guidance on creating the perfect burger. He offers tips on using herbs, marinades, and glazes, and details the best cooking methods. With recipe contributions from some of the world's top culinary experts, and a host of mouth-watering sauces and relishes, salads and sides, the popularity of the homemade burger is guaranteed.
Paul Gayler is executive chef at the prestigious Lanesborough hotel on London's Hyde Park, where he leads a team of 35 chefs, and oversees a restaurant and six banqueting rooms. He has twenty years of experience in some of the most respected kitchens and restaurants in Europe and is well known for being one of the first chefs to create dishes on his a la carte menu specifically catering or vegetarians. Paul has made several appearances on television in the UK and has written nine cookbooks. He lives in England.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his ninth cookbook, Gayler (A Passion for Cheese, etc.) attempts to recast the all-American burger as a hearty and healthy component of home-cooked meals. Gayler opens the book by tracing the history of the hamburger, which evolved from the European creations of steak tartare and Hamburg steak. Gayler's recipes embrace unexpected ingredients-including walnuts, eggplant and couscous-and places them inside pitas and tortillas, proving that the term "burger" need not denote either beef or bun. The Ultimate Burger with 'The Works,' a creation flavored with garlic and Worcestershire sauce, will tempt the palettes of traditionalists, and those who are a little more adventurous will salivate over the Teryaki-glazed Tuna burger or the zesty Ostrich Burger with cumin seed and guava ketchup. Gayler also devotes an entire chapter to meatless creations like the Grilled Eggplant, Goat Cheese, and Sundried-Tomato Burger and the Pumpkin Couscous Burger served in a pita. As all chefs know, it's nearly impossible to make a tasty meal without the right ingredients, and the wide range of ingredients incorporated in these dishes is both an asset and a drawback. Eager home cooks may end up hopping from store to store in search of thick-set Greek-style yogurt, guava jam or pheasant breast, particularly since the recipes don't always suggest substitutions. Nevertheless, impressive photos show readers what innovation and colorful presentation can do to even the Classic All-American Burger, and these elegant recipes possess the potential to turn even the dullest backyard barbecue into a gourmet event.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

As with all brilliant ideas, the burger's timeless appeal lies in its simplicity. A well-made burger transcends the sum of its parts to become truly sublime. Top chef Paul Gayler has turned the burger into a gourmet treat, making it as popular for a dinner party as the classic barbecue variety. With its roots buried deep in northern Europe, and its iconic status assured for over a century as America's own staple convenience food, the burger is enjoying a healthy revival--thanks to its mainstay of a few quality ingredients, cooked quickly and served up as fresh as can be. A succulent homemade burger makes the perfect meal--nutritious, filling and portable, it combines a host of sweet/salt/sour flavors to tantalize the taste buds. In The Gourmet Burger Paul Gayler presents a huge range of delicious and imaginative burger recipes. The book is divided into six sections, with a burger to suit every occasion and appetite. Introduction: Paul expounds the history and popularity of the burger, its origins and culinary diffusions; he provides expert guidance on making the perfect burger, including flavor boosters (herbs, marinades, glazes and finishing touches) and the best cooking methods. Classic Beef: Burgers based on beef, both classic and innovative. More Meat: Recipes based on pork, lamb, veal, cured meat, chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant and ostrich. Fish: From fish cakes to burgers, an array of deliciously light recipes based on cod, tuna, crab, salmon and shrimp. Vegetarian: Burger recipes based on beans (black bean, aduki, red bean), tofu, mixed grains and pulses, chickpeas and potatoes. All the Sides: A host of condiments, relishes, sauces, pickles, salads and breads, potatoes and fries. Paul Gayler is one of the finest of the new generation of chefs. He is executive chef at the prestigious Lanesborough hotel in London's Hyde Park, where he leads a team of 35 chefs, and oversees a restaurant seating 100 and six banqueting rooms. Paul has 20 years of experience in some of the most respected kitchens and restaurants in Europe and is well known for being one of the first chefs to create dishes on his a la carte menu specifically catering for vegetarians. Paul has made numerous appearances on television programs in the UK and has written nine cookbooks to date.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (January 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586854623
• ISBN-13: 978-1586854621
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Gayler began his passion for good food at the tender age of 12 while
assisting his mother with their family-owned catering business. By the age
of 16 he attended a catering school where he passed with the highest honors.
He later honed his career working in some of Britain's finest restaurants
and hotels, as well as a short period in France.

In 1982, he left the Dorchester in London, and took up the position of head
chef at one of London's most famous restaurant "Inigo Jones" where he gained
an enviable reputation as a pioneer for haute "Vegetarian Cuisine."
Frustrated by the lack of interest and imagination shown by many chefs in
the preparation of vegetable and vegetarian dishes, he introduced "Menu
Potager," a seven-course gourmet-inspired vegetarian menu. To this day Paul
remains the leader of imaginative vegetarian food in the world.

In 1991, Paul was invited to head up the team of the newly opened
Lanesborough on Hyde Park, in the heart of London. Over the years the hotel
has become a member of the prestigious St. Regis group and has become one of
the most exclusive hotels in the world. Paul remains to this day the
culinary genius, overseeing all food preparation in the hotel with a brigade
of 40 chefs all dedicated to producing great food.

Although Paul himself does not like his food to be labelled, he would
probably describe his cuisine as "Global Contemporary," a careful blending
of flavors, while retaining classical disciplines learnt over many years. He
believes there are only two real cooking stylescooking. Visit him online at www.paulgayler.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elevates the simple burger to an edible art form, March 9, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gourmet Burger, The (Hardcover)

Written and compiled by Paul Gayler (the executive chef of the prestigious Lanesborough hotel of London's Hyde Park), The Gourmet Burger is a cookbook that elevates the simple burger to an edible art form. Full-color photographs by Gus Filgate, and Gayler's methodical instructions teach the reader to create mouth-watering meals, from Bengali Chicken Burger with Cucumber and Tomato Achar, and Asian guacamole, to Pumpkin Couscous Burger in Pitas, to the Big Apple Deli Burger with Swiss Cheese and Barbecue Coleslaw, and so many more. The creations in Gourmet Burger use taste-tested applications of flavor, texture, spices, breads, vegetables and much more to maximum effect, in this recommended high-class kitchen resource for gourmets in general and burger lovers in particular.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burger goes drama, August 19, 2005

By 

Mark Korzilius (Germany, Hamburg) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gourmet Burger, The (Hardcover)

Thanks to the online bookshop this fantastic book found its way to Germany. This way we can enjoy a totaly new burger taste. Easy to understand and to cook, espescially the vegi Burgers.