September 1, 2014
Amuse-Bouche
hamburger de poulet
(mini-chicken burger)
In August, 2013, I spent a bit over a week in Japan. My main reason for being there was to learn about and make a few Japanese knives. (A two-part article about my trip can be found here and here.) Whether home or away or far away, I’m always thinking about whether something I’m eating or watching being made would make a good amuse-bouche, intermède, or mignardise.
If a dish seems like a possibility or if the dish spawns a new idea, a note is written in my iPhone. I also have a folder on my computer desktop where I store PDF and video files of ideas. Besides the virtual file, there’s also a physical folder on my physical desk with ideas on paper. Some ideas have gone years without being made, and others are tried immediately. Surprisingly, my trip to Japan produced only one idea. I wrote a note in my iPhone that simply said “sweet chicken patties.” I have no idea what was happening or where I was in Japan when I wrote the note.
Yesterday, I had an extra chicken thigh sitting around, and hence the following recipe for 4 portions was born.
110 g (4 oz)
ground chicken thigh meat
1 white portion of a large
green onion, finely diced
2 halves
tomates secs, finely diced
to taste
white pepper
to taste
fine salt
1 t
ground coriander
as needed
panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 t
vegetable oil
sauce:
16 ml (1T)
Heinz Ketchup
8 ml (1⁄2 T)
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
5 ml (1 t)
Mexican agave syrup
1. Place all the meat ingredients in a bowl except for the panko and oil. Using a rubber spatula, rapidly stir the mixture until it becomes a little sticky. Divide the mixture into 4 portions.
2. Form each portion into a patty that’s about 3 cm (1-3⁄16 in) in diameter and 3⁄4 cm (5⁄16 in) thick. Gently coat each patty with the panko. Set each, when coated, on a plate and refrigerate.
3. Combine the sauce ingredients and mix until homogenous.
4. Heat the oil over medium heat in a small frying pan. Fry the patties until golden on each side. Briefly drain the patties on absorbent paper.
5. Place a small spoonful of sauce on each individual serving dish, and top with a patty. Eat while still warm.
© 2014 Peter Hertzmann. All rights reserved.