shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i saw a really delicious-sounding recipe

last weekend for shrimp burgers.

on wednesday, i really wanted to use

the pickled korean radishes

that i had just made for something

more than snacking.

so, i did the only thing that made sense:

i made turkey burgers.

clearly, burgers were on my brain

and i kept thinking about traditional

cheeseburgers (why? i'm not sure):

beef,

cheese,

ketchup

and, usually, pickles.

so, instead i strayed:

korean-inspired turkey burgers

(that quickly made the leap to asian

burgers when i started tossing every

sauce in my fridge into the bowl),

enhanced with shiitake mushrooms

and topped with a

sesame-scallion mayo instead of ketchup.

skip the cheese.

and instead of the cucumber pickles,

neon pink radish wedges.

i decided to wing it,

buying whatever looked good to me

in the produce department, from

gigantic shiitake mushrooms,

to scallions, a firm jalapeno

and knobby ginger.

when i got home, i diced the mushrooms,

and reasoned that in spite of the fact

that i just didn't want to dirty another

pan, i really should saute them first.

so, i heated a bit of oil, added the

mushrooms, followed by the ginger,

jalapeno and garlic, cooking them all until they

were just tender and fragrant.

as soon as the mixture was out of the pan,

i stirred in the scallions,

sesame seeds,

sriracha,

sesame oil

hoisin and

oyster sauce.

the made-up mixture was spicy,

and even though i reasoned that

all the turkey would mellow it,

i still opted to make a very

gently-flavored spread to

smear over the burger:

mayonnaise,

scallions,

garlic

and sesame oil.

it was...fine.

yes, on it's own, it was

ok. with the burger, it

was better. is it worth it

to make again? i really

don't know. i do know that

i wanted it to be fabulous.

but, sometimes, as in life,

things just aren't.

it was a good burger.

still spicy after cooking,

moist thanks to the mushrooms

and packed with all of my favorites.

but, i wasn't as original

as i believed i was.

while assembling, i

realized that they were a

clear imitations of one of my

very favorites: turkey meatball banh mi.

but, these tasted even better because we

ate them in the daylight.

and that?

that was fabulous.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i made some interesting choices with these burgers. an avid lover of sticky sweet hoisin sauce, i added a spoonful before considering the consequences. it was already stirred in before i thought about the fact that these burgers were sure to burn, thanks to the sugars in the sauce. since i had already taken a wrong turn, i thought stirring in equally sugary oyster sauce seemed like a good idea. i also added in sesame seeds, which i loved - but i'm pretty sure some of those burned, too. at that point, the more the merrier, right? if you worry that the burgers charring a few minutes before they're finished will bother you, maybe think about removing these ingredients from the turkey and instead, adding the sauces to mayo. maybe.

a note about the toasted sesame seeds. i buy them from the asian markets, toasted, in large quantities and on the cheap. totally worth it.

scallion-sesame mayo

i think it's safe to say that you will have more mayonnaise than you need. that's ok - even not-so-exciting mayo has it's uses.

3 large scallions, trimmed and sliced

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2/3 cup reduced-fat mayo

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

in mini food processor, pulse scallions and garlic 10 times, or until finely chopped. add mayo, sesame oil and a pinch of kosher salt. process 30 seconds, or until well combined, scraping down sides, if necessary. taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

shiitake turkey burgers

2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4" dice

1 (1-inch piece) gingerroot, peeled and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (use only half if you want to tone down the spice)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

3 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 heaping tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 1/4 pounds ground dark turkey

4 buns, halved (it's a nice echo if they're sesame buns)

scallion-sesame mayo

pickled korean purple radishes, dried with a paper towel

in medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil 30 seconds, or until shimmering. add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. add ginger and jalapeno; cook 1 minute, more. add garlic; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. remove from heat and immediately transfer to large mixing bowl. stir in scallions, sesame seeds, soy, hoisin, oyster and chili sauces and sesame oil; season gently with salt and black pepper. let cool completely.

add turkey to bowl; using hands, mix just until combined. separate into four equal patties.

heat grill or grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. add burgers. cook 10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, turning once. transfer to plate. place buns on grill and cook 1 minute, or until toasted and golden brown (do yourself a favor and check them midway through in case your grill runs hot).

to assemble: place one burger on bottom of each bun. top with pickled radishes. spread top bun with mayo and place on burger. if you happen to have made baked sweet potato fries during this whole thing - all the better. put those on the other side of your plate. you may find yourself thinking the scallion-sesame mayo isn't all that bad on the tip of a fry.

black sesame marshmallows

weeks ago,

i was in h-mart,

our newest asian market find

(ok, it found us - the new store

opened its doors, a 1/2 mile

away from us, right around

the end of november).

i was buying sesame seeds

for lauren, when i saw the black

sesame seeds.

just like that,

i knew i had to have them.

because just like that,

i knew i was making

black sesame marshmallows.

it happens to me all the time:

i see something,

have an idea

and then become obsessed

until i make it work.

this time, though,

i had my doubts.

the whole car ride home -

yes, all 10 blocks -

i tossed questions larry's way:

do you think black sesame marshmallows

are a good idea? or a bad one,

and you're afraid to tell me?

how do you think i can get them to scream sesame?

do you think i can add sesame oil to the

marshmallow mixture without the entire

thing deflating? or will the droplets of sesame

oil rise to the surface? do you think the

sesame oil will make it bitter? are you excited

about sesame marshmallows?

the answers, were as follows:

yes.

no.

i don't know.

i don't know.

brooke, i don't know.

i really don't know.

yes.

and, so, i knew i had to

get to the bottom of this myself.

i read through a book about marshmallows.

i searched high and low on the internet,

only learning that, if i wanted to,

i could buy marshmallow-scented oil,

i asked two friends with culinary backgrounds.

the second one said to me,

you know what i'm going to say.

and she was right,

the only way to truly know if i could

incorporate oil into marshmallows was

to try it for myself.

finally - last week - i decided to give it a go.

colleen, and her husband, christian,

were having a housewarming party for

their new beautiful home (more on this

soon) and i had already committed

to bringing another dish.

the day after we were going to a party

at larry's parents' house, and i had something

ready for them, as well.

read: if the marshmallows were a bust,

i would not panic, nor would i need to

run around like a lunatic looking for

something else to make.

i stuck with what i knew,

using my standard recipe.

as the sugar mixture came to a boil,

i prepared the pan,

measured out the seeds,

found the vanilla extract

and then finally,

stared down the sesame oil,

sitting boldly on the counter.

somewhere in the back of my head,

i remembered that this was an experiment,

but let's be honest - i was not going to

be happy if they failed.

it was a friday night.

i was still dressed from work.

and my fingers were slightly grey from the seeds.

i was counting on this -

maybe not for colleen's party,

but for me.

i poured the hot liquid down

the side of the mixing bowl,

into the bloomed gelatin below,

and turned on the mixer.

i gave myself 12 minutes to watch

the beginning of the first episode

of project runway, willing myself

to not care about the end result -

it's just a recipe, which could be

tested 10 times before it goes right.

(i know - i've been there.)

when the marshmallows were good

and fluffy, i poured in the vanilla extract.

so far so good.

and then, i half closed my eyes,

added 2 teaspoons of sesame oil

and kept the mixer running for 30 seconds more.

the mixture looked exactly the same.

it worked!

quickly - oh, how quickly you have to work

with this sticky, sticky batter - i poured

everything into the pan, patted it down

and sprinkled the top with sesame seeds.

i grabbed a spoon

and sampled some renegade marshmallow

that had stuck to the mixer bowl.

it tasted like sesame. and larry agreed.

could it be that easy?

i guess so.

but, then, my mind wandered back

to the next step - coating.

usually, that's the step that's the most

messy. and the most fun.

you cut into shapes,

toss with a confectioners' sugar

mixture to make them stop sticking to

everything in site, and then you're done.

but this time -

i had made life considerably harder for myself.

earlier, i decided to only coat

the top with sesame seeds.

i figured that huge

black squares

would just not be so pretty.

and, it seemed kind of wrong to make something

so fluffy,

so crunchy.

and now that the top was

shiny and pretty and very dark,

i knew i had to keep them that way.

my first thought was this:

if i mixed them with ground sesame seeds,

they would stay dark all over,

but they wouldn't be as crunchy.

so i pulled out the spice grinder.

once powdered, their color was more of

a dark speckled brown. i tossed one

marshmallow in and it was clear that

this was not a workable method.

the ground sesame was clumping,

the marshmallow looked mottled

and, worse, they were still sticky.

i knew what i had to do -

there was no way to avoid it.

i added confectioners' sugar to

the ground sesame seeds, whisked

them together and then,

one by one,

coated the marshmallows,

making sure not to dunk

the sesame seed coated side

into the powder.

and it wasn't that bad.

sure, once i finished about five,

i realized that these would

be better in small bites,

and set to work quartering each,

so that instead of cutting and coating

25 squares, i cut and coated 100.

but they were the perfect size

and it just made sense.

i tried one.

and i knew that i loved them.

and larry gave them a thumb's up.

but, i still wasn't sure where the

popular vote would land.

i had two parties to find out.

and luckily, although they only

disappeared at colleen's,

they seemed successful at both -

twice prompting marshmallow conversations,

which makes me very, very happy.

because yes, so many times,

recipes need to be tweaked and played

with and perfected. but once in a while,

something just works.

and that?

is so, so nice.

black sesame marshmallows

sesame seeds can be expensive in a regular grocery store. if you have an asian market anywhere around you, head there to find them (mine were $2.99 for 8 ounces). the other great thing about buying sesame seeds from an asian market is that there, they're often sold already roasted. (can you imagine trying to roast black sesame seeds without burning them?) if you don't have a spice grinder, don't worry about adding the sesame to the confectioners' sugar coating - the addition does give the marshmallows one more level of sesame, but they'll survive without out it.

oh, and as always with marshmallows. make sure everything is ready to go - once you turn off the mixer, the marshmallows should be poured into the pan immediately.

1 cup water (plus more, if needed), divided

3 (.25 ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 large pinch table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil

1/3-1/2 cup roasted black sesame seeds,

plus 2 tablespoons, divided

1 cup confectioners' sugar

coat a 9" x 9" pan very well with a thin coating of neutral flavored oil or cooking spray.

pour 1/2 cup water into bowl of electric mixer; sprinkle gelatin evenly over water. (you don't want to play around too much with the liquid, but if a lot of the gelatin is dry, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon water over the gelatin to keep it from clumping and to help it bloom.)

in heavy saucepan (i used a 3-quart), combine remaining water, sugar, corn syrup and salt. set heat to low and cook until sugar has dissolved, stirring constantly. increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, without stirring. add thermometer and boil, without stirring, until the thermometer reaches 240˚f (soft-ball stage). remove from heat and let stand 30 seconds.

meanwhile, turn mixer to medium and break up gelatin. reduce speed to low. with mixer running, carefully pour hot sugar mixture in a steady stream down the side of the bowl. increase heat to high and beat 12-14 minutes, or until mixture is very thick (make sure your bowl is locked into place). reduce speed to low and pour in vanilla extract, then sesame oil. increase speed and beat 30 seconds more, or until combined.

immediately transfer marshmallow mixture to prepared pan. wet hands with cold water and smooth the top of the marshmallow. dry hands. sprinkle sesame seeds over top of marshmallow to cover, pressing lightly. let sit, uncovered, at least 2 hours.

to make coating and to coat:

in spice grinder, process remaining 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds until finely ground. in small bowl, whisk together ground seeds and confectioners' sugar.

using lightly oiled bench scraper (or you can coat the scraper with cooking spray), cut marshmallows into 100 squares, re-oiling bench scraper as needed. or, cut marshmallows into desired shape and size. add marshmallows, one or two pieces at a time, to confectioners' sugar mixture, coating every side except for the black sesame top. pat off excess sugar.

store marshmallows at room temperature in a sealed container.

snapshot: tofu with spicy scallion and sesame sauce

i spend a lot of time cooking

intricate, million-step dishes that

make me very proud,

and usually, very tired.

the other times? i want quick

and simple options, that allow

me to sit for a few minutes when

i get home from work, and not

have to run into the kitchen,

crossing my fingers that we

eat before 10 pm.

this korean tofu is exactly

that - the longest part comes

from draining and blotting

the block of firm tofu,

which involves patience,

not skill or good form.

that's when i usually rest

(i.e. change my clothes

and watch ellen on dvr).

next, the tofu can be pan-seared

or boiled gently in water.

it's up to you and your mood.

while that's happening,

i sprinkle 2 large cloves garlic with

a large pinch of salt and let it sit 5 minutes,

before mashing them together until a paste forms.

then, in a small bowl, i whisk the paste

with 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds

that have been crushed with a heavy knife,

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions,

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce,

1 tablespoon asian sesame oil,

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.*

when the tofu is ready, i spoon the spicy,

garlicky and nutty sauce over the tofu

and serve it next to some greens or

brown rice. if i'm feeling ambitious,

both sides make it to the plate,

but really, that's not what nights

like these are about.

*this sauce is yet another reason - on a very, very long list - why i am so sad to lose gourmet. the original, unadapted version of this recipe can be found here.