Burgers and Fries

There is perhaps nothing more American than a plate of burgers and fries. It’s a real shame, then, that most people think burgers always come wrapped in paper or served from a rectangular cardboard box. Indeed, fast food ‘restaurants’ have done a great disservice to the burger by associating it with inferior quality, stinginess, and poor taste. In fact, a well-made burger - with a nice thick patty made with top-grade beef and a good crusty bun - is both satisfying and incredibly tasty. Certainly, a burger is still rather humble fare (and I do find burgers on menus at expensive restaurants to be rather ridiculous), but it merits a better reputation that it gets outside the US.

I had a craving for a nice cheeseburger for some time. Guadeloupe, unfortunately, serves no other burger than those from McDonalds. Their fries may be unbeatable, but that was definitely not the kind of burger I was craving. So, like my cravings for Korean food, I've had to take matters into my own hand.

The strike, and the subsequent shortage of meat, put those burger-making plans on hold...until last week, when ground beef could be found. To that, I bought some sesame seed hamburger buns (specifically, l'Américain brand buns), and cheddar cheese.

Above, my burger and ‘fries.’ (I forgot to buy some pickles...dommage!)

After an intro lauding the culinary heights of the burger, I am bit ashamed that my burger isn’t made with top USDA grade organic grass fed ground beef, that the bun wasn't a freshly baked bakery roll, and that the cheddar wasn’t from Wisconsin, etc. But, I make do with what I can get, and my humble home-made burger was pretty tasty anyway.

I used a patty of steak haché, with minced onion, garlic, and parsley mixed in. I also added some tomato paste since I don't actually have ketchup in the house. Steak haché is not ideal (something about the texture) but I’m afraid it’s probably the best I can get here. The cows that dot the landscape seem to have more of a decorative or landscaping purpose than providing a local stock of high-quality beef.

The buns came in the traditional package of 8, so I'll have to make a few more burgers to use them up. But, I'm going to investigate some other, crustier, possibilities. It seems somewhat scandalous that my burger has such a bun when supposedly the best bakery in Guadeloupe is the one in my town.

Pre-sliced cheddar was all that was available since the French associate cheddar with hamburgers only. I thought lovingly of the cheese refrigerators at Fairway where I would often get a small orange block of Wisconsin extra sharp cheddar. It’s a bit surprising that the cheddar available in France isn't sharper since the French certainly like their cheese strong. If I was in France métropole, I might investigate whether a better quality cheddar might be available at a well-stocked cheese monger, but I think such a search would be fruitless in Guadeloupe.

The fries were perhaps the one concession to Guadeloupe. They're slices of banane légume (plantain) fried. Maybe I'll let the bananas inspire the burger next time. Guadeloupean burgers, anyone?