Hamburger with Provolone and Reduced Wine Sauce, OR Where was I when Julia was invited to dinner?

The other day Yes! Chef! and I were watching some taped shows of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.  One show was all about potatoes and the other was about duck. At any rate, it inspired Yes! Chef! to dig out one of  Julia Childs cookbooks that my mom gave me in 1989 called,  The Way to Cook.  (You may wonder how I know my mom gave it to me in 1989.  It’s because I’m rather OCD and I always mark the year and the giver in a book when I receive one.  A little quirk that Yes! Chef! has had to learn to live with…my OCD, not the book marking.)  So, tonight he made a couple of hamburgers from some burger he had ground up from a brisket (very meaty.) Then, he used Julia’s technique for Deglazing Sauce with Red Wine.  He added shallots to the sauce which added a nice texture and flavor.

He also made a chopped green salad with lettuce, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing.  Then, he crumbled bacon on top.  Ho hum, just another typical dinner at the Schmautzhaus.

I have a feeling that we will be seeing more of Julia’s recipes on our table.  I’m okay with that!

Here’s the recipe for the sauce:

Ingredients:

2 TBS minced shallots or scallions

1 cup dry white wine. French vermouth, or red wine.

1/4 cup beef or chicken stock, optional

2-3 tbs butter

2 tbs minced fresh parsley, optional

After removing the sauteed meat from the pan, pour out most of the sauet fat, leaving a good teaspoon for flavor.  Turn the minced shallots or scallions into the pan and stir over moderate heat for a moment.  Then pour in the wine and optional stock, and scrape about to loosen coagulated saute juice.  Boil down over high heat for a minute or so, until liquid is almost syrupy.  Remove from heat and add a tablespoon of the butter, swirling the pan until the butter is absorbed before adding another tablespoon, step 1.  Sprinkle in the optional parsley, pour over the steaks, step 2 and serve.

From The Way to Cook by Julia Child