Guacamole

Guacamole is one of my favorite dips. I enjoy it with corn or tortilla chips, and as a topping in my beef burger.

Guacamole is very easy to make and you don't have to make it hours in advance, as it is very quick to make. If you have the ingredients on-hand, it is a last minute snack or appetizer when unexpected guests stop by for a drink.

To make my guacamole I use a pestle and mortar. But if you don't have one, use a potato masher and a bowl.

For 4 to 6 servings, you will need:

• 2 large, ripe avocados
• One small red onion, for 2 tablespoons  
• A large handful of fresh cilantro, for 2 tablespoons
• One tomato, for 3 tablespoons
• One chili, for 2 tablespoons*
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper*
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice

Preparation time: 10 minutes

For the guacamole preparation, don't crush the ingredients to a paste, because you want a nice chunky texture at the end.

Start by dicing the red onion into small pieces and loosely dicing the cilantro.

Then, peel the tomato - I like it that way, so you don't end up eating pieces of tomato skin - and dice it. Finally, dice the chili. Reserve the diced tomato and chili until it is time to incorporate it to your preparation.

Crush the diced red onion and cilantro together in a mortar with the pestle.

Add the salt, cayenne pepper, diced tomato, and diced chili into the mortar and crush with the pestle.

Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and cut it into large chunks. Add the avocado chunks and the lime juice into the mortar and loosely crush with the pestle.

That was easy! Your guacamole is ready! Reserve it in the fridge tightly sealed until serving.

*Note: You can deseed the chili and substitute the cayenne pepper with paprika if you want your guacamole mild.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Red Wine Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork is probably one of the best things you will ever make and - once you try this recipe and start spending your Sundays pacing the length of your kitchen and frequently stealing glances at the clock, all while soaking in the warm aromas of your boiling pork - you will wonder how you went this long without this dish in your life.

An added bonus is that the dish is made using pork shoulder, which is also called pork butt in some parts of the world, despite having nothing to do with a swine's posterior. Pork shoulder is one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can lay your hands on - but it creates such a strong impression in this dish, and it is easy to cook. Quite the opposite of a beef filet, which is very expensive and easy to overcook to ruin.

This dish takes time to prepare, but it is like taking the time to hike up a mountain or to write that short story you have been putting off, or to raise a child. You cannot beat the sense of satisfaction when it all comes together at the end. Especially when you see the facial expressions of your dinner guests as they spoon the tender, flaky, and moist pork into their mouths. And then you can casually remark that you spent seven hours - the whole day - on dinner, and soak in the compliments and praise.

Yes, I said seven hours. Make sure you are ready for the commitment.

For 4 to 6 servings, you will need:

For the rub:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt (if you have it, use fine salt otherwise)
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of pepper

- Note that this is a strong, spicy rub. Feel free to reduce the amount for a milder pulled pork!


For the Mirepoix:

• 2 onions
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery

For the rest:

• 650g of pork shoulder, also called pork butt (but still comes from the shoulder)
• 120g of bacon or lardons
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 bottle of red wine. Something rich and heavy, I used a shiraz-cabernet blend from South East Australia, but this dish is just has comfortable with a burgundy or Côte-du-Rhone, for example. 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 hours


First, add the dry rub ingredients to a mortar. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can use a food processor, spice mixer, or any other creative means to make the paste.

Mash away with the pestle until you get a paste.

Rub the paste all over the pork and set aside while we do the rest.

Preheat your oven to 150C (300F).

Now to prepare the mirepoix. Dice up your carrot ...

... and your onions ...

... and your celery.

Now, a mirepoix is by ratio, two parts onion to one part carrot and one part celery. You might not have this exact ratio as your vegetables might be larger or smaller than mine. Check the diced amounts against each other and set aside any extras for use in another dish.

If you are using bacon strips instead of lardons, chop them up into bits.

Finally, time to start cooking.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan, which goes in the oven, over medium high heat and add your bacon or lardons with  a little bit of oil. Cook them up, and then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the pork to sear. If your pan is getting too hot, adjust the temperature. We do not want to burn the outside.

Turn the pork until all sides are seared.

Remove the pork and set aside. In the same pan, add your mirepoix.

Let the mirepoix cook for a few minutes, then add just a bit of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan; and with a wooden spatula, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom.

Continue to cook your mirepoix for about 5 to 7 minutes, and then add the cooked bacon.

Cook the bacon in with the mirepoix for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add your pork on top of the bacon mirepoix ...

... add the rest of the chicken stock and the bottle of wine and bring it to a boil.

Once the liquid is boiling, cover the pot and place it in the oven.

That's it.

No, seriously. Go and do something else for seven hours. You will smell that fatty pork render into the wine sauce and it will tempt you to open the oven and just reach for a serving. Don't touch it. You literally cannot overcook this. In fact, it could arguably be done in less time, but the longer it cooks the better. All those juices and fats are bubbling and boiling, and trapped inside the pot they are making a savory steam around the pork as it just relaxes and allows its tough muscles to give in and melt away. This is a spa day for the pork shoulder, let it relax and leave it alone. For seven hours.

And then, take it out and marvel at the transformation.

What was once a tough, cheap cut of meat from the wrong side of town, has blossomed into something so tender - you can see that part of it has voluntarily fallen away by itself.

With a fork, start pulling (get it? That's where the name comes from!) at the pork, allow it to fall apart into fibres naturally.

You should not need a knife for this, if you do then the pork has not cooked enough, or is not a shoulder cut.

Continue until you have completely separated your pork.

Now mix this in with the rest of the juices and return to the oven for 30 minutes.

Finally, remove and serve.

This can be eaten by itself, there is nothing wrong with that! It also goes well with bread, pasta, in a sandwich or burger, or as a filling for a burrito or enchilada.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki

Toulouse & Around - FRANCE

Toulouse is a great city to eat in, especially if you like duck, cassoulet, and wine, but we won't only recommend French restaurants as you'll see below.

The South-West region of France is also well-known for its gastronomy.

We lived in Toulouse from end of 2009 to March 2011, so all these recommendations are dated from this time.

Empanadas Argentinas

This is a small and lovely empanadas place in Toulouse. It is located 3 rue des Gestes, a 5 minutes walk southwest of the Capitole (where Toulouse's City Hall is) following rue Gambetta. They serve good-sized, delicious empanadas.

We often ate here while we were living in Toulouse, but you can also take away empenadas. The restaurant is really small, so if you plan on going you might want to book a table or be prepared to wait for a bit, especially on weekends.

The menu is varied and offers carnivore and vegetarian options. They offer fillings such as tuna, chicken-onion, spinach, three cheese, ham-cheese, corn, and organic meat empanadas.

The prices are decent and the staff is friendly, which is always nice in France.

Frog & Rosbif

This pub is quite nice, even though we like the charm of an Irish pub better.

They brew their own beer, and for the food ... interesting concept ... they use the Indian restaurant and the French restaurant across the street to cater their customers.

As far as the beer is concerned, the brew is just about decent. As an avid beer lover who lived in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Frog's brews just don't quench my thirst for a good micro-brewed pint. But they do offer a very refreshing change from the usual beer selections common in French bars and cafes.  

Try the Ginger Blonde, that was the only one that made an impression. 

It is located 14 rue de l'Industrie, a 10 minutes walk east of Place Wilson (downtown).

http://www.frogpubs.com/pub-rosbif-toulouse.php

Grand'Pizzeria

It is quite a charming Italian restaurant, which honestly doesn't look like anything much from the outside, but it is bigger on the inside ... (this is is for you Doctor Who fans) (2 levels restaurant).

The pizzas are delicious, as well as the pastas.

The pizzas are Italian style pizzas with thin crust.

The staff is friendly, and the service is extremely quick even on a very crowded weekend. The pizza chefs take centre stage as you enter the restaurant, and they are always ready with a friendly smile and "Bonjour" even while they runaround sliding a seemingly endless parade of pizzas into and out of the giant brick oven.

It is located 11 rue Castellane, a 10 minutes walk east of Place Wilson (downtown).

The restaurant is often full, but the downside is they don't take any reservation, which is a pity.

La Mare aux Canards

It is located 14 rue des Gestes, in the same street than Empanadas Argentinas ... I completely concede it is not the same food than Argentinian empanadas, because this restaurant will serve you typical local Toulousaine cuisine. So if you like duck ... go for it.

The prices are decent: they offer a 20, 25, 28 euros menus, or à la carte.

The portions are generous.

The menu is delicious from any salad to the foie gras as well as the duck confit, and even the beef (entrecôte and onglet). And don't forget to try a dessert ... after all. you are in France.

Be careful, at the time they were often fully booked, so make a reservation.

The staff is friendly and has a excellent knowledge of the menu.

http://www.mare-aux-canards.com/

La Cave Au Cassoulet

We would recommend the cassoulet, which is a southwestern French speciality.

The restaurant is located in the cellar, quite charming way to eat.

It is located 54 rue Peyrolières, a 5 minutes walk southwest of the Capitole (where Toulouse's City Hall is) following rue Gambetta (rue Gambetta becomes rue Peyrolières.

http://caveaucassoulet.chez.com/ As in today, their website is not really working, you just get home page and the map, but no menu.

Maison Du Curry

The restaurant is quite off-centered (located avenue de l'URSS), and we only went there once just before we left Toulouse. They just have been opened for less than a week and the food was good.
The staff was really friendly. As mentioned, at the time, and it was the first few weeks they were open, they weren't really organized and we waited quite a bit to have our orders served.

They also have a booth at the Victor Hugo Market (located downtown), that's how we discovered them. We often bought some excellent food to take away.

De Danu

It is a typical Irish pub where we used to go quite often for drinks and food. The only downside, and the reason we started to go less often, is it became more like a fancy restaurant, or I guess you can call it a gastro-pub, than a pub anymore ... you even have to book a table ... which is quite ridiculous if you ask me.

The food is good but pricey, especially for a pub. 

The staff is friendly ... like any Irish pub.

It is quite off-centered, so if you're walking, it's a good 25 minutes walk from downtown.

http://www.dedanu.com/fr

Monsieur Georges

If you want good meat, excellent sauces, and wait staff who can speak english (but don't rate high on the friendly scale), Monsieur Georges in Place Saint-Georges (next to Place Wilson) is a great bet.

However, expect to pay a decent sum; an entrecôte (steak) is 24 Euros. Dinner for two, including appetizer, dessert, and a bottle of wine, will generally run over 80 Euros. 

But, the meat is really good and the staff always understood just how I like my meat, which is a big plus for me. They are not friendly or exceedingly warm, so don't expect that kind of service.

http://www.monsieurgeorges.fr/accueil_m_georges.vdom

Les 3 Dynasties

It is located in Blagnac where the airport is, so not really next to any tourist attraction, but the food is excellent and constant, so no surprise there. Les 3 Dynasties is an excellent Chinese restaurant which has been opened for a very long time (at least ten years, because I lived in Toulouse in 2000 and 2001 and I remembered eating there quite often).

http://restaurant-thai-chinois.les3dynasties.fr/

Xavier Fromager Affineur

A great selection of cheese.

The prices are not low, so if you can find the cheese you like in a supermarket or at a market, buy them there. Go to Xavier if you want a specific cheese, such as their truffle brie (the time to buy  truffles is after October-November).

Xavier Fromager Affineur is located downtown, across the street from the Victor Hugo Market.

We wouldn't recommend:

The chain called L'Entrecôte (and not only in Toulouse), from which we still don't understand why there is a waiting line. The menu is always the same, the meat is less than decent, and at the end you  just get a beef steak and French fries dish ... very sad ... and a less than medium quality.

Any other Indian restaurant (other than Maison du Curry and New Delhi, the one serving Frog and Rosbif) because the food is not Indian. There is no flavour, no spice, and every dish tastes practically the same.

Reviewed by Charline Leblond & Shyamal Addanki

Sidmouth - UK

Nice little town located on the UK Jurassic Coast, Sidmouth is quite charming.

We visited this town and had dinner there in July 2012.


The Anchor Inn

The pub menu is more or less the same as any other pub in the UK, but the difference is that the food here was good.

We were three eating here: the two of us, and my eight years old cousin who is also a foodie and a good cook*.

The menu at the time offered four different types of Fish and Chips: the Cod Fillet, the Haddock Fillet, the Plaice Fillet, and the Whole Tail Scampi. My eight years old cousin tried the Cod Fillet and because it was good and the portion was quite big (served with chipped potatoes, garden peas, and fresh salad), it was enough to satisfy our appetite. The only thing she wasn't fond of were the garden peas, because it tasted, and was, a bit weird. As she stated: "they are big and flashy green, it's weird!" which, in her defence, is the same in every UK pub ... I guess that's one of those weird British foods.

It was her first Fish and Chips and she was really pleased with the discovery, we even got the honor of a "it delicious! (in English ... oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she's French), and she also became very fond of coleslaw.

I had the Traditional Cottage Pie: the beef was good and perfectly cooked and the stew was excellent. The only down side was that it wasn't really a pie, they served it to you on two separated butter puff pastries, which was good - don't get me wrong - but not the traditional pie I expected.

Shyamal had The Anchor Burger with a 1/2 pound of beef burger, served with smoked bacon, melted cheese, sliced tomato and lettuce, and accompanied by homemade coleslaw and chipped potatoes. The burger was excellent, the beef was tender and overall the burger was juicy and extremely satisfying.

We all tried each other's dish and agreed that everything was good.

The staff was very friendly and even thought the pub was crowded, the service was fast and good.

For a relative touristy area, and compared to the other pubs in the neighbourhood, the prices were very decent. The burger was 9.25 GBP, the Fish and Chips was 8.95 GBP and the pie was 9.75.


*Note: Just as a side note that has nothing to do with the recommended places, but more with the cooking part of our blog, my eight years old cousin tried few of our recipes and made, by herself (aside from managing the oven) the vanilla creams, the quiche, the carrot cake, the yoghurt and chocolate cake, the chocolate mousse amongst some other recipes she creates.

Reviewed by Charline Leblond and Shyamal Addanki

Oxford - UK

Oxford might be the city of dreaming spires, academics, and future world leaders who now stumble drunk from college to pub. But it is nonetheless part of England and the culinary choices leave no doubt that food is not the priority in this part of the UK. This can be seen by the abundance of kebab trucks, a fond spot of respite for the inebriated student on his or her way home. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a kebab as much as the next guy, but the kebabs in Oxford are something else. Literally, I mean something else - I have never seen meat coated in wax and sliced into impossible long strips. 

We lived in Oxford from September 2011 to July 2012, and even though British food is not great, we found few places where the food was good. Relatively speaking.

Shanghai 30's

Located at 42 St Aldate's, just across the street from Christ Church College, Shanghai 30s has a lovely decor, well accented by period furnishing and yet not overly tacky. And the food is delicious, the original menu will spoil you for choice - no simple Orange Chicken here. In fact, they even have a separate menu for the more "authentic" (read: Spicy) dishes their chef offers. Every time we ate at Shanghai 30s, we tried new dishes and we were never even once disappointed, whether it was a noodle dish (like their home made knife shaven noodles) or a sauce-based dish (like their Pineapple "Gu Lao" chicken). Their spicy selection was very well balanced without being too hot, one could appreciate the nuances of garlic and ginger being used as spice elements to complement the chillies.

The staff at Shanghai 30s was always polite and friendly, in the passive Chinese way of staying away from you unless you call. You won't get bothered very often, but when you do ask for something you will be greeted with smiles and and eager disposition.

http://www.shanghai30s.com/

Bangkok House

Bangkok House is located at 42A Hythe Bridge Street, and is a great Thai restaurant with a delicious menu and a great selection of authentic Thai dishes. The usual Thai curries, red, green and padang, are all excellent as are their appetiser plates of egg rolls and dumplings. One thing to note is that rice is not included with the curries or stir fries, it has to be ordered separately and there is a choice of normal, fried and coconut rice, which goes fantastically with the aforementioned curries. As a bonus, their dessert choices include the delicious fried banana and pandan cake.

It is a bit pricey, especially on a student budget, but it is totally worth every penny. The staff is nice and friendly, and the crackers they provide in the beginning are absolutely amazing. If you order a beer, it will come nice and chilled ... which is already more than most of England can manage. 

Jude the Obscure

Located in the pretentious Jericho neighbourhood of Oxford, Jude the Obscure is one of the pubs that seems to have resisted the Oxford pollution. Despite its location right on Walton Street, it remains a nice, charming pub with a regular clientele of slighter older locals. One of the pleasant surprises here is the friendly staff, they are happy to swap a joke or two and seem to actually be eager about making you feel happy to be at Jude the Obscure.

Another happy surprise is that the food at Jude the Obscure is quite decent. Stick to the simple - burgers and sandwiches are done well - and you won't be disappointed. You can ask for your burger to be done medium if you like (but if you don't say anything it will be well-cooked). After trying the duck-wrap and vegetarian chilli, it seemed best to stick to the burgers and sandwiches so try the rest of the menu at your own risk.

Their beer selection is typical for a pub, a few English ales and a handful of chilled beer on tap, along with some special brews, such as Crabbies, in bottles.

They offer a fantastic deal for lunch, either a burger and a beer for 8.95 or a sandwich and a beer for 5.95 (as of this writing, please double check the prices at the pub) and they don't skim on the quality just because it is a lunch special. 

Bella Italia

This UK chain of Italian restaurants is consistently pleasing with little variation in the cuisine between restaurants. The food is good, and very reasonably priced, leaving little reason to spend more at other fancy Italian restaurants. Generally, all the pasta and meat dishes we have tried have been quite good, but the pizza leaves something more to be desired. We had the Pollo e Spinaci, rigatoni pasta with chicken, spinach, and mushrooms in a gorgonzola sauce, and enjoyed it so much we ordered it a few times. They also do some great non-pasta dishes, such as their Pollo alla crema, a baked chicken dish with a white wine sauce.

However, this Bella Italia in Oxford does leave a little wanting in the service and general ambiance areas. While the staff is polite, you don't get the same warmth and friendliness we have encountered in other Bella Italias.

This specific restaurant is not very big, but one gets the impression that they tried to cram too many tables in there. While this is also true of the Bella Italia in London, on Martin's Lane, in Oxford it leads to a noisy and chaotic atmosphere that can be quite disagreeable to a romantic date or quiet dinner with friends. However, the side booths work quite well to hide from the din, so try to score one of these when you make a reservation. Which brings me to my next point - make a reservation, especially on a friday or saturday.

Atomic Burger

If you crave a good burger and have been slowly dying every time you have a burger at a british pub, Atomic Burger is your elixer of life. This little joint is in East Oxford, at 96 Cowley Road, which makes it a bit far off if you are in the center or north of Oxford. Honestly, if we had known about Atomic Burger before arriving in Oxford, we would have only looked for accommodation within a food-coma zombie walking distance of its colourful doors.

They have a great selection of classic and original burgers and a choice of normal or awesome fries, in portions big enough to satisfy that hankering you have had for a real burger. And to wash down the meal, you have to try one of Atomic Burger's milkshakes - and yes, they do malted shakes!

The staff is extremely friendly and casual. They will take their time to sit and explain their menu and address any questions you may have about their offerings. When you are in doubt about what to choose, they will even be glad to make recommendations and they come back to make sure that your burger was done the way you wanted. It is almost like North American customer service here!

The staff and the atmosphere in general are quite funky in a off-pop sci-fi kind of way, quirky but not Kirky. Unfortunately the place is quite small, so you ought to make a booking. The first time we went, we were told there would be a 45 minute wait. While we deliberated on what we were going to do, a burly man who looked like he had just finished his foodgasm walked out and - noticing our lack of enthusiasm for waiting 45 mins to eat - solemnly nodded at us and told us with a straight face that it would be the best burger we have ever had. We waited, and we were not disappointed.

http://atomicburger.co.uk/

The Old Bookbinders

A seemingly lost pub in Oxford is The Old Bookbinders. When I say "lost", I mean it in the sense that it is trying to find its identity amidst all the student bars and quaint old pubs filled with old-time regulars. Their menu is heavily French influenced, due to the owner and chef's background, and features charcuterie, moules-frites, and crêpes. This might be the only pub in England where you cannot have Fish-n-Chips.

That being said, they excel in making French-fries, or chips. They do the thin-cut, crispy kind, while most other pubs take the lazy way out of serving thick-cut wedges. Their fries are really something amazing, and competes for deliciousness with their house cole-slaw. This is coleslaw like you have never had, it tastes freshly made with crispy cabbage and carrots you can actually taste, rather than the white gooey lump offered at most other establishments.

Fortunately, the fries and coleslaw come as sides for their burger, which is equally fantastic. The one you must have is "Le Benicàssim", which is a beef burger topped with bacon, cheddar and a sunny-side-up egg.

The crêpes are disappointing for a kitchen with a French chef. At The Old Bookbinders, one single type of crêpe is used for all the crêpes, both sweet and savoury. This is not at all how crêpes are normally made and it simply comes across as being a lame attempt at taking a shortcut rather than making crêpes the way they are supposed to be made.

The prices are quite high and the staff's attitude is kind of a hit-or-miss: they are not really friendly, even a bit snob.

http://oldbookbinders.co.uk/

We wouldn't recommend at all:

Nando's on George Street. Nando's is a restaurant specialized in chicken dish. The food was not good, we were a table of five and nobody ate at the same time, even worse: 15 minutes after 2 people at our table had been served, we had to ask where the rest of the dishes were, and were told, in a nonchalant tone, that they were coming. Finally when the rest of the plates arrived, we realized they screwed up one of the orders and had to wait another 15 minutes. Also, the staff is not friendly and the food is awful.

Reims - FRANCE

Reims is located in the heart of the Champagne region of France. It is well-known for the Champagne wineries.

The last time we ate at these restaurants was between August and October 2012, but every time I visit my family in the Champagne area, I always go eat at Le Grand Café.

Le Grand Café

Le Grand Café is located in the center of Reims on place d'Erlon. It has been open for a long time and they were able to stay consistent in the quality of the food they serve and their staff is always polite and friendly, despite their constant rush of hungry diners.

I often order Moules-Frites, and depending on my mood, I ordered a different sauce every time. This is where Shyamal discovered and tasted his first moules-frites. They offer something like 20 different sauces for their moules-frites, from white-wine sauces to lardon-filled carbonara sauces. The fries are quite good too.

Another excellent selection at Le Grand Café is their Salmon Tartare. This raw-salmon based dish is not very common to come across, but it is extremely fresh and it gives you a melt-in-the-mouth sensation.

Also recommended: The Choucroute de la mer, a melange of shellfish with sauerkraut. 

Even though they are open non-stop from 11:30 AM to midnight, they are often full ... but don't hesitate to wait for a table because it's worth it.

The decor inside is old French typical and beautiful (check out the rotunda inside). You can also eat outside when weather permitting.

http://www.le-grandcafe.com/

Les 3 Brasseurs

There are currently two locations of Les 3 Brasseurs in Reims: one downtown at place d'Erlon, and one located about 7 kilometers west outside of Reims (ZAC Thillois).

Les 3 Brasseurs brew their own beers: a blanche, a blonde, an amber, a brunette, and a brew of the moment. They have a varied menu, and during a visit with Shyamal and my Dad, we had a chance to try three different dishes, which were all very good.

We tried both locations in Reims and we were happy with their consistency.

The first time, at the downtown location, Shyamal and I both had burgers, and my dad had a regional dish they offered called "Gourmet 3 Brasseurs" which included a medley of their specialities. The dessert we tried was the Creole sweet version of Flammekueche, and it was good, but we would recommend to share it because it is quite big.

The second time, at the other location, we both had burgers (again) and my dad had the same "Gourmet 3 Brasseurs". The only difference is that my burger was different a different one, I had "Le Country" this time around, and it was really good, but it's size made it very inconvenient to eat.

The "Le Country" Burger:

The "Moutarde a l'ancienne" (Old-fashioned mustard) Burger:

The "Gourmet 3 Brasseurs":

http://www.les3brasseurs-reims.com/

Reviewed by Charline Leblond and Shyamal Addanki

Portobello Avocado Burgers

Here is something new and exciting to try out during your summer bbq, not only is it a refreshing change from the usual beef burger with ketchup, it is healthier and lighter so it won't give you that bloated uncomfortable feeling.
(Note: If you still want that bloated, uncomfortable feeling, try eating two.)

Oh yeah, and I don't have a grill, so I have used a grill-pan. If you would like to buy me a grill, I will dedicate a new summer grill recipe in your name. Promise. 

For each burger, you will need:

• One Portobello Mushroom*
• Half an avocado
• Two strips of bacon (totally optional)
• A slice of your favorite cheese
• Pickles/Gherkins to taste
• Oh yeah, buns.

I start off by grilling the bacon. I like bacon, you don't have to. I personally think it adds a nice, salty and crisp texture to the burger. But, if you don't want to use bacon, you can substitute it with a grilled onion or fried onion rings. If my bacon looks strange, it is because it is British bacon, if you can get your hands on some good American bacon, I highly recommend that.

While that bacon crisps up, slice up your avocado. I left the skin on just for easy handling, I will naturally be removing it later.

In the same grill-pan, I'm going to now grill my portobellos (I'm making two burgers). Grill each side for about five minutes, and if you previously grilled your bacon in this pan, add some of the bacon grease and leftover bits on the 'shroom.

About five minutes, then flip.

If you want cheese on your burger, add it just at the end, so it starts to melt but doesn't become a sticky, slimy mess. 

We are now ready to assemble the burgers.

About assembling and layering a burger or sandwich:

Now, I think the specific layering is important as it can affect the taste and messiness that ensues from biting into a burger. In fact, I often notice that the different between a good burger place and a great burger place is the attention they pay to layering burgers, especially when they have a lot of various ingredients. 

For instance, I place the bacon on the bottom, rather than the more common approach of putting it on top. The reason is that the bacon is generally the crispiest or firmest thing on a burger. And if it is at the top of a burger, then when you bite down on that bacon you will be putting a lot of pressure on the softer elements below the bacon. This creates a squishy mess. However, the bacon at the bottom means it is the last thing your teeth sink into, your top teeth have already gone through the softer stuff on top, and your bottom teeth have separated the bottom half of the bun. 

The next bit is the portobello. Whether you had cheese on it or not, you can add another layer now.

Next, some pickles!

And the sliced avocado.

Finally, topped with the other half of the bun, its ready! You'll notice I didn't even use any type of sauce; I think there are enough flavours here that you don't need an additional sauce.

I served it with some healthy, sun-cooked chips (or crisps if you like).

*Tip: Don't throw away your portobello mushrooms, refer to our "Let's not waste anything!" page, and check out few ideas on how to use your portobello mushrooms.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki