Insideout Burgers

I've been dying to try this for a while. I've seen it in several food magazines and on cooking shows but was always a little intimidated and was afraid the insides would ooze out.

I was amazed how they turned out

You need.

Ground meat (I used ground venison)

White American Cheese (or your other favorite cheese)

Jalepeno Slices

Crumbled Bacon

I use a hamburger press which works great for making the right size patties.

First make a ball of meat about 1/4 of a pound and divide it in half. Put plastic wrap in the bottom of the hamburger press. Put one of the balls in and flatten it with the top of the press. top with 2 thin slices of cheese, bacon crumbles and 2-5 cut up jalepeno slices. Put the other ball of meat on top and press flat.

Grill on the pit or you could fry it in a skillet. Serve with your favorite side. I think it should have been accompanied by homemade french fries, but we had to much fun cooking and ran out of time so it was mac-n-cheese!

Peppercorn Fillet Mignon

We took Alton Brown's recipe: Steak au Poivre and doctored it up a little. I got the recipe idea from my dad.

4 tenderloin steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each and no more than 1 1/2 inches thick

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons whole peppercorns

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon olive oil 1/3 cup Cognac

(used Crown Royal because this is what we had)

1 teaspoon 1 cup heavy cream

(used milk, sauce was to thin)

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour prior to cooking. Sprinkle all sides with salt.

Coarsely crush the peppercorns. Spread the peppercorns evenly onto a plate. Press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan. For medium-rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with foil and set aside. Pour off the excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Off of the heat, add 1/3 cup Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or firestick. Gently shake pan until the flames die. Return the pan to medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the teaspoon of Cognac and season, to taste, with salt. Add the steaks back to the pan, spoon the sauce over, and serve.