Scrumptious burger creations

By Peter Fabris

The humble burger is a favorite summertime food — a staple of the grill. While a juicy hamburger is always satisfying, there are many ways to add punch and creativity to your burger creations.

Even though most burgers are made of beef, some chefs are going exotic:

• Peanut butter burger — A burger topped with chunky peanut butter.
• Grilled cheeseburger — A burger inside of a grilled cheese sandwich.
• Cheese-stuffed burger — Cheese is stuffed inside of the burger to melt within instead of on top.
• Low-carb burger — Skip the bun and make an open-face burger resting on a Portobello mushroom cap.

Spicing up beef burgers

Not quite ready to go gourmet all the way? Here are several ways to zest up beef burgers:

• Greek – Add feta cheese, black olives, tomatoes, and onions for an Aegean experience.
• Italian – Top with Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and provolone cheese. Place the burger on grilled Panini bread buttered with garlic flavor.
• Big Easy – Sprinkle the meat with Cajun seasoning. Add jalapeño cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and chilies.
• Buffalo burger – Coat cooked patties with chicken wing sauce, top with blue cheese, and serve with celery on the side.

Beef alternatives

Burgers can be made with any type of ground meat or poultry. There are even seafood and veggie options for those who want to branch out. Get creative:

• Lamb: An overlooked candidate for ground meat patties is lamb. Feta cheese is always a good accompaniment to this option.
• Turkey: A healthier alternative to beef, many beef burger recipes will work well with this meat. For an early Thanksgiving, try topping the burger with poultry stuffing and cranberry sauce.
• Chicken: Like turkey, ground chicken works well when pressed into a burger. Adding ingredients such as cilantro, scallions, and teriyaki sauce creates an Asian accent.
• Turducken: A creation from Bayou country, turducken is a turkey stuffed with a chicken, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with cornbread. Believe or not, some make burgers out of this poultry creation. Turducken often includes andouillie sausage.
• Salmon and tuna: Salmon and albacore tuna can be ground like meat and make popular surf burger options.
• Seafood burger: Combine any whitefish with shrimp and scallops.

Vegetarian

A burger does not have to be made from meat. Common veggie alternatives include soy, tofu, and veggie burgers made from mushroom and pinto beans.