Jerk Burgers with Pineapple Guacamole

This week if Jamaican week, which I really don't know much about. I'm guessing this isn't exactly traditional, but it was 50 degrees outside which felt like summer compared to the polar blast of death that was this January, so I felt like something summer-y. The pineapple guacamole is from here:

http://jcocina.com/jamaican-jerk-burger-with-grilled-pineapple-guacamole/

And I modified the jerk seasoning from this recipe:

http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/07/jamaican-jerk-burgers-with-pineapple.html

Makes 8 servings.

Pineapple Guacamole:

3.5 avocados, peeled and chopped

2 pineapple rings (see below)

2 cloves garlic

10 cherry tomatoes, chopped (or ½ regular tomato)

1 habanero pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 tbsp lime juice

Salt and pepper

Chop the top of the pineapple off and use a knife to remove the peel with a knife. Cut into rings about ½” thick. We’ll use two for the salsa, save the rest for other uses.

Set a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the pineapple rings, the habanero and the two garlic cloves (leave them in their husks). Cook everything until it starts to brown, flipping to get color on all sides. The pineapples take the shortest time, the garlic and pepper will take a bit longer.

Dice the toasted pineapple and add to a large bowl. Remove the garlic from the husks and dice. Add to the bowl. De-seed the habanero and finely dice. Add to the bowl.

Add the avocados, diced tomatoes, cilantro and salt and pepper. Mash up the guacamole with a potato masher. If you’re making the guac ahead of time, drizzle the lime juice on top of the guacamole, then place a piece of plastic wrap flush on top of the guacamole – this will prevent browning from oxidation.

Jerk Paste:

1/2 habanero, diced

2 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree. Makes about ¼ cup.

Burgers:

2 lbs. ground beef

4 shallots, diced

8 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Jerk Paste

8 Hamburger buns

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, then form into ¼ lb. patties. Cook on a skillet or flattop grill on medium for 6 to 8 minutes, flipping periodically until cooked well done. Toast the buns while you cook the burgers.

Avocado and Shrimp Salad Roulades

This is my attempt at a recipe in the Eleven Madison Park cookbook, with a few changes based on what I had on hand. It’s important to note that you should use ripe but still firm avocados for this recipe – the ones I used were a little softer than I liked, but were the best I could do at the local grocery store.  You can also check out a video of EMP’s Daniel Humm making this dish here: http://vimeo.com/6719882

Poached shrimp:

1.5 lbs shrimp, deveined and deshelled

1 cup white wine

1 cup orange juice

2 cups water

1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon black pepper

Add everything but the shrimp to a medium pot, bring to a boil, add the shrimp, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. Remove the shrimp from the liquid, and chill in the fridge.

Shrimp Salad:

Poached shrimp

1.5 tbsp mayonnaise

1.5 tbsp greek yogurt

½ Granny Smith Apple, peeled

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 teaspoons salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

Avocado pieces

Cut the shrimp into pieces and add to a bowl. Dice the apple into small pieces and add to the bowl, along with the lime juice, mayo, yogurt, salt and cayenne. I held off adding diced avocado until it was time to prepare the roulades, since I wasn’t sure if they’re oxidize in the interim.

Lemon oil:

Zest of ½ lemon

2 tbsp canola oil

Place in a ramekin or small dish and let sit for at least 10 minutes to infuse

Greek Yogurt Sauce:

¼ cup greek yogurt

¾ teaspoon lime juice

Pinch salt

Small pinch cayenne

Roulades:

2 avocados

Shrimp salad

Lemon oil

Yogurt Sauce

Parsley (for garnish)

Purple Basil (for garnish)

Smoked paprika (for garnish)

You’ll need ½ to ¾ of an avocado per roll. Remove the pit from your avocados, then quarter and peel. Use a mandolin to slice into very thin slices. Arrange the slices on a piece of parchment paper (use the slices from near the center of the avocado; the ends can be chopped and added to the shrimp salad), overlapping each other. At this point, the recipe calls for the avocados to be vacuum sealed – I don’t own an industrial grade cryo vac, so I placed another piece of parchment over top of the avocado and used a rolling pin to help the pieces stick together. Don’t apply to much pressure, or you will squash the avocado (like I did).

Spoon the shrimp salad on a piece of plastic wrap, and roll into a roulade. Un-roll on top of the avocado, so the salad sits in the middle. Carefully bring up the back of the parchment paper and roll the avocado over the filling, creating a cylinder. Brush with lemon oil.

Place a spoonful of yogurt sauce on the plate and drag a spoon through it. Garnish the avocado roll with parsley and purple basil. Sprinkle some smoked paprika on the plate for color.

Maybe the rolling pin wasn't the best idea...