When I was in grammar school at Cheremoya Avenue Elementary School in Hollywood, California, about once every two weeks we had Hamburger Gravy and Mashed Potatoes. I really loved that dish, it was my favorite. All the other stuff was pretty bland, and actually kind of nasty, especially the paper thin cheeseburgers. For years and years, I have been trying to replicate the special taste of that gravy, and have been pretty much successful.
Years ago, when I first met Chef John Farion, he treated some friends and I to dinner at another chef’s restaurant on Melrose . I ordered the filet mignon with blue cheese sauce. It was truly fantastic, and I have been pairing blue cheese with beef ever since. I guess I’m not the only one, even Carl’s Jr. now has a steakhouse burger featuring blue cheese.
I get my blue cheese at the Armenian stores, for several reasons, 1) because the cheese is of a superior quality, 2) because it is much less expensive than the major chain supermarkets, and better quality. I just bought a half a pound brick a few days ago, and it was sitting in the cheese drawer waiting to be the star of some dish.
I had an epiphany! Why not make hamburger gravy and add blue cheese at the end? I tried it, and it was, well, fantastic! This was much, much better than the gravy I had had when I was a child. Now, just because Spane gave it a big thumbs up, I can’t guarantee that every child will like it as much as we did.
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Recipe: Hamburger Gravy with Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, lowest fat content available
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallots in oil
- 1 tablespoon Beef Base
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons Blue Cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet and add the shallots. Sauté until the shallots are translucent. Add the beef and break it up, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until it starts to thicken. Reduce the heat, and let thicken, stirring slowly. At the very last, add the cheese and mix thoroughly until it is all melted.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Variations
If you don’t think your kids will like this, omit the blue cheese, and sprinkle it only on the adult portions.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: French
My rating
Copyright © The Good Plate – Adrienne Boswell.
Recipe by Adrienne Boswell.
Microformatting by hRecipe.
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