(Hot dogs, burgers, and fries with a Haitian twist) – I don’t pretend to reinvent these world renown staples, especially not burgers. Endless chefs from different corners of the world can prepare a meaner burger than I ever could. Plus, I live in a household that believes a burger should remain a burger.
My family’s idea of a burger remains traditional
It should consist of a burger bun, a well-seasoned beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, mustard, ketchup, and the occasional pickles. Nothing more, nothing less. And definitely no beef substitute. A burger should neither be spicy nor sweet. According to them, at least. If I were to listen to them, I probably would never explore altering burgers. But, I simply don’t. And that’s how the burger below came to life.
I served them pineapple glazed burgers with mango ketchup & mashed breadfruit fries
In doing so, I was giving in to a craving for bright and sweet summer flavors. This longing translated into incorporating pineapple and mango to the mix with hints of rum and piment bouc. I could have gone for the usual grilled pineapple slices, of course. But, truthfully, that cooking method doesn’t excite me.
Instead, I used the boozy pineapple glaze I prepared last year for my pineapple chicken kabobs, and my own take on Chili Pepper Madness’ pineapple-mango ketchup. Paired with a juicy and well-marinated patty, this burger conquered the adventurous palates at my table.
I served my burgers alongside soft pillowy veritab fries
Our traditional breadfruit fries tend to be too crunchy for my taste. Instead of just deep frying the raw vegetable, I cooked and mashed it first using the same breadfruit dough from my waffles and cod pies. When rolling out my dough, I kept it thick so as to obtain squared sticks that resemble thick-cut potato fries.
HOT DOGS
As far as hot dogs are concerned, my family shows more open-mindedness.
To them, the essence of a good hot dog lies in the sausage. And I feel the same way. It’s all in the beef. Though I welcome meat variations in burgers, when it comes to hot dogs I don’t negotiate my juicy beef franks.
While they do remain slightly traditional in their choices, my family members agree that hot dogs toppings can vary slightly according to one’s palate. They, thus, welcomed my introducing them to pickled shallots, a bright and fresh cucumber slaw and revisited condiments.
I complemented our hot dogs with homemade sweet molasses mustard and a garlic lime mayo
Sweet molasses mustard
Adapting honey mustard, I mixed yellow mustard with gros sirop, as we call molasses here, and a sprinkle of pepper. Everyone loved that mixture. I typically cannot eat hot dogs without a mustard and ketchup duo. But this time, surprisingly, my palate only asked for the sweet molasses mustard.
Garlic Lime Mayo
This mayo sauce, which resembles an aioli, paired well with both the shallots and salsa. I don’t call it aioli because I follow no directions when preparing it. I simply mix mayo, lime juice, garlic seasoned with pepper, piment bouc, paprika or chili depending on the day.
Naturally, I had to serve fries with my hot dogs
I opted for shoestring yuca fries
Again, straying from traditional cuts and cooking methods, I mandoline sliced my yuca in julienne instead of cutting it into sticks. This allowed the fries to become a hot dog topping for some extra crunch.
As you can see, I did not actually reinvent these world renown staples. I simply tweaked my toppings and condiments according to my taste. I leave it up to the pros to revisit the patties and sausages. For now at least.
Toppings for hot dogs, burgers & fries…
Today’s recipes don’t include proportions on purpose. These sauces taste better when you adapt them to your taste. Feel free to adjust them as you see fit.
For the molasses mustard
- Yellow Mustard
- Molasses
- Pepper
For the spicy lime mayo
- 3
tbsp
mayo - Juice of 2 limes
- 3
heads of garlic finely chopped - Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Chili
- Piment bouc chopped
For the breadfruit fries
- 1
veritab
breadfruit - 2
tbsp
of salt - Water
- Oil for frying
For the cucumber salsa
- 1
cucumber cut in julienne - 1
carrot cut in julienne - Piment bouc chopped
- Lime juice
to taste - Salt & Pepper
to taste - Olive Oil
to taste
For the yuca fries
- 1
yuca - Salt
- Oil for frying
For the molasses mustard
- Mix the ingredients and set aside
- For the spicy lime mayo
- Mix the ingredients and set aside
For the cucumber salsa
- Mix the ingredients and cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
For the breadfruit fries
- Wash the breadfruit and cut it in half
- Place the pieces in a saucepan and cover completely with water
- Add salt and cook thoroughly
- Let the fruit cool and remove the peel
- Mash the breadfruit and form a dough ball
- Cut into thick sticks
- Deep fry in hot oil until golden
For the yuca fries
- Wash and peel the yuca
- Using a mandoline slicer, cut it in julienne into tin strips
- Fry in hot oil until golden
- Drain and season with salt
I don’t pretend to reinvent these world renown staples, especially not burgers. Endless chefs from different corners of the world can prepare a meaner burger than I ever could. Plus, I live in a household that believes a burger should remain a burger.
My family’s idea of a burger remains traditional
It should consist of a burger bun, a well-seasoned beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, mustard, ketchup, and the occasional pickles. Nothing more, nothing less. And definitely no beef substitute. A burger should neither be spicy nor sweet. According to them, at least. If I were to listen to them, I probably would never explore altering burgers. But, I simply don’t. And that’s how the burger below came to life.
I served them pineapple glazed burgers with mango ketchup & mashed breadfruit fries
In doing so, I was giving in to a craving for bright and sweet summer flavors. This longing translated into incorporating pineapple and mango to the mix with hints of rum and piment bouc. I could have gone for the usual grilled pineapple slices, of course. But, truthfully, that cooking method doesn’t excite me.
Instead, I used the boozy pineapple glaze I prepared last year for my pineapple chicken kabobs, and my own take on Chili Pepper Madness’ pineapple-mango ketchup. Paired with a juicy and well-marinated patty, this burger conquered the adventurous palates at my table.
I served my burgers alongside soft pillowy veritab fries
Our traditional breadfruit fries tend to be too crunchy for my taste. Instead of just deep frying the raw vegetable, I cooked and mashed it first using the same breadfruit dough from my waffles and cod pies. When rolling out my dough, I kept it thick so as to obtain squared sticks that resemble thick-cut potato fries.
HOT DOGS
As far as hot dogs are concerned, my family shows more open-mindedness.
To them, the essence of a good hot dog lies in the sausage. And I feel the same way. It’s all in the beef. Though I welcome meat variations in burgers, when it comes to hot dogs I don’t negotiate my juicy beef franks.
While they do remain slightly traditional in their choices, my family members agree that hot dogs toppings can vary slightly according to one’s palate. They, thus, welcomed my introducing them to pickled shallots, a bright and fresh cucumber slaw and revisited condiments.
I complemented our hot dogs with homemade sweet molasses mustard and a garlic lime mayo
Sweet molasses mustard
Adapting honey mustard, I mixed yellow mustard with gros sirop, as we call molasses here, and a sprinkle of pepper. Everyone loved that mixture. I typically cannot eat hot dogs without a mustard and ketchup duo. But this time, surprisingly, my palate only asked for the sweet molasses mustard.
Garlic Lime Mayo
This mayo sauce, which resembles an aioli, paired well with both the shallots and salsa. I don’t call it aioli because I follow no directions when preparing it. I simply mix mayo, lime juice, garlic seasoned with pepper, piment bouc, paprika or chili depending on the day.
Naturally, I had to serve fries with my hot dogs
I opted for shoestring yuca fries
Again, straying from traditional cuts and cooking methods, I mandoline sliced my yuca in julienne instead of cutting it into sticks. This allowed the fries to become a hot dog topping for some extra crunch.
As you can see, I did not actually reinvent these world renown staples. I simply tweaked my toppings and condiments according to my taste. I leave it up to the pros to revisit the patties and sausages. For now at least.
Toppings for hot dogs, burgers & fries…
Today’s recipes don’t include proportions on purpose. These sauces taste better when you adapt them to your taste. Feel free to adjust them as you see fit.
For the molasses mustard
- Yellow Mustard
- Molasses
- Pepper
For the spicy lime mayo
- 3
tbsp
mayo - Juice of 2 limes
- 3
heads of garlic finely chopped - Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Chili
- Piment bouc chopped
For the breadfruit fries
- 1
veritab
breadfruit - 2
tbsp
of salt - Water
- Oil for frying
For the cucumber salsa
- 1
cucumber cut in julienne - 1
carrot cut in julienne - Piment bouc chopped
- Lime juice
to taste - Salt & Pepper
to taste - Olive Oil
to taste
For the yuca fries
- 1
yuca - Salt
- Oil for frying
For the molasses mustard
- Mix the ingredients and set aside
- For the spicy lime mayo
- Mix the ingredients and set aside
For the cucumber salsa
- Mix the ingredients and cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
For the breadfruit fries
- Wash the breadfruit and cut it in half
- Place the pieces in a saucepan and cover completely with water
- Add salt and cook thoroughly
- Let the fruit cool and remove the peel
- Mash the breadfruit and form a dough ball
- Cut into thick sticks
- Deep fry in hot oil until golden
For the yuca fries
- Wash and peel the yuca
- Using a mandoline slicer, cut it in julienne into tin strips
- Fry in hot oil until golden
- Drain and season with salt