Milk and Ink: From the Lap of Mama Nomad...: March 2009

Friday, March 27, 2009

its Mac tonight!

i have not eaten fast food in at least 3 years, since i discovered my soy allergy. its probably a good thing because i have always loved it and if there wasn't a medical reason keeping me from indulging in value meals, i'd probably eat them more than i should. although eating real fast food is only a good experience while its happening....the flavors, the evil, addictive, and filling flavors, is what keeps people going back, even though after you've eaten the meal you feel like crap. its no wonder, your body is hard at work processing the junk--that the part i've always resented. so when blake and i were first married i set out to create the "homemade Big Mac"--all the flavor of the McDonalds favorite but with the quality bumped up several notches. i laughed as i walked through our local market, singing the grocery list in my head: "2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettece, cheese....."

since bread products have also been restricted for me, i have not made this lesser-of-two-evils dinner in ages, since i cannot find a sesame seed bun without soy lecithin. but yesterday the stars seemed to be aligned for another Big Mac night. first i spotted a sesame speckled bun from my new favorite local bread company (all Lou friendly)--Gabriel Bakery. My first thought was, "oh I should make Big Macs!!" then i searched for a pickle that was Mayan-friendly, and i found one--most have paprika added, a nightshade, but New Seasons carries a local company's organic pickle without any nightshades. then in the produce department they are suffering from a "lettece gap"--the summer heads of leafy green lettece are not available yet and usual sources are in transition, so all they had was organic heads of iceberg lettece, the official lettece of fast food burgers!

and let me tell you, these are way better than the McD's version--all the flavor without the gutrot. still an extravagance to be sure, but when you are having that craving, serve these with some fries and cokes and you'll never go back the that drive-thru again.

here is how i capture that flavor, in order according to the song:

*two all-beef patties (organic grass-fed beef; make the patties large in diameter but pretty flat so they cook quickly and that having two in each burger won't make it too gigantic)

*special sauce (mayo and ketchup mixed, about half and half)

*lettece (iceberg is the most fast-food-like, but a leafier green like red-leaf would bump up the nutrient factor)

*cheese (Horizon organic american cheese slices--these are also key in getting that authentic flavor and texture, cheddar isn't the same--melted on your burger patties)

*pickles (chopped up into little cubes, and added into the special sauce is a good touch)

*onions (white onion, or yellow, chopped up finely and sprinkled on the burger)

*sesame seed bun (find the best you can, i highly recommend Gabriel's if available; the original Mac has a third bun slice in between the two patties but this is just TOO much, in my opinion)

the end result: