CaraCakes Take on a French Hamburger

I was flipping through my Julia Child cookbook, and found myself reading about how the French make hamburgers.  They seemed pretty different than our burgers on this side of the pond, but no less delicious.  Since I didn't have any ground beef, I opted to try a Biftek Haché à la Lyonnaise (Ground Beef with Onions and Herbs) with ground white turkey rather than beef.  And wow, was it delicious.

Here is the recipe straight from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking":

Biftek Haché à la Lyonnaise (Ground Beef with Onions and Herbs)

You'll need:

¾ cup finely minced yellow onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 egg
½ cup flour, spread on a plate
1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil
½ cup beef stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, dry white vermouth or red wine (I used white wine)
2-3 tablespoons butter, softened

Instructions:

• Cook the onions slowly in the butter for about 10 minutes until very tender but not browned. Place in a mixing bowl. Add the beef, butter, seasonings and egg to the onions in the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine ingredients. Form into patties ¾-inch thick. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Just before sautéing, roll the patties lightly in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Place butter and oil in a skillet and set over moderately high heat. When you see the butter foam begin to subside, sauté the patties for 2 to 3 minutes or more each side, to desired doneness. Remove patties from skillet to warm plate.
• Pour the fat out of the skillet. Add the liquid and boil it down rapidly, scraping up the coagulated pan juices, until it had reduced almost to a syrup. Off heat, swirl butter by half-tablespoons into the sauce until it is absorbed. Pour the sauce over the hamburgers and serve.
• Makes 6 burgers.

I served this with some fresh spinach that I cooked on medium heat with garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, and a 1/2 tsp of olive oil.  Delicious!

Also, feel free to eat this on a bun.  Kyle loved it that way.  For me, since the weather has been a bit warmer, and this is already a tad on the rich side, I didn't want to weigh myself down with the bread.

**Please note:  your sauce should be the color of caramel if you use white wine.  My sauce began to separate at the time of this picture because I fed my family and waited to take the photo (for those of you that have hungry people demanding immediate nourishment at dinnertime, I'm sure you understand.)