I have been a food writer now for decades, and I still manage to miss food trends. I would have missed the one I’m writing today if the Tinkymobile hadn’t decided that it needed professional help a couple of weeks ago.
I was happily driving home from a singing rehearsal when I noticed that the little blue Honda was starting to make a strange sound when I stepped on the brakes — sort of a hum, sort of a moan and sort of a whirr.
I did my best to avoid braking, which is no easy task in our western Massachusetts hilltowns, and called the nice folks at the Honda dealership in Greenfield as soon as I got home. I relayed the sound over the phone to the best of my ability and was informed that I had performed an excellent imitation of a car that needed new brake pads.
This information was flattering in one sense, as I pride myself on my excellent ear, but it was dismaying in another sense because I was sure the pads wouldn’t be cheap. They weren’t, but a person and her car definitely need functioning brakes so I took the first service appointment I could get. I brought along my laptop so I could do some work while the Tinkymobile was undergoing surgery. I did work, but I also talked to other customers, as well as to my service adviser, Kelsie, who informed me she is pregnant. (Congratulations, Kelsie!)
I also glanced from time to time at the television set in the waiting area, which is always tuned to some kind of home-and-garden network. I was struck by a very odd-looking hamburger being dished up onscreen. It appeared to be topped with a gooey, light-brown substance. Not quite sure what I was looking at, I closed the laptop and watched for a couple of minutes. The burger turned out to be a Peanut Butter Burger (PBB), which is exactly what it sounds like: ground beef topped with a big gob of peanut butter. The heat of the burger melts the peanut butter, creating a savory spread.
As soon as I got home and started talking to other people about the experience, I discovered that PBBs are everywhere. My friend Vicky’s son, who orders burgers every time he dines out, had recently eaten one at a restaurant. The Blue Rock in Shelburne Falls serves a PB and Jam Burger, which features homemade ground peanut butter, smoked Gouda, onion jam, bacon and lettuce, or so my neighbor Ruth informed me. I really have to try this soon!
A quick internet search revealed that two different eateries take credit for inventing the PBB. The now-defunct Wheel-Inn, a drive-in restaurant in Sedalia, Missouri, began serving something called the Guber Burger — also known as the Goober Burger, adapted from a nickname for the peanut — in the 1940s. The original Guber Burger added lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise to its burger and peanut butter.
George Motz, a chef, writer and filmmaker who calls himself the “Burger Scholar,” recreates the original Guber Burger but eschews the veggies and mayo, popping on some pickle slices instead. He also warms the peanut butter to make it spread even more. Motz dubs the PBB “an amazing burger profile.”
Bearden’s, a restaurant in Rocky River, Ohio, has been serving Peanut Butter Burgers to fans at its lunch counter since the 1930s or ’40s. (The exact date is vague.) Its entry into the PBB menu is also sometimes known as the Peanut Butter Bear. Like Motz, Bearden’s likes to add a few pickles to the mix.
All of the combinations I learned about appealed to me, particularly when they threw in a little bacon to enhance the peanut butter and add even more sodium. I wanted to create my own PBB, however.
I pondered for a while and searched my memory for beloved peanut butter foods. My fancy landed on one of my favorite Asian dishes, Indonesian sate (also spelled “satay”). Decades ago, our late neighborhood matriarch, Mary Parker, visited Java and brought back a recipe for this treat.
Sate is marinated meat or chicken cooked on a skewer and served with a peanut dipping sauce. I determined that my Peanut Butter Burger would use the sate sauce for extra depth of flavor. It adds onion, ginger, soy sauce and a hint of hot pepper to its peanut butter base.
My PBB was absolutely delicious. After I made it, I discovered that the idea, like most recipes, was not entirely original. Chef Jamie Oliver has a Satay Burger on his website, and so do others. Happily, no one else has come up with my exact recipe, and I think I can still get points for creativity here — not to mention flavor.
By the way, I know we food writers always remind readers to read through a recipe before beginning to make it so that they make sure to understand all the steps and shop for all the ingredients. I forgot to do that! Alas, I just threw the chopped onion for the sauce into a saucepan with the other ingredients instead of sautéing it in oil first. I’m sure it would have tasted even better if I had followed the directions. It was pretty tasty without following them, however. Feel free to halve this recipe if you’re not serving a crowd.
The Sate Peanut Butter Burger
Ingredients:
for the sauce:
1 onion, coarsely cut
2 tablespoons neutral oil (peanut, sunflower or Canola)
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup (I used the latter for a New England twist)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small wedge fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 to 4 teaspoons crushed red pepper (I usually end up with about 2 teaspoons)
for the burgers (per person):
1 hamburger patty of your choice (if you’re vegan, feel free to use an ersatz burger)
1 toasted hamburger bun
peanut sauce to taste (Be generous!)
Instructions:
Begin by making the sauce, which can be prepared a day or two in advance.
Sauté the onion in the oil until lightly brown. Pop it into a saucepan. Add the other ingredients. Experiment with the pepper. This sauce should be HOT to the taste.
Cook until the flavors blend, probably about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water. It should be the consistency of thick cream sauce.
If you are not using the sauce right away, let it cool to room temperature and then store it, covered, in the refrigerator. When you are ready to make your sate burger, bring it to room temperature. If you feel like being a Burger Scholar (I did!), you may even add a little water and heat it slightly before applying it to a burger.
Cook your burger to your favorite level of doneness. (I tend to err on the rare side, although that is frowned up by health experts.) When the burger is almost ready, toast your bun.
Pop the burger onto the bottom of the bun, add a goodly glob of sauce, and cover. Enjoy! Serves 1 with lots of leftover peanut sauce.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.