Sliders? Grease bombs? Throat-grabbers?
Those small bites — now so popular as noshes, appetizers, even entrees — have roots. And staying power.
They arrived on the nation’s dining scene in the 1920s, when buying a sack of mini-burgers at White Castle, or grabbing one from the competition, Krystal’s, spelled thrift and value. Even now, a bun wrapped around a juicy patty spells out “hug food.”
Their appeal is in their size and variety.
“You’re not stuck with one whole big burger,” said Evan Turney, executive chef of Varga Bar in Philadelphia.
Like tapas or dim sum, the many bites and many flavors build excitement, he added. And they are perfect for parties at home for adults or children.
Varga’s house beef slider includes a brioche roll, spread with Boursin cheese, bacon, caramelized shallots and tomato. He offers seven varieties.
A check of chef Wolfgang Puck’s menus on his Web site shows the versatility of this category. The restaurateur’s classic sirloin slider with remoulade sauce is listed along with varieties such as Asian chicken, salmon and vegetarian.
According to the Los Angeles-based Puck, great ingredients are critical. Take something familiar and raise it, taste-wise, he said. For him, an easy meal at home is ground veal sliders on brioche rolls, a tossed salad and a glass of wine.
He cautions cooks against grinding the meat too fine or compressing the patty.
“Roll them into little balls. Do not flatten them. You want a juicy, coarse-textured bite.”
Slider-mania around the Washington, D.C., area gave Jeff Newman an idea. The president of Glory Days Grill, a chain of 22 restaurants based in Virginia, challenged customers to a recipe competition. Submissions included a taco slider, Buffalo chicken slider, and the Hokie slider, a homage to beef, feta, turkey bacon and mayo.
At Etta, a Seattle restaurant owned by chef Tom Douglas, the crabmeat slider comes with cocktail sauce of quartered tomatillos, rice vinegar, garlic, hot pepper sauce, mustard seeds and grated fresh horseradish. But at home, Douglas creates a quick meal for his family with a can of crabmeat and Cheddar cheese, a hit with the children who go for that warm, gooey center, he said.
The favorite at Shari’s Restaurant & Bakery in Beaverton, Ore., is the slider plate, a combo of mini-hot dogs and burgers, said Kevin Bechtel, senior vice president of menu development for the chain of family-style restaurants.
“You can’t get more American than that,” he said.
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sli*der n. small, greasy hamburger der small, greasy hamburger
— Cassells Dictionary of Slang
*White Castle is no stranger to the pejorative term “slider” (a reference to how quickly the food travels through the alimentary canal). Or to “grabbers” (cheeseburgers that grab the throat).
*Slider also is a term used by Navy cooks, meaning greasy food that slips off the plate.
Wolfgang Puck’s mini prime cheeseburgers with remoulade sauce
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 6
Remoulade:
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 diced red onion
1/4 cup diced each: red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper
Burgers:
3/4 pound ground beef
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces aged Cheddar cheese, sliced
12 rounds (about 2 inches in diameter) brioche bread
6 arugula leaves
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced
3 cornichons or small pickles, sliced
1. For remoulade, combine garlic, rosemary, cream and paprika in saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add onions, red and yellow pepper; cook, stirring, until glossy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate; cool completely. Add to cream mixture; stir well. Set aside.
2. Place ground beef in a medium bowl; add salt and pepper. Mix lightly. Shape meat into patties, about 2 tablespoons per patty. Drizzle each with a little of the olive oil.
3. Prepare a grill or grill pan for high heat. Grill burgers 3 minutes; turn. Grill 1-2 minutes. Top with a slice of cheese; grill until cheese melts, 1 minute. Toast brioche on the grill, if desired.
4. Spread each brioche half with some of the remoulade (you’ll have some left over). Top with burgers; add arugula leaf, tomato and cornichon slices to each. Top with remaining brioche.
Nutrition information
Per burger: 237 calories, 75% of calories from fat, 20 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 53 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 221 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
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ctc-goodeating@tribune.com
Inside: Look for more slider recipes and preparation tips. Page 3
