use real butter

Recipe: caterpillar sushi roll burger

The two week pine tree orgy is over and the pine pollen no longer rains down on you when the wind blows around here. That stuff does a number on my respiratory system such that all workouts have been indoors. I dare say I think it’s safe to venture out into the hills again. Our yard grows wild, literally. We have no lawn, just weeds and native grasses. But those “weeds” have begun sprouting the colors of summer. I love it.

indian paintbrush and yarrow

arnica and baby aspens

Everyone is doing their thing in summer, because it’s summer! Even the bugs. On a hike in Crested Butte a few weeks ago, we paused to observe some caterpillars in a nest. As we continued around the lake, the caterpillars still on my mind, my thoughts turned to caterpillar rolls in sushi bars. Of course, right? I’ve played around with the burgerfication of various favorite dishes, especially sushi rolls. And I even made a caterpillar sushi roll burger over a year ago, I just didn’t like it. So I shelved the photos and recipe – until I saw those caterpillars. What I realized was that the bun I used ruined the entire dish for me (us). It was the first (and last) time I ever tried Rudi’s. The bread was dry, crumbly, bland, and basically disintegrated after the first bite. I was so disappointed.

beef patties, buns, eel (unagi), nori (seaweed), lettuce, avocado, tomato, unagi sauce

I’m looking for a certain texture and flavor in my burger buns. I like the bread to be slightly sweet, soft and tender, structurally competent, buttery if possible, and fluffy. Walking through our mountain town grocery store, I spotted some barbecue buns (intended for pulled pork). They fit the bill.

cut the unagi

prep the fixings

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: lamb burgers

It’s that time of year when the weather becomes volatile with raging windstorms, except it has been pretty calm as autumn goes for the past few weeks. That’s why Colorado’s fiery gold aspen leaves remained on the trees for so long. It was really pleasant (because windstorms around here can be so unpleasant). It’s taken me several days, but I’ve finally culled and processed my photos from the fall shoot. It was a long trip for me, even with Jeremy’s weekend visit. Clothes started to smell bad and then they smelled worse. There was mud and dirt everywhere (kinda like when you get peanut butter on your sleeve without knowing it and then suddenly there is peanut butter all over the place). I talked to myself a lot.

self-portrait, because it’s just me, the trees, and the camera

I met some great people toward the end of my trip though – other Colorado (and out-of-state) photogs chasing the fall colors, sharing stories, talking gear, making plans. I appreciate how lucky I am to live in a place with access to so much wilderness and beauty and I feel like these guys get that too. Once home, I forced myself to slog through the images, because if I don’t then it just spirals out of control. So here’s what the rest of the trip was like.

You can find more photos on the photo blog: Crested Butte Sampler, southwest Colorado, more Crested Butte, and the San Juans. This mellow weather couldn’t hold out forever though, and our winds kicked up something fierce earlier this week sending showers of yellow aspen leaves flying sideways. The winds always rage ahead of a front – and this one is going to bring snow! Ah, but autumn also means the elk are in rut and Rocky Mountain National Park is a great place to view them. So my shooting partner, Jason, and I grabbed some big glass from Pro Photo Rental to see what was what yesterday morning.

that’s what

bugling

You can see the rest of the set on the photo blog.

It’s good to be back in my kitchen and cooking, even if it’s only for a couple of weeks. I easily tire of road food and it’s not uncommon for me to start obsessing about recipes while I’m driving or hiking or standing around waiting for sunrise or sunset or clouds to move in or move out. For the last 300 miles, these juicy lamb burgers at The Kitchen kept dancing about in my noggin. So it was the first thing I made when I got home.

simple: roasted red peppers, ground lamb, fresh rosemary

chop it up, and don’t forget the salt and pepper

**Jump for more butter**