Tucked into the sunny shores of Malibu, Helene Henderson is doing something radical in her neighborhood—living off of her land.
The Swedish native has made a famous homestead for herself here, where she’s turned a once-neglected house and plot of land into a working farm, replete with goats, chickens, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, backyard beehives, and a vineyard. To showcase the bounty of the farm and connect with the broader community, what began as a string of popular dinner parties morphed into a pop-up restaurant, followed by a cafe and then a full-blown restaurant. Next, Malibu Farm is set to open up restaurants at hotels in Miami and Lanai, Hawaii.
As a result of her success and enchanting farm-spun ethos, Henderson has published her first cookbook, the
Malibu Farm Cookbook, which beautifully encapsulates life on the farm. Although a number of vegetable and egg dishes caught our eye (her specialties), these chicken burgers simply could not be ignored. They’re not only colorful but filled with secret-ingredient goodness, as the meat not only gets marbled with bacon and cheeses, but lemon zest and fresh parsley as well.
Make them full size or as sliders; either way, the recipe comes together quickly and can be served with any fresh veggies you have on hand. Invite some friends over, fire up the grill, and enjoy!
Makes 4 large burgers or 8 sliders
This chicken burger is total killer. Including a little (or a lot of) bacon in the mixture makes it super juicy, and so does the ricotta cheese. We serve it both full size and as little sliders for appetizers. I prefer it with a spicy aioli, but you can also do a lemon aioli.
INGREDIENTS
For burgers:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped
4 slices good bacon, minced fine
¾ cup fresh ricotta cheese
Juice and some zest from 1 lemon
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
Brioche burger buns
For spicy aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons (or to taste) hot sauce of your choice, such as Sriracha or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
For garnish:
Arugula
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced red onion
PREPARATION
1. Add all burger ingredients (except the buns, of course) to food processor. Pulse until properly blended. Do not overblend. Form with your hands into 4 large or 8 slider-size burgers.
2. Sauté or grill for a few minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through.
3. Mix together the mayo and hot sauce to make the aioli.
4. To assemble, toast the buns, spread ½ tablespoon aioli on the bun, add arugula, and then top with the burger. Place another ½ tablespoon aioli directly on the burger and then top with sliced tomatoes and sliced red onion.
Tip: The burger patties freeze well, so you can make a large batch ahead of time.
Recipe reprinted from Malibu Farm Cookbook
. Copyright © 2016 by Helene Henderson. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photograph copyright © 2016 by Martin Löf.
Copyright © 2016 by Helene Henderson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.