Burger Parties

January 18, 2010
If you live in the Napa Valley and have a habit of pairing hamburgers with domestic wines, then perhaps you are familiar with McNair and Starr, the head judge and culinary director, respectively, for the Build a Better Burger National Recipe Contest. They have collected several years' worth of winning entries from the competition and arranged them into 16 party menus. They have given each menu an unfortunate name, like Jamaican Me Hungry and Moroccan Mystique, and, since the contest is sponsored by Sutter Home Winery, they offer choices from that vineyard to accompany each meal. Indeed, Sutter's wine often turns up where it has no business. Notably, the classic New Orleans Hurricane cocktail is reimagined to contain white zinfandel. The contest clearly thrives on over-the-top ideas, as many of the entries are complex and suffer from ingredient overkill; for example, the bouillabaisse sliders requires red snapper and shrimp for the patties, saffron threads in the mayonnaise, and fennel, tomato, and garlic-flavored olive oil in the relish. Side dishes are overly thought out as well, as in a shrimp remoulade potato salad (with mayo, mustard, ketchup, horseradish, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce). Desserts include a simple flan, washed down, naturally, with a glass of Sutter's Moscato.