Life isn’t all doom and gloom. One of the fun things about being trapped at home and the grocery stores being sold out of items is doing your best to make do with what you’ve got.
The first time I made an Onion Jam was after I stumbled upon a Martha Stewart recipe. Later on, I found out it could be made better with bacon. Whilst binge watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I noticed many burger episodes had a common trend: Peanut Butter and Jelly Burgers. I had to try it.
Today, however, I was lacking buns, patties, and jelly. Luckily, I had some Spicy Thai Peanut Butter in stock.
For the buns, I tried to follow King Arthur Flour’s Bun Recipe. I had to rock with what I got, and used bread flour instead. My buns looked non-photogenic, but they tasted great. I wouldn’t say they were better than store bought, but in the midst of a pandemic, they were a relief from the insanity around me.
Here’s a tip or a lie. You can split the dough into portions and freeze some for later. Do this before the initial rest. After defrosting in the fridge, if you let it rest at room temperature, it should hopefully still rise.
The Onion Jam is time consuming but worth it. I cut the recipe down to a single onion since I’m cooking just for myself. The onions become really sweet after the browning and caramelization. Bacon adds a saltiness and fattiness that makes the jam an all around mouth pleaser.
For the burger patty, I used 1 lb Ground Beef, 2 tablespoons of Barrio Fiesta Bagoong, 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard, and some black pepper. I’ve always been told to keep the patties simple, but I always want to mess around with them. Fried it in some duck fat and called it good. Duck fat isn’t needed, but when I can’t go out to treat myself, I have to treat myself in some other way.
For assembly, I put the peanut butter on the bottom bun, and put a loving spoonful of onion jam on top of the patty. The lemon grass inside of the peanut butter was a surprise, but overall, this is something I’d make even if it wasn’t the apocalypse.
My neighbors have power washed their driveway every weekend since this has started. I’ve gained 5 pounds so far.