Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Our Secrets to Making The Perfect Patty Melt -- A Holiday Buzz recipe from Cleo Coyle


Patty melts are absolutely delicious and (IMO) even better than burgers. The traditional version is made with juicy ground beef, but you can certainly mix it up with ground turkey or chicken. The only drawback to making these instead of burgers is an extra step or two in the process, which is why I make them extra-large—eight big ounces per patty melt. No, I do not eat the whole eight-ounce sandwich myself, and that's the point...

Cut this mondo patty melt in half, and you’ve got dinner for two. Cook two of these big boys, and you’ve got dinner for four.

Less sandwiches = less work. 

And less work always helps me eat with joy! ;)



A Note from Cleo 


Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
by clicking here and here.

The 5-Napkin Burger is a popular eatery here in New York City, which is what inspired our 8-Napkin Patty Melt. Why eight napkins? One napkin for every ounce of meat, of course.

Our readers might recall this sandwich from a scene in our 12th Coffeehouse Mystery, Holiday Buzz. Coffee hunter Matteo Allegro, weary of the healthy but flavor-challenged appetizers served at a string of Manhattan holiday parties, ventures into the December night to bring back a more satisfying snack—this 8-napkin patty melt. He shares it with his partner in the coffee business, Clare Cosi, while she shares the facts (and a cogent theory) behind the murder of a part-time employee.



To see more recipes from the book, click here.




AND NOW...

Our Secrets to Making 

The Perfect Patty Melt

🍴

To download a free PDF 
version of this recipe that
you can print, save,
or share, 
CLICK HERE

OUR SIX SECRETS

Secret #1: Be patient with grilling the onions. Cook them long enough to caramelize and you’ll have a much tastier sandwich.



Secret #2: Use large slices of bread and shape the patty long in order to fit the bread.

Secret #3: Don’t make the patty or bread slices too thick, about an inch. 



Secret #4: Once your ingredients are ready (the onions caramelized; the burger cooked), build the entire sandwich on a spatula. This will allow you as much time as you need to fix the ingredients just right. Then you can move the spatula to the hot pan, and slip the entire sandwich into the bubbling butter in one quick move.

Secret #5: To prevent your grilled onions from falling out of the sandwich, follow the "building" instructions in the recipe (you'll see it below). The trick is with the placement of the cheese.



Secret #6: Use the spatula to push down on the sandwich during cooking; a simple way to make a delicious “pressed sandwich” without a sandwich press. 



And here is the full recipe...




Cleo Coyle's (Perfect)
8-Napkin Patty Melt 

Makes two 8-ounce Patty Melts (for four servings) 

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion 

(a bit of) vegetable oil and butter

4 large slices of bread (see my note below*)

16 ounces (1 pound) ground beef

8 slices of Swiss or cheddar cheese 


Kosher or sea salt

*A note on the bread: A patty melt this big requires large (but not overly thick) slices of bread. Fresh crusty Italian or rye bread from a rustic loaf will make a truly amazing patty melt. If using pre-packaged bread, go for the super-sized sandwich-style and not the standard slices. 

Directions:

Step 1: Cook the onion – Peel and chop the large yellow onion. Place a pan over low heat, melt a bit of butter, add a splash of oil, and stir in the onions. Slowly cook the onions, stirring often, until they are caramelized (soft, sweet, and dark golden brown), about fifteen minutes. Set the cooked onions aside.

Step 2: Form and cook the patty - 
The shape of the ground meat patties should fit the bread that you're using, so shape the meat accordingly. Each patty should be 8-ounces in weight and about 1-inch in thickness (or a little less). Cook the patties over medium-high heat, three to four minutes per side. For best results, try to flip the patties only once. When the patties are cooked through, set aside. 

Step 3: Build your sandwich – Start by b
uttering two slices of the bread...



- Place one slice on a spatula, buttered side down
- Lay one or two thin slices of cheese on the bread. 
- Place the cooked ground meat patty onto the cheese. 
- Place another slice of cheese over the patty.
- Add half the caramelized onions. 
- A final slice of cheese should cover the onions (when it melts this last slice will help to hold the savory sweet onions inside the sandwich). 
- Finally, top the patty melt with a slice of buttered bread, but this time you want the buttered side up. 

Step 4: Grill and press – Heat a skillet and add a bit of butter. When the butter begins to bubble, use your spatula to transfer the fully-built sandwich to the hot pan. From this point on, treat the patty melt as if it were a grilled cheese sandwich...

Toast one side for 3 to 4 minutes and then flip. After flipping, press down hard on the sandwich with your spatula. Pressing the patty melt as it cooks will help the parts of the sandwich fuse together. Grill for 3 or 4 more minutes, until the cheese is completely melted. (Make the 2nd sandwich exactly the same way.)

Serve hot! A dill pickle is a thing of beauty with a patty melt. The bright tartness of the pickle (not to mention the happy, green color) nicely complements the rich unctuousness of the sandwich. Cole slaw, French fries, or potato chips are tasty sides, too. However you serve it, I certainly hope you will...eat with plenty of joy!





Happy New Year!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries 


Alice and Marc in Central Park. 
Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
Friend us on facebook here.
Follow us on twitter here.
Visit our online coffeehouse here.


🎄   🎄 


Holiday Buzz
A Coffeehouse Mystery!

To buy now, click links for... 


With Recipes for
Holiday Cookies and
Festive food and drinks...

To learn more about
the book, click here


☕  ☕  ☕

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READY FOR WHAT?

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Our newest Coffeehouse Mystery is
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Top 10 Best Mysteries
for Book Clubs 2017

A "Most Wanted"
Mystery Guild Selection


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🍴

This culinary mystery includes
more than 25 delicious recipes!
To get the Free Recipe Guide, 

CLICK HERE.


☕ ☕ ☕


The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling
works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
16 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 


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our PI ghost...



 





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12 comments:

  1. That looks amazing, Cleo! Love your books and recipes. I'll be trying this one! - Kim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kim! This is a nice wintertime recipe. It's easy, it's hearty, and you don't need an outdoor grill! Stay warm and eat with plenty of patty melt joy...

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  2. Now I'm hungry. Serve it up. I'm ready. -Jerry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You got it, Jerry, and thanks for stopping by the Kitchen today!

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  3. My husband saw the picture on top of your post and decided we're having melts. I love your books as much as your books. Thanks for both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Simone - That is hilarious--I hope you and your husband enjoy eating the patty melt as much as he enjoyed looking at the picture! (Marc and I are glad to know you enjoy reading our books, too.) Be well and eat well!

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  4. I love your books, and the recipes. This patty melt looks so easy I could do it on a hotplate (Great, because my stove went on the fritz over the holidays!). Rita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rita - So sorry about your oven, and a terrible time of year for it to happen. But I'm happy that you noticed this recipe today, which can indeed be made on a hotplate. Hang in there, grilling season is only a few months away!

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  5. A "killer" recipe! I can almost taste it, but not quite. Guess I'll have to make it.
    (I couldn't comment earlier. The site was not behaving nicely for me.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Libby -- Killer is right, especially if one eats the entire eight-ounce patty melt in one sitting! (Then again, sharing is caring, and this big boy makes a tasty lunch or dinner for two.) Cheers for dropping by today, especially with the comment functionality on the site being troublesome (unfortunately, we are at the mercy of Blogger). We sincerely appreciate your coming back to share your comment. It’s always, always a pleasure to see you in the Kitchen!

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  6. I love patty melts! These pictures made me hungry!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jana, we wish we could pass you a piece through the screen! Maybe someday we'll be able to install a "taste this" button. :)

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete