Last month when I visited Ted's Montana Grill in the Denver Tech Center, I shared that experience here. Everything we sampled was SO good and the incredible hamburger I had for lunch left an indelible impression; The Canyon Creek Burger. Ted's serves this burger using either bison or beef and I won't deny; bison may be leaner and I suppose considered better for you but I love beef more! I knew I wanted to try and re-create this sandwich at home but it's just taken a bit and maybe that's prophetic. With Father's Day coming I think everyone needs to just stop all of your wondering and worrying about the perfect gift for Dad and just head over to his house with ingredients in hand and make him this burger. I'm sure he already loves you but trust me...this will elevate that love to a new level!
While you're at it? Make him this Boozy Salted Caramel Milkshake we had for dessert at Ted's. Seriously. This is eye-rolling good. Ask everyone I've made it for; it's moved to the very top of the request list. I should open an ice cream store/bar and serve nothing but boozy milkshakes. The combination of vanilla ice cream with salted caramel and bourbon is, well, to use an over-used phrase but one that really fits? To. Die. For.
OK, back to the burger! Ted's has a comprehensive menu with a great selection of appetizers and salads and lots of delectable lunch choices that run the gamut from steak to burgers to crab cakes. I headed towards the burgers because my daughter flips out over their Kitchen Sink Burger. I took a peek at it and I'm sure that fried egg is a big part of the deliciousness but the other ingredients in The Canyon Creek Burger called to me loudly and loudest may have been the blackberry jam and jalapenos. There is a local company that makes a Blackberry Serrano Jam that I just love and I've often used it for appetizers so I knew that sweet/hot combination was great with more savory flavors. It was a done deal. I knew it would be good but I was especially lucky to have pound of ground beef on hand from my friends at 5280 Meats. A great burger deserves great beef and they do it best. Plus? No longer do you have to buy a whole or a half of a cow...smaller packages are available too. For people like me! I used that entire package too for two burgers. Two HUGE burgers topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, an over-easy fried egg and then some jalapeno rounds and dollops of the jam. Oh my yum.
You know when you have those moments when something is so good you wish time would just stop? You just want to be able to savor every moment? That was then. And lucky for you (and me), I think I've done a good job of recreating that moment so this is now. Ted's menu made it easy with ingredients and I only made slight variations. To concede to those who might not like quite the same burn from jalapeno, instead of dicing them I sliced them and briefly pan fried them to temper their heat. I would have used the proscribed Kaiser Rolls except that I could find none and my last stop at Sprouts only netted me some decent size Pretzel Rolls. I loved them so much that for me...this is what I'll always look for now so it seems the bottom line is to just get a nice, substantial bun; this sandwich needs it!
I'm not much of a beer drinker but I do love Guinness and though I knew I had none of it in the fridge, I went looking for another dark beer I thought I had. Alas it was gone and I spied this bottle of Lemon Shandy. I remember agreeing to try it but for me, timing is everything and it was huddled in the back of the fridge. Good news Curious Traveler...this was the perfect time! A shandy is a cocktail that is a combination of beer and lemonade and I made this one last year and really liked it so I thought this might work for me too. Seriously? This is what I need to have in the fridge at ALL times. It was cold and I put it in a glass from the freezer but it was still some time before I actually got to try it and even though not bracing cold which is the ONLY way I like beer I really loved it. I'm obviously a shandy girl if not a beer girl. Good to know, sometimes it's nice to have a bottle of something to relax and savor without the necessary effort to make a cocktail. It's on my radar and I promise I will have a 6 pack on hand when you next come visit. All of you must share.
I just gave the last of my burgers to my neighbor Rick; he is so kind to me and will pop in and help me with myriad things (like 'How do I turn on the sprinkler system Rick?') so I like to repay him with food goodies. He will be back over in a bit...I know he'll be asking for more!
Make this burger or if you're in a town with a Ted's Montana Grill? Take Dad out for the day and let them do the work for you...either way it's a huge winner.
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