Cookbook Club Recipe #2: Hambagu (ハンバーグ) Au Poivre (Pepper-Crusted Japanese Hamburg Steak with Mushroom Brandy Cream Pan Sauce) (Patreon)

A Japanese childhood classic meets a French bistro sauce.

Welcome to December, Cookbook Club members! Here's the link to the survey form once you've cooked the recipe.

We have your second test recipe today, and I think it's gonna be a crowd pleaser. I grew up eating hambagu (ハンバーグ), the Japanese version of Hamburg Steak about once a month. It's part of a class of cuisine called yōshoku in Japanese—Western foods that have been adapted and adopted as part of the Japanese staple and typically pronounced as transliterations of their Western dish counterparts. It includes dishes like:

Katsu; breaded and fried cutlets, from the shortened version of katsuretsu, which is the Japanese pronunciation of "cutlet"

Karē; Japanese-style curry

Korroke; breaded and fried mashed potato fritters from the Japanese pronunciation of "croquette"

Omuraisu; Omelet-topped rice, from omuretsu, the Japanese pronunciation of "omelet" combined with raisu, the Japanese pronunciation of "rice"

Japanese Hambagu was popularized in Japan in the 1960s, and its base is nearly idential to German frikadelle, the same dish from which American hamburgers and Salisbury steak evolved.

My mom's version was classic: sauteed onions combined with ground beef and pork, Japanese bread crumbs, egg, and a splash of milk. She'd form them into oblong patties, fry them, then serve them either with the classic accompaniment of a simple Worcestershire and ketchup-based sauce, or with a simple mushroom cream sauce (a red wine- and Worcestershire-flavored faux demi-glace is also a common pairing in Japan).

When properly made, the breadcrumbs and egg help prevent the meat from binding too tightly, which keeps them nice and tender even when cooked well-done (which, like meatballs, they typically are). They can be made with 100% beef, but pork fat, with its lower melting temperature, adds a velvety, juicy texture to them.

Mushroom for Improvement

Several years ago, I was working on a version of hambagu as one of the vegan options at my (now-shuttered) restaurant, Wursthall. I wanted to pack as much meaty, umami flavor into it as possible and experimented with various ingredients to get it there. The version I ended up with included porcini mushroom powder and soy sauce. I loved the flavors so much that I've since started including them in hambagu by default, whether or not I was using plant-based ground meats.

It also occurred to me that my mom's peppery, creamy mushroom sauce bore a resemblance to the sauce in a classic French steak au poivre—a cream sauce flavored with brandy and mustard.

Could that sauce and technique work just as well with hambagu as it does with tenderloin steaks?

Abso-frikadellen-lutely.

Au Poivre and Beyond

I crib a technique from my friend Daniel Gritzer's steak au poivre recipe in which he crusts a single side of a tenderloin with coarsely-crushed peppercorns. The idea is that by crusting a single side, you still get plenty of great toasted black pepper flavor, but you're also able to brown the meat better on the second side, giving you the best of both worlds.

In its raw form, black pepper can be intensely hot. But crushed and cooked in hot oil, it mellows out, getting a mildly sweet, toasty, nutty flavor with a hint of heat to it. It pairs beautifully with the tender patties.

After searing the patties in oil on both sides, I take them out and continue by sautéing mushrooms directly in the drippings. I like to use a combination of Japanese mushrooms like maitake (hen of the woods), honshimeji (beech), shiitake, or hiratake (oyster), but my mom stuck with basic sliced button mushrooms, which should do you just fine if that's what you've got or prefer.

Once the mushrooms are nicely browned, I add a scattering of minced shallots and fresh thyme, then deglaze the pan with a splash of brandy or bourbon, letting it reduce before adding in my umami-boosters: miso paste and soy sauce. These are not typical ingredients in either hambagu or steak au poivre, but I love the way they intensify the flavors of the sauce.

Finally, I finish by whisking in some mustard (whole grain or dijon) and heavy cream, bringing it all to a simmer before nestling the patties back into the sauce, covering the pan, and very gently simmering until they cook through.

Just like meatballs, hambagu is very forgiving in terms of cooking to well done, but for optimal juiciness, I still suggest that you try and keep them to around 145 to 150°F or so.

I mean, just look how juicy these are:

Pick a Carb, any Carb

You can serve hambagu with mashed potatoes or rice (as my mom did), along with a side of steamed green vegetables (my mom would do broccoli or asparagus, served chilled with some Kewpie mayo for dipping), but I also love them with buttered noodles, which pairs especially nicely with the mushroom cream sauce.

In fact, after I made these, my kids and I enjoyed the leftovers the next day as a sort of impromptu mushroom cream pasta sauce. I boiled up some mafalde pasta, cut the patties into bite-sized chunks, then tossed the cooked pasta with the reheated hambagu and cream sauce along with a big splash of pasta water to bind it all together. It was delicious.

By the way, this dish is a perfect example of why I love my Titanium Pro Pan line which I designed in partnership with Our Place. The triple-clad pans heat and sear evenly, and the coating-free nonstick titanium surface makes it very easy to transition directly from searing the patties to sauteing the mushrooms to reducing the pan sauce and simmering, all while keeping cleanup nice and easy. (You can get them in time for the holidays from Our Place—your purchase helps support all of my projects here.)

Here's the link to the survery form once you've completed the recipe.

Recipe: Hambagu (ハンバーグ) Au Poivre (Pepper-Crusted Japanese Hamburg Steak with Mushroom Brandy Cream Pan Sauce)

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I love about this recipe:

Classic Japanese-style Hamburg Steak (Hambagu; ハンバーグ) is enhanced with porcini powder and soy sauce for an extra umami punch.

Hamburg Steak pears nicely with the intense flavors of steak au poivre.

The creamy mushroom sauce reminds me of the Hamburg Steak my mom made for us as kids.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 Hamburg steaks, serving 3-4

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Notes: This recipe can be made with a plant-based ground meat substitute, such as Impossible or Beyond. Replace the beef and pork with 1 pound of plant-based ground meat.

Ingredients:

For the Hambagu Patties:

1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil

4 ounces (125g) minced yellow or white onion (about 1 small or 1/2 a medium onion)

1/4 ounce (8g) dried porcini mushrooms or porcini mushroom powder (optional)

Kosher salt

12 ounces (375g) ground beef (preferably 80/20)

4 ounces (125g) ground pork

1 ounce (30g) panko-style breadcrumbs (about 1/2 cup)

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream

1 tablespoon (15ml) shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), tamari, or light Chinese soy sauce

A big pinch minced fresh parsley (optional)

A big handful whole black peppercorns

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil

8 ounces sliced mushrooms, such as mistake, shimeji, oyster, or button

1 small shallot, minced

a few sprigs thyme (the leaves can be picked if desired, or you can leave the sprigs whole)

2 tablespoons (30ml) brandy or whiskey

1 tablespoon (15ml) whole grain mustard

2 teaspoons (10ml) miso paste (preferably brown)

1 tablespoon (15ml) shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), tamari, or light Chinese soy sauce

1 cup (240ml) heavy cream

1 tablespoon (15g) butter

A splash of water of chicken stock

A big sprinkle of minced fresh parsley (optional)

Sweat the Onions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and season with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent but not browned, a few minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool slightly. Wipe out the skillet. Meanwhile, grind the dried porcinis into a powder in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

Mix in the Meat

Add the beef, pork, mushroom powder, breadcrumbs, egg, cream, soy sauce, and parsley (if using) to the bowl with the onions. Season lightly with salt (the soy sauce and onions already have some salt in them). Massage the mixture with clean hands until it is tacky and slightly paler in color. The mixture should stick to the sides of the bowl and to your hands.

Test the Seasoning

Cook a dime-sized piece of the meat mixture in a skillet (high heat until cooked through, about 45 seconds) or in the microwave (high setting for 15 seconds) and taste it. Adjust the seasoning of the meat mixture with more salt as necessary.

Form the Patties

Using wet hands, divide the mixture into 6 to 8 equal balls, about 2.5 ounces each. Shape each one into an oblong patty and transfer to a larger plate or tray as you work.

Crust the Patties

Crush the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or pulse in a spice grinder until no whole peppercorns remain, but the pieces are still nice and chunky. Transfer the peppercorns to a large plate or tray. Working one piece at a time, press the patty into the peppercorn mixture to crust one side. Return it to the plate with the pepper-side up and repeat until all patties are crusted on one side only.

Cook the Patties

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the patties, pepper-crusted-side-down and cook without moving until deeply browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip the patties and let them brown on the second side, about 2 minutes longer. Using tongs, transfer the patties back to their plate (it’s OK that it had raw meat on it, we will be cooking the patties again) and set aside.

Make the Sauce

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Add the shallot and thyme and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Away from any open flame, add the brandy. Return to heat and let it reduce for 30 seconds. Add the mustard, miso paste, and soy sauce and whisk until the miso paste is thoroughly dissolved and combined. Add the cream, butter, and chicken stock or water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain it. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper.

Return the Patties to the Sauce

Return the hambagu patties to the cream, nestling them down into the sauce. Cover and Simmer very gently until the patties are cooked through (they should register 140 to 150°F on an instant read thermometer). Transfer the patties to a serving platter. Adjust the texture of the sauce with additional cream, stock, or water if necessary. Add the parsley to the sauce (if using). Spoon the pan sauce around the patties and serve.

Here's the link to the survery form once you've completed the recipe.