The KSC community knows Professor of Music Dr. Dan Carberg for his choral talents, where he has served since 2013 as the director of Vocal Activities, but recently, Carberg traded vocal chords for taste buds. He placed as a finalist in the World Food Championship with his original burger recipe, the Middle Eastern Money Burger, on Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The World Food Championships, which is considered a culinary Olympics among enthusiasts, awards “golden tickets” to winners of smaller culinary competitions, who are then invited to compete at the championship event.
Carberg developed a passion for competitive cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic and began submitting homemade recipes to competitions.
“I always loved to cook. When I was a kid, I would pretend to be sick so I could stay home and cook, and even made my own cookbook as a child. During the pandemic, when I discovered the world of recipe contests, I became obsessed,” said Carberg.
Carberg earned his golden ticket after winning first place in the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council’s (MCWRC) annual recipe contest with his Thai Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, granting him his fifth appearance at the World Food Championship.
According to MCWRC Associate Director Chelsea Russell, Carberg’s recipe showcased his creative range from music to the culinary arts.
“[Carberg] entered a couple of recipes, and we picked his soup as a finalist in our competition, and awarded him our golden ticket for the championship. His recipe was well liked by judges that came from youth and adults, and we thought he would be a really good fit,” said Russell.
Following his win at the MCWRC’s “Get Wild with Wild Rice” recipe contest, Carberg embarked on crafting a recipe for the championship’s burger category.
“This was my first year competing in the burger category. I’ve competed in the bacon category twice, the vegetarian category and the seafood category,” said Carberg.
Carberg said he faced intimidating competition, which inspired him to draw from his creativity.
“I wanted to think outside the box, because I was one of a few home cooks in this contest, with the rest being professional chefs who have their own restaurants and own burgers,” said Carberg.
“I was so happy when the Middle Eastern Money Burger started to come together as a concept,” added Carberg.“I practiced the recipe probably every day for two months until I felt like I got it right,” added Carberg.
The Middle Eastern Money Burger is named in honor of Carberg’s friend Jane Money, who introduced him to the world of Middle Eastern cuisine the recipe is inspired by.
Lori Cripe McClain, Carberg’s Sous Chef during the competition, said that the Middle Eastern Money Burger was a crowd favorite at the World Food Championship.
“[Carberg] has impeccable flavor choices in his winning burger. He is fun, creative and cooks and creates with so much joy,” said McClaine. “Even being thrown a ‘mystery ingredient’ in the final round didn’t bother [Carberg], and he jumped that hurdle and infused the ingredient with his others to make a masterpiece burger that impressed the judges, giving him Kudos for flavors, burger-to-bun ratio and he got their high scores for execution, appearance and taste.”
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
Middle Eastern Money Burger (Courtesy of Professor of Music Daniel Carberg)
Money Burger
6 Burgers
6 Southern Biscuits (Homemade or Store-Bought)
Canola Oil
Urfa Pepper Flakes (or sesame seeds)
Sea Salt
(Brioche burger buns also work great and save a lot of time)
Sumac-Mayo:
1 Cup High-Quality Mayo
1 Tbs. Ground Sumac
Beef-Lamb Burger:
2 lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 lb. Ground Lamb
2 Tbs. Duck Fat Plus More for Basting the Burgers
1 Tbs. Za’atar Seasoning
1 Tsp. Aleppo Pepper
Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
Harissa Cheese Sauce:
2 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
2 Tbs. All Purpose Flour
2 Cups Half and Half
1 Cup Labneh or Plain Yogurt
1/4 Cup Harissa
1 Tsp. Ground Sumac
3 Slices American Cheese
Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
Crispy Fried Onions
1 Vidalia Onion, Sliced Thinly
1 Tbs. All Purpose Flour
1 Tsp. Cornstarch
1/2 Tsp. Smoked Flaked Salt
Brown Sugar Tomato Slices:
2 Sliced Red Tomatoes
1 Tbs. Brown Sugar
Crispy Lettuce
Directions:
If making biscuits from scratch, make dough following a standard Southern biscuit recipe, form into biscuits, and chill. Heat canola oil to 375 degrees, and fry biscuits until golden brown and cooked on the inside, approximately 4 minutes. Sprinkle with Urfa pepper flaks and sea salt. Set aside, and slice once cooled.
Combine burger ingredients, form into patties, baste in duck fat, and fry on cast iron on medium high heat for two minutes per side. Finish in oven, at 375, for another 3-5 minutes for medium.
Make a rue by melting the butter, then whisking in the flour. Add warmed half and half and whisk until thickened. Whisk in the remaining ingredients.
Coat sliced onion in flour and cornstarch. Deep fry in the same oil as the biscuits, at 375 degrees, for a few minutes, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel, and sprinkle with smoked salt.
Sprinkle sliced tomatoes with brown sugar, place under broiler for 30 seconds, so that the sugar has melted.
Combine mayo and ground sumac, and spread on both sides of the cut biscuits.
Assemble by placing a tomato slice on top of the bottom bun. Add the burger, 3 Tbs. sauce, fried onions, lettuce, and the top bun.
Optional: Skewer with a Cherry Tomato
