Juicy Lucy

Philly has the cheese steak, Buffalo has its wings, and the cream pie for Bostonians - but the Minnesotans have the Juicy or Jucy Lucy. My new gal pal and fellow foodie, Heather, played culinary matchmaker by introducing me to Ms. Jucy Lucy. In its simplest form a Jucy Lucy is a hamburger stuffed with cheese. The ordinary burger is transformed with a molten center.

To bring things up a notch, I purchased brioche rolls, Tillamook cheddar, cremini mushrooms and onions. Hours earlier Heather talked me through the process, she having lived in the land of 10,000 lakes knew something about this regional phenomenon.

When dinner rolled around I caramelized some sliced onions, then sauteed some cremini with leeks, and thyme. I split the soft brioche rolls and made the cheese stuffed patties. The grill pan heated. The burgers sizzled.

Topped with onions and mushrooms the stage was set. Juicy, meltingly satisfying... those Minnesotans had something there. The only thing that would have made it better would have been an iced cold pop.