Hamburgers are one of those foods that are possibly under-represented in cookbooks due to their sheer simplicity. Although recipes for “hamburgh sausage” or “hamburg steaks” appear in cookbooks dating as far back as 1758, most of the hamburger recipes in my Maryland cookbooks come from the 1950s and 1960s. It was a time when there was a little more experimenting going on in home kitchens, and these recipes tend to have some special touch or sauce.
“Queen Anne Goes to the Kitchen” (1962), the source for this recipe, also contains recipes for “Belmost Sauce” and “Aloha Sauce” for hamburgers. “Hamburgers Diane” is a twist on Steak Diane, a popular dish at the time which, according to Wikipedia, “was considered dated by 1980.” Steak Diane’s origin isn’t entirely clear but it is often attributed to Chef Beniamino Schiavon of the Drake Hotel in New York. Table-side flambé, as seen in this recipe, was a popular fad in the mid-20th century.
Washington College yearbook, 1959
One completely baffling aspect to this recipe was an instruction to salt the pan and heat until the salt turns brown. I’m pretty sure that salt does not brown? Maybe the salt used in 1962 had some different impurities? I honestly don’t know so I ignored that instruction.
These burgers would be fine on a bun (brioche perhaps? to keep it fancy…) but I already had the wild rice thing going so we went bun-less.
All in all it was a tasty burger, but that is always going to come down to the quality of the meat and how you salt and cook it… not some gimmicky sauce.
The recipe contributor, Lynette Morgan Nielsen was born Esther Lynette Morgan in Montreal, 1912. Her mother, Esther Judson appears to have come from money.
Dealth of Lynette Nielsen’s grandfather, 1910, Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)
Lynette’s grandfather Edward Barker Judson, Jr., according to one obituary, “was one of the grand men of Syracuse.” He was “the son of a wealthy father and the inheritor of a large fortune from his uncle” and became president of First National Bank of Syracuse. At some point Lynette married Orsen N. Nielsen, a U.S. Diplomat. The two traveled the world as he served in Russia, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Iran and Australia. Orsen Nielsen retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1952 and the family settled in Centreville.
There, Lynette served as a trustee of Washington College. An annual art prize was named in her honor. She contributed to Atkins Arboretum at Tuckahoe State Park, and a mental health services annex of Queen Anne’s County Health Department, which was named in her honor. She passed away in 1984.
Lynette’s well-traveled and philanthropic life is yet another example of the many citizens who contributed to “Queen Anne Goes to the Kitchen,” now a classic Maryland cookbook whose reputation has spread throughout the state.
Recipe:
- 1 Lb good beef, ground
- 2 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons cognac
- chives or onion pieces
- butter
Shape beef lightly into cakes, sprinkle with pepper and press pepper into cakes. Let stand 30 minutes. Sprinkle a light layer of salt over bottom of a heavy frying pan. Turn heat to high, and when pan is hot [or when “salt begins to brown” according to the recipe??] add hamburgers.
Cook until well browned on each side, reduce heat and cook until done to taste. Place a pat of butter on each burger, pour cognac over top and set ablaze.
Sprinkle cakes with chives or dried onions before serving.
Recipe adapted from “Queen Anne Goes to the Kitchen”
