Sweet Sweet Burgers

There’s no avoiding it: hamburgers are all the rage in Madrid right now. They pervade the menus of restaurants that range from the corner bar on my street to those of Michelin starred chefs. And while they seem to be everywhere, in my humble Midwestern opinion, the good ones are few and far between. Do I sound bitter?  I might. Years ago when I opened my restaurant in Madrid, I propositioned my partner to create a menu of ‘gourmet’ burgers and was promptly shot down. Alas, I could be a burger-baron right now – if only I’d had the gumption. Despite my shortcomings, I do consider myself to be rather an expert in this field, so imagine my shock upon tasting the surprising ‘hamburger’ made by chef Manu Jara at the Millesime Madrid gastronomic event, being held now (from October 19-21st) in the Casa de Campo.

The twist to this appealing slider, with its apparently juicy beef patty, slice of cheddar cheese, dab of ketchup and sesame seed bun, is that it’s actually a dessert. The ‘bun’ is made from artisanal brioche sprinkled with black sesame seeds and brown sugar, the ‘cheese’ from Andalusian oranges with a touch of mango and the ‘ketchup’ from fresh tomato jam infused with vanilla, while the burger itself is a chocolate (and I want to say Nutella) patty that is crunchy on the outside and soft and yielding within. And though I’m not much for sweets, the illusion of the savory hamburger is so great that I ate two of them, one right after the other, as if trying to make sense of it all.

Manu Jara’s workshop, Mas Que Postres, is located in the town of Mairena del Alcor in Seville. Born in France, where he completed his studies and began a career as a pastry chef, Jara eventually made his way to Spain. He spent five years as Head Pastry Chef at the Michelin star Restaurante Zalacaín in Madrid, among others, before moving to Seville over ten years ago. He now divides his time between teaching his trade, writing about it and creating these magical sweets, which are often as deceptive as they are delightful: a bar of soap made of chocolate and rice pudding, a tin of cheesecake that might be mistaken for a can of sardines, or a miniature jar of preserves that is actually a rum-soaked cake with pineapple jelly. And all the while, I just can’t stop dreaming about those burgers.