Recipe: The Five Napkin Burger

He's known for his burgers, but last year, Chef Andy D'Amico switched things up a bit at The Art of Food, creating a hummus avocado toast that remarkably resembled his paired artwork: Wayne Thiebaud's Cheese Chunks. “We do burgers, and we're famous for them, but we also have these very creative appetizers and sides, so I wanted to show this other dimension of who we are,” explained D'Amico. “I couldn't resist a tongue & cheek homage to one of the most popular--and overplayed--dishes of the year. I was inspired to call the dish Avocado Toast when I realized I would utilize chunks of toasted bread to emulate the chunks of cheese in the artist's painting.” To see what Chef Andy is serving up at this year's Art of Food, visit: www.artoffoodny.com Five Napkin Burger Serves 4 1. Make the Caramelized Onions 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 lbs. onions, thinly sliced 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. thyme leaves Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and salt, cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Stir onions every 10 minutes, being careful not to let the onions brown. After the onions have softened and have turned golden add the thyme & salt, cook 5 minutes longer and remove from heat. 2. Make the Aioli 2 large egg yolks 8 cloves garlic, crushed into a paste with a pinch of salt 1 cup olive oil 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice Whisk egg yolks in a medium sized stainless bowl until light in color. Add garlic and begin to add the oil very slowly, in a thin stream, while beating. As the emulsion forms, oil may be added faster. Add the lemon juice and re-season with salt & pepper. 3. Make the Burgers 2 ½ lbs. fresh ground beef 4 soft white hamburger rolls ¼ lb. gruyere cheese, sliced thin 1 ½ cups caramelized onions 1 cup aioli Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and form each into a burger about 1 inch thick. Cook to desired doneness over a hot grill, preheated iron skillet or under the broiler. Top each burger with two slices of cheese and melt, place the burger on the bottom half of a toasted bun. Top each burger with a generous portion of onions and a heaping spoon of aioli.