Lemon-Marinated Lamb Gyro with Cucumber Crème Fraiche on Grilled Flatbread
makes 12 sliders

6 ea. Lamb Tenderloins, boneless
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Marinade:
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Lemon Juice
3 ea Garlic Cloves, mashed and minced
½ Onion, grated
1 tsp ea. Chopped fresh thyme, oregano, and marjoram

Combine marinade ingredients until well incorporated in a small bowl with a whisk. Season Lamb with salt and pepper. Place lamb in sealable gallon size freezer bag. Pour marinade over meat and massage marinade into meat in the bag. Let marinate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Remove marinated lamb from bag and sear over high heat in a large sauté pan with 3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil until well caramelized and colored. Flip meat to sear all sides while basting with the cooking liquid with a spoon. Cooks for a total of 6-8 minutes. Allow to rest before slicing.

Cucumber Crème Fraiche:
1.5 cups crème fraiche
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
½ large European cucumber - peeled, seeded and finely diced
¼ tsp. ground cumin, toasted
¼ tsp. ground coriander, toasted
1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper

Toast cumin and coriander in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until fragrant and toasty. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside and refrigerate.

Mediterranean Flatbread, pocket-less, cut into 2.5 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter
½ head of Bibb lettuce, sliced thin
½ Red Onion, sliced very thin
½ pint Cherry Tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Dress tomatoes, onions, lettuce and feta with salt, pepper a squeeze of lemon and olive oil. Toss together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Grill flatbread rounds until warmed and colored. Spread a little Tzatziki sauce on each round. Top one round with sliced lamb meat, then the salad and place other round on top.
Serve.

Cheeseburger “Animal Style”
makes 12 sliders

12-16 mini soft rolls toasted and set aside
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
½ bunch sliced chives

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Form meat into 2.5 inch round, thin patties and layer on parchment paper and refrigerate before cooking.

Animal Sauce
1 egg yolk
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup water
1 clove garlic
1 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp Ketchup
2 Tbsp finely chopped Cornichons

In a food processor or blender, pulse yolk, lemon, water, mustard and garlic until well incorporated. Slowly add oil to emulsify becoming creamy and thick. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in ketchup and cornichons with a rubber spatula and place in small bowl and set aside.

Toppings:
4 whole shallots, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. butter
4 slices cheddar cheese, quartered
4 slices gruyere cheese, quartered
½ head green leaf lettuce, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

In a medium sauté pan over high heat, caramelize shallots in butter. Set aside.

To cook burgers:
½ cup Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil, in stages to sear

Heat a large sauté/griddle pan on high. Using a pastry brush, brush one side of the burger with Dijon. Add a little oil to the pan (just enough to coat) and place burgers mustard side down (avoiding crowding the pan) and sear for 2-3 minutes. Flip burgers; add one quartered slice of each cheese and sear for another 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towel lined plate, mustard/cheese side up. Use new oil for each batch of burgers.

Assembling burgers:
Spread a little animal sauce on each side of toasted roll. Place cooked patty on bottom of toasted soft roll. Top with caramelized shallots. Top with a little lettuce and tomato. Combine soft roll top.

Italian Sausage and Peppers on Rosemary Foccacia
makes 4 sammies = 12 sliders

Pepper Mixture:
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 red peppers, thinly sliced
2 yellow peppers, thinly sliced
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, dijon, fresh rosemary and olive oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add all of the vegetables and toss. Pour the vegetable mixture onto a large oven tray and bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are caramelized.

Rosemary-Parmesan Focaccia Bread:
1/4-ounce package (2 1/2 teaspoons) plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
5 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon table salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon coarse salt, or to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment proof the yeast with the sugar in the water for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy, add the flour, the table salt, and 3 tablespoons of the oil, and combine the dough well. With the dough hook knead the dough for 2 minutes, or until it is soft and slightly sticky. Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to an oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in bulk. The dough may be made up to this point, punched down, and kept, covered and chilled, overnight. Let the dough return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. Press the dough evenly into an oiled jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, and let it rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is almost double in bulk.
Stir together rosemary and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Dimple the dough, making 1/4-inch-deep indentations with your fingertips, brush it with the oil, and sprinkle it with the coarse salt and grated parmesan cheese. Bake the focaccia in the bottom third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden brown, let it cool in the pan on a rack, and serve it warm or at room temperature.

Sausages:
1.5 lbs fresh Italian turkey sausage

Prick sausages with a fork and grill, turning them, until golden and just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve sausages lengthwise and grill, cut sides down, 1 minute, or until sausages are cooked through but still juicy.

Assembling Sammies:
Slice focaccia into 4-inch squares and halve them horizontally, leaving one edge uncut to form a hinge, and fill them with the pepper mixture and the sausage.

The Dude's Milkshake
makes 2 shakes

2 ounces kahlua
2 ounces vanilla vodka (or regular vodka plus 1tsp vanilla extract)
2 ounces bailey's
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
4 ounces seltzer
whipped cream and chocolate covered espresso beans

Preparation:
In a blender, combine the kahlua, vodka, bailey's, and ice cream. Blend until frothy. Pour into 2 glasses, top each off with 2 ounces of seltzer, and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate covered espresso beans.