At DUCKCHAR, we jumped into the food scene later in life but one of our biggest influencers is Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen. We learned a long time ago that being an amazing cook involves a lot of skill. But being an adequate cook only requires the ability to follow directions.

Deb shares and prepares a wide variety of amazing foods out of her kitchen in NYC. If you are ever in a rut and want to try something new, we suggest you open up her cookbook and flip to any page. If you are an amateur cook, you’ll likely stumble upon a Smitten Kitchen recipe with unfamiliar ingredients. Don’t be discouraged. Go to your local spice store and load up on the unknown elements - worth it. The first go around with some of her recipes can be daunting, they involve new cooking techniques with new ingredients but the result is priceless. 

After you’ve prepared something once, it's a million times easier to cook the next time. The steps are no longer as difficult, it takes a fraction of the time and you’ve expanded your cooking and taste repertoire tenfold. On top of that, you can change her amazing recipes - preserve the original flavors but adapt them to fit your lifestyle. Check out our Turkey Burger recipe. It’s an adaptation of Smitten Kitchen’s Turkey Meatballs.

Turkey Burgers (adapted from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman)

Ingredients:
1 pound (455 grams) ground turkey
1 teaspoon table salt
Bread crumbs (1 slice of bread)
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons (15 grams) sesame seeds, toasted
olive oil

Directions:
After toasting sesame seeds, combine all ingredients into bowl and mix. Depending on size preference, form into 4-6 patties. Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).