The Loss Of A Dear Friend

It is tonight, with deep sadness, that announce the loss of a dear friend.  It was all my fault and I will never forgive myself.........

Friday night, I was hosting a grill night with friends.  Grilled corn with cilantro pesto is always a good recipe on a beautiful summer night. Despite warnings that one new-comer likes "plain" food, I went with another stand-by in my grilling arsenal - flaming brandy burgers.

A few pounds of ground chuck, some diced red onions, salt, pepper, and a solid dose of allspice were, with love and care, massaged into 6 patties.  After carefully attending to them on the grill, it was time for the final ingredient - brandy.

Yes, a solid splash of this distilled wine product aged in oak barrels was added to each burger in turn. At such high grill temperatures, the brandy, much to the delight of all Boy Scouts everywhere,  burst into a stunning column of flame, first yellow, then blue.  As the alcohol burned off, the burger was left with a wonderful coating of caramelized sugars.  

With all the corn grilled to perfection and the burgers even closer, if that's possible, it was time to move everything to the serving plate.  The burgers, placed gently on  a kaiser bun, would for a moment, place one a step closer to pure ecstasy. Everything was going perfect.......

.....until it happened.

Somehow, some way, the burger slipped off the spatula and slid to its death.   Striking the concrete, small chunks of caramelized gorgeousness exploded in all directions with  the only audible sounds being the gasps off all those who witnessed it (okay, four of us).

You might be thinking "Five Second Rule!  Five Second Rule!"

Ummmm, no.

As seen on Mythbusters, the type of food that is dropped is key, as is the surface it is dropped on.  A hard candy or chip on a hard floor is hardly a big deal. A soft, wet, juicy, freshly brandied burger does not get a micro-second after it shlops onto concrete.  No sir.   In fact, I believe it would be disrespectful to the burger spirit to do so.  Add brandy?  Yes, that's fine.   In fact, the spirit may be honored.  Dried grass clippings and dirt? I think not.  

While we knew each for only minutes, in felt like a lifetime................