In celebration of Coolina's 4-year anniversary, we'd like to share some special recipes featuring two of our co-founders' favorite dishes. Ilya adores hamburgers, while Sergey would eat steak for every meal if he could. These recipes are simple to follow, so don't be hesitant to try them out at home.

1. Juicy Steakhouse Burgers

Source - onceuponachef.com

These are the best steakhouse burgers you'll ever have. Even when cooked to well-done, they are flavorful and persistently juicy.

Ingredients 

• 2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 pounds 80 to 85% lean ground beef
• 3 scallions, very finely sliced (optional)
• 8 hamburger buns

Instructions 

1. Preheat the grill to high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well.
3. Add the ground beef and scallions and break the meat up with your hands. Mix everything together until evenly combined. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form compact balls. Flatten the balls into 3/4-inch patties about 4-1/2 inches across. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.
4. Oil the grilling grates. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired.

2. Pan Seared Steak

Source - natashaskitchen.com

The garlic rosemary-infused butter in this Pan-Seared Steak gives it a steakhouse flavor. 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs New York Strip Steaks (2 steaks) or Ribeye or Top Sirloin Steaks (1 lb each steak, 1 1/4” thick)
• 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil or any high heat cooking oil like canola or extra light olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and quartered
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Instructions

1. Thoroughly pat the steak dry with paper towels. Just before cooking, generously season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper
2. Heat the cast iron pan until hot then add 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add steaks to the skillet. Sear the steaks on the first side for 4 minutes until a brown crust has formed then flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the steak on its sides to render the white fat and sear the edges (1-minute per edge).
3. Reduce heat to medium and immediately add 2 Tbsp butter, quartered garlic cloves and rosemary to the pan. Spoon the butter sauce over the steak, tilting the pan to get butter on your spoon. Continue spooning the sauce over the steak for a minute or until the steak is about 5-10 degrees from your desired doneness (the temperature will continue to rise another 5-10 degrees while steaks rest).
4. Transfer steak to a cutting board, loosely cover and rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" strips to serve. Spoon extra butter sauce over sliced steak to serve.

3. Beef Stroganoff Burgers

Source - foodnetwork.com

These mushroom burgers feature an entire roasted portobello mushroom (in addition to a burger patty) and a creamy mushroom stroganoff sauce, making them both double-deckers and double mushroom.

Ingredients

• 5 portobello mushrooms (4 to 5 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound ground beef (95 percent lean)
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 hamburger buns
• Lettuce leaves for topping

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the stems from 4 of the mushrooms and set the stems aside. Put the 4 stemmed mushroom caps, gill-side-up, in a large baking dish, making sure there is at least 1/2 inch of space between them. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until a knife inserted in the center meets just a bit of resistance, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
2. Clean and roughly chop the reserved mushroom stems and the remaining portobello. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms, garlic and a generous amount of black pepper; cook until the stems are soft, about 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and mushrooms and stir until all of the flour has been absorbed. Stir in the beef broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream, parsley, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. . Keep warm while you grill the burgers.
4. Shape the ground beef into four patties, each about 5-inches in diameter. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, spray it liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Add the burgers and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for another 1 1/2 minutes for medium-rare.
5. Put the bottoms of the buns on serving plates. Top each with a lettuce leaf and a roasted mushroom, gill-side down, then top with a burger and a generous dollop of the sour cream-mushroom sauce. Cover with bun tops and serve.

4. Butter-Basted Rib Eye Steaks

Source - foodandwine.com

This rib eye steak method is based on an Alain Ducasse recipe and consists of two steps: seasoning the meat well and letting it sit at room temperature for at least half an hour, and then cooking it on a hot cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

Two 1 1/4-pound, bone-in rib eye steaks

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves

1 rosemary sprig

Instructions 

1. Season the rib eye steaks all over with salt and freshly ground pepper. Let the meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the canola oil until it shimmers. Add the steaks and cook over high heat until crusty on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the steaks and add the butter, thyme, garlic and rosemary to the skillet. Cook over high heat, basting the steaks with the melted butter, garlic and herbs, until the steaks are medium-rare, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut the steaks off the bone, then slice the meat across the grain and serve.

5. Hamburger Steaks

Source - delish.com

This recipe includes both of our founders' favorite dishes as a representation of their bond. Hamburger steak is similar to salisbury steak and is topped with a mushroom and onion sauce.

Ingredients 

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp. bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Instructions 

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Divide beef mixture into 4 patties, then flatten to ½” thick oval patties. 
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add patties and cook until golden and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside to keep warm. 
3. To the same pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and onions and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add flour and toss to coat veggies. Slowly whisk in broth, then add worcestershire and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Return steaks to skillet and spoon sauce over. Heat until warmed through.