蜜柚直播

In writing about the rich little pastries, Proust reminded us that everyone has their own madeleine memories 鈥� things that you smell or taste in the present that bring memories of the past to life again.

Typically, Proustian moments connect to time and place, merging past and present. But my most potent Proustian connections are emotional.

Let me explain.

Years ago, I spent extended periods at our tiny lakeside cottage in Michigan. The small lake was quiet, both because it didn鈥檛 have any public access and because no motors louder than an electric trolling motor were allowed.

There weren鈥檛 many cottages on the lake, and most were meant for summer use only. As a result, outside the summer holidays 鈥� Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day 鈥� most of the cottages were unoccupied.

I found the setting immensely peaceful and incredibly restorative. Our cottage had a huge deck as well as gigantic picture windows, so the nature outside was always visible.

Something deep in my soul responded to watching the Great Blue and small Green Herons working the waters near my dock. The antics of a family of river otters who lived at the lake captivated me.

I loved watching the elegant white-tailed deer that frequently came down to the lake鈥檚 edge to drink, picking their way to the water on clever hooves. Once, a Great Horned Owl sat on the windowsill, turning his head this way and that, his intense yellow eyes not a foot from my own.

The cottage was about 6 miles from the nearest village, and once a week, I went into town to visit the library and shop for groceries. It became my custom to visit the local tavern with my newly checked-out library books, to treat myself to a glass of beer or Vernor鈥檚 ginger ale and lunch.

Thus fortified, I could gather my groceries without a growling belly 鈥� key to keeping impulse buys at bay.

That was a lovely period in my life. I remember especially one perfect June day, sunny with azure skies, when my lunch at the tavern included an olive burger. I was already happy when the server set the burger in front of me, and even happier with the first bite.

Olive burgers are kind of a Michigan thing, as sentimentally important to Michiganders as that Vernor鈥檚 ginger ale I love so much. In all my travels, I鈥檝e never seen them on the menu anywhere else. They have been around in Michigan since the 1920s and 1930s, according to various reports. They鈥檙e drippy and messy to eat, but I adore them.

The one I ate at the tavern that day was served on grilled rye bread, rather than the more common hamburger bun. While sometimes the burger is also dressed with cheese, it鈥檚 more usual to have a burger patty alone topped with the mix of straight mayonnaise (not salad dressing) mixed with chopped or sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives.

So that day, an olive burger became entangled with my memory of feeling completely happy and at peace.

As has been true for many of us, the last year has been filled with anxiety and unease, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I鈥檝e been self-isolating for more than a year now, and like everyone else, I鈥檓 champing at the bit to be able to move about more freely. With the first vaccination shot in my arm, it won鈥檛 be long before I鈥檒l feel safe to do so.

The other night, I realized that I was suddenly hungry for an olive burger, but I didn鈥檛 fully understand why. When I bit into it, I understood: I was looking forward to feeling that lovely sense of happiness and peace again.

An olive burger, then, is my Proustian prompt for that feeling.

This is how I made mine, with a topping that departs a little from the original, now tailored to my 蜜柚直播an palate.

OLIVE BURGERS

Makes 4 burgers

If you have leftover topping, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. The topping is good on other sandwiches as well as burgers.

录 cup mayonnaise

录 cup softened cream cheese

录 cup sliced or coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed green onions

录 cup jalape帽o slices, coarsely chopped

4 hamburger patties, 鈪� to 陆 pound each

4 hamburger buns or 8 slices of rye bread

Butter for toasting the buns

PREPARATION

In a medium-sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, cream cheese, olives and jalape帽o slices. If the mixture is too stiff to spread, thin it with some of the olive brine or a little milk. Set aside.

Cook the burger patties by your favorite method. While they cook, brush the buns or rye bread with butter, then broil briefly until they are well-browned.

To serve, place the burgers on the bottom buns or a slice of rye, add a couple of dollops of the olive topping, then top with remaining bun or rye slices. Serve immediately.