Need to simplify the Canadian long weekend that begins the second half of the demanding year? And so put aside broodings over C-38, Parliamentary destruction, Mulcair and Dutch disease theories, étudiants des casseroles, and a free bridge to Michigan. Apartment burgers, tested at height above the Edmonton river valley, are the answer. I’ve already experimented with several versions of what is nothing more than a chicken burger, but this variation, tonight’s, is a good one.

Halve two fresh, large buns. Coat the bottom half with half of a ripe avocado. Add a chicken burger that’s been baked in the oven. These burgers are widely available in bulk packs so cheap that the hen must have subsidized them. Add a generous portion of roasted red pepper, direct from the jar. Coat with very thin slices of a good cheese such as Maasdam. Top with a decent lettuce, preferably red or leaf. The top half of the bun can be coated with a good ajvar. Slice the bun in half. Serve with fresh cherries, such as those now available from Washington state.

Chicken Burger with Washington Cherries

We’ve also been experimenting with La Puerta wines from the Famatina Valley of the Argentine Andes. The Torrontés is a particularly good white, and combines excellently with this preparation of chicken.

As this is a burger, it is not recommended to be served with classical music. Suggested is  a mixture of Artie Shaw:

And as long as my heart will beat, lovers we’ll always meet

Here in my deep purple dreams

To whom is added a little Sinatra, Django Reinhardt, Mancini, and early New Orleans jazz:

 Ashes to ashes,

Dust to dust,

If the women don’t get you,

The whiskey must.