At Georgetown, we have a club called GUGS - The Georgetown University Grilling Society. When most people hear it, they either laugh or ask if it's actually an inside joke for something more traditionally "Georgetown", like a Political Science club or an association of salmon colored pants wearers. But no, it's exactly what it sounds like - a group of students united by a love for grilling, the open flame, and feeding grilled food lovers the best burgers this side of the Potomac.
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I joined my Sophomore year and over time, achieved the coveted title of Grillmaster which comes from learning the proper technique to making, cooking, and serving the classic GUGS Burger. I mean, I even have a polo saying so. It's been a few years since I graduated, but I can still remember everything like the back of my hand. While the ingredients and methodology are not really a secret, it's a Georgetown tradition I hope more people try in their own homes which is why I'm writing about it today. With the 15th Anniversary of the club recently being celebrated, I'm going to share some of the steps to recreate the legendary GUGS burger at home, as well as my personal spin on this perfect burger. Put on your gloves and let's get messy.
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If you're like me, sometimes you come up with a grand plan to cook meals for the week ahead or make a big-batch of dinner with enough leftovers to bring as lunch. However, life, being the nefarious, shady queen it is, often has other plans. The next thing you know, you have to stay late at work, friends invite you out (and you can NOT say no), or you just don't feel like it, and now it's Thursday and the food you bought earlier that week is still sitting in your fridge slowly turning brown. At this point, you have two options - you can throw it away, or, you can get resourceful and make some produce which is past its prime the star of a dish you would be proud to serve to friends and family.
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Let's try out the later

Back during my Freshman year of college, my very first drink ever was a shot of Burnett's Vodka, room temperature, from a red solo cup, in a questionably cleaned dorm room. If you are unfamiliar with Burnett's, it's that stuff you find in big plastic jugs for $9.99 at discount liquor stores that easily overlook suspicious IDs. I'm sure it would do a better job at cleaning glass than it would be as a drinking spirit. Anyways, I didn't know better so at the time, so I thought "huh, this isn't horrible." The (many) times I drank the stuff after that first run-in were less and less enjoyable. I realized that unless I managed to pour and swallow with the smallest amount of tongue contact, I would feel like Hades himself was having Samba night in my mouth.
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7 years later, I'm happy to say I have since graduated to more reputable hard alcohols than the plastic jug choices of my college self. The bar at my apartment now houses a broad but carefully chosen selection of alcohols. So maybe now you're building up your own first collection - What should you get? What should you skip? How much should you get? Let's take a look deeper.
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Ever look at an animal and think to yourself, how did it ever become a source of food?

Take the humble oyster. It looks like you may have coughed it up during your last bad flu, yet today people will pay good money to down them by the dozen if the chance arises.
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Now here’s a follow up question for you - Who thought it was a good idea to make a sauce out of oysters? Just the name “Oyster Sauce” alone can be enough to repel you. And if you don’t like oysters in the first place, why would you want a sauce to cook other things with? That’s why I want to shine a spotlight on Oyster Sauce. If you can get past the name and unique flavour, you may just find something new you want to keep in your fridge at all times.

Welcome to a new series on Suit and Apron. I'm calling it Can I Eat This? - exploring niche and unique ingredients people may not be as familiar with and how they can be used. With each post, we will explore a little background on the food in question, how to find it, and finally, how to prepare it. Always be open to trying new things? Amirite? 

So to kick off this series I'm starting with something you may have seen or heard of, but probably have not actuallybought - Shallots. Let's dive on in.