FEED ROOM
The Patron
Saint Of
Horse Show
Food
By LISA SLADE
Dr. Steven Berkowitz (left) is a well-known presence at Plantation Field (Pa.) and Fair Hill (Md.) Horse Trials
thanks to his veterinary services and grilling and baking prowess. Here he feeds Olympic eventer Boyd Martin.
W
hen Steven Berkowitz,
VMD, started attending
three-day events as a
treating veterinarian about 10 years
ago, he’d find a quiet place for himself
and his dog, and he’d read the Sunday
newspaper or some magazines.
Nowadays, when Berkowitz rolls up
to the show, he’s quickly surrounded
by friends. They’re ready for him to fire
up his grill, or they’re seeking one of
his famous sweet treats. At Plantation
Field (Pa.) or Fair Hill (Md.) Horse
Trials, it’s not uncommon to see Boyd
Martin or Ryan Wood trotting around
cross-country warm-up still polishing
off a burger or brownie.
“They would serve you hoagies for
lunch, and I’m not a big hoagie person.
And because I was usually hiding
somewhere, sometimes I wouldn’t get
lunch,” says Berkowitz, a veterinarian at
Unionville Equine in Pennsylvania who’s
also often caught snapping pictures of his
favorites riders in addition to feeding them.
So he decided he’d pack a grill and
make a burger for himself.
100 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
AMY K. DRAGOO PHOTO
Veterinarian and eventing
enthusiast Dr. Steven
Berkowitz draws crowds
with his famous burgers and
baked goods.
U N TAC K E D
BERKOWITZ BURGERS
Burgers are a horse show food staple, and Berkowitz brings his 18" Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal
Grill along with him to make sure they’re perfect every time. “It’s foolproof, and it’s very portable,
and everyone loves the charcoal taste,” he says.
INGREDIENTS:
Ground beef (80/20)
Your favorite meat
seasoning (Berkowitz
prefers seasoning salt
from the Country Butcher
Fine Foods Market in
Kennett Square, Pa.)
Potato rolls
American cheese
1. Season ground beef. If you don’t have a favorite
seasoning, salt and pepper work too.
2. Form beef into patties. “I make sure I handle the
meat gently and don’t squeeze it too tightly, so the
burgers stay juicy,” said Berkowitz.
3. Grill each side for six minutes.
4. Place one slice of American cheese on the burger
and serve it on a potato roll.
“When I first started, people would see
the smoke from the grill and be like, ‘Hey,
can you make me one?’ Now I’m making
12 to 18 every time I go somewhere,” he
says. “At Fair Hill, I think I made two
dozen burgers. It gives me something to
do, and I like feeding people. I’ve met so
many more people now that I would never
have become friends with otherwise. It’s
really become a fun thing.”
Berkowitz gets most of his baking
inspiration from food blogs and online
recipes, or even the backs of flour bags,
and then he tests them on the riders. But
he has a secret tip, too.
“I put sea salt on everything when I’m
done,” he said. “I get coarse sea salt, and
it adds an extra crunch—everyone loves it.”
THREE-LAYER
BROWNIES
LISA SLADE PHOTO
These decadent and Internetfamous brownies more often
go by the moniker “slutty
brownies” on food blogs. This is
the made-from-scratch version
of the recipe recommended by
Berkowitz, but if you prefer
to use pre-made mixes for the
brownies and cookies, you can
find those recipes online.
INGREDIENTS:
One package of regular
Oreo cookies, or use a
specialty flavor of your
choice
For the brownie layer:
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups white sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup flour
For the cookie
dough layer:
½ cup unsalted butter at
room temperature
¼ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet, milk
or dark chocolate chips
1. Prepare brownie layer:
A. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
B. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted, whisk to combine and then remove
saucepan from heat.
C. Add salt, vanilla and eggs and whisk again to combine before adding the flour. Set pan aside.
2. Prepare the cookie dough layer:
A. Cream the room-temperature butter, white and brown sugars with an electric mixer.
B. Add the vanilla and egg and mix again.
C. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, and mix on low.
D. Add the chocolate chips. Set mix aside.
3. Assemble the brownies:
A. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
B. Prepare a 9" x 9" pan with cooking spray, or line the pan with tin foil and then spray foil with
the cooking spray for ease of cleaning.
C. Press the cookie dough into the bottom of your baking pan. This will form the bottom layer of
the brownies.
D. Add a single layer of Oreo cookies on top of the cookie dough.
E. Pour brownie mix on top of Oreos and cookie dough.
F. Bake for 30-45 minutes, testing with a knife after 30 minutes. Once knife comes out clean,
allow brownies to cool for an hour or two before cutting and serving.
C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
101
FEED ROOM
FOX FACE COOKIES
An adorable favorite with the eventing
crowd, these cookies would be equally at home
during a hunt brunch or evening barn party.
The star shape is their secret. Berkowitz makes
his own Royal Icing with milk and powdered
sugar before using food coloring to achieve
optimal shades, but you can also purchase premade icing in the different shades.
There’s a fox face decorating tutorial
available at thebearfootbaker.
com/2012/06/fox-face-your-a-star.
INGREDIENTS:
1. Prepare sugar cookies according to recipe, cutting into star
shapes before baking. Allow cookies to cool fully before icing.
2. Start by making the lighter orange face of the fox, leaving
room for the white nose and darker orange or brown ears.
3. Once the first layer of icing sets, anywhere from a few hours
SARA LIESER PHOTO
Sugar cookie mix, or your favorite
from-scratch sugar cookie recipe
Star-shaped cookie cutter
White icing
Dark orange or brown icing
Lighter orange icing
Black icing
to overnight, add the darker orange/brown ears and the white
face. These two layers shouldn’t touch, so there’s no waiting
time required between them.
4. Finish with a drop of white frosting, topped with a dot of black
frosting, for the two eyes.
STILL HUNGRY?
B
erkowitz has many more favorites than those featured here.
He also often makes Millionaire’s Shortbread, and you can find his go-to recipe at cooksillustrated.
com/articles/336-millionaires-shortbread.
Flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (kingarthurflour.com/recipes/flourless-peanutbutter-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe) are simple and delicious, as are Rachael Ray’s chewy brownies
(rachaelray.com/recipe/chewy-brownies).
102 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
U N TAC K E D