ArcaMax

This coming Sunday evening is the 80th annual Academy Awards® ceremony. At the time I'm writing this column, it's impossible to predict who will go home carrying Oscars® (or even if the presenters will have scripts to read!)

But I do know that award recipients, nominees, and everyone attending the event or watching it at home will be hungry. And, at least for those who come to the Governors Ball after the ceremony at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, my team and I get to feed them.

You might think that big stars and movie moguls, all dressed up in their finest clothes, head straight for the caviar and lobster. So I'll share their secret with you: The most popular appetizers at the Governors Ball, without a doubt, are my mini cheeseburgers.

And, best of all, they're so easy to make that you can enjoy them right at home, too, this Sunday, without having to wait until after the ceremony.

Making mini burgers isn't very different from preparing regular-sized ones. The only real difference comes in cutting out small rounds of rich egg bread such as brioche or challah on which to serve them open-faced; and in shaping the burgers, which you roll between your palms into little spheres like meatballs and then flatten slightly.

I like to serve the stars USDA prime beef, the finest quality, which we grind fresh. But you could also use the excellent and more widely available choice-grade beef, and ask your butcher to grind it for you to order. While many people today prefer ultra-lean ground beef with 10 percent or less fat, and many butchers label the fat content for health-conscious shoppers, I find you get the best flavor and juiciest results with a 20 percent fat content. Hollywood's elite doesn't seem to mind the special-occasion splurge, but you should feel free to use whatever you prefer.

For many people, toppings really play an important supporting role in a great burger, and they become even more important and more prominent on these open-faced minis. I like melted cheese on a burger: tangy Gorgonzola in this recipe, for which you could substitute aged Cheddar or any other good melting cheese you like. The sauce adds even more flavor along with moisture, whether you use the "special" yet easy sauce I share here or just some ketchup or good mustard. Vegetables add color and crunch, here in the form of arugula leaves, cherry tomato halves, and slices of the tiny French pickles called cornichons.

Such little touches add up to make a big impression for these mini burgers. So I hope you prepare a batch for your Oscar party and that they add to the pleasure you get from watching the show!

PRIME MINI BURGERS WITH GORGONZOLA AND SPECIAL SAUCE

Makes 12 mini burgers

SPECIAL SAUCE:

2/3 cup good-quality store-bought mayonnaise

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons bottled tomato-based barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon store bought relish

1 tablespoon minced red onion

1/2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

BURGERS:

6 slices brioche bread or other rich egg bread such as challah

3/4 pound prime ground beef

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Arugula leaves

6 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

3 cornichons or small dill pickles, each sliced lengthwise into 4 pieces

First, make the Special Sauce. Put the mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauce, relish, onion, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To prepare the burgers, first preheat an outdoor grill, indoor grill, or ridged stovetop grill pan.

Meanwhile, use a 2-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circular pieces from the bread slices. Set aside.

Put the ground beef in a bowl and season with generous pinches of salt and pepper. With clean hands, lightly but thoroughly mix the beef and seasonings. To form a mini burger, take about 2 tablespoons of the beef and loosely roll it between your palms to form a ball; then, flatten it slightly and set it aside on a clean dinner plate while you shape the remaining meat in the same way to make 12 mini burgers. Lightly drizzle the burgers with olive oil and season their tops with salt and pepper. Turn the burgers over and drizzle and season their other sides.

Place the burgers on the hot grill. Cook for 3 minutes (for medium-rare), then turn them over with tongs. Carefully place about 1 teaspoon of Gorgonzola cheese on top of each burger, allowing it to melt while the other side cooks for about 3 minutes more. Place the bread pieces in gaps on the grill. (If your grill is small, you can also toast them under a hot broiler or in a toaster oven.) Toast them lightly on both sides, about 2 minutes total.

To assemble the burgers, put the toasted bread circles on a serving platter. Top each piece with a small dollop of the sauce. With the tongs, place a burger, cheese side up, on top of 12 of the bread pieces. Top each with an arugula leaf, a slice of tomato and a slice of cornichon. Serve immediately.