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The Patron Saint Of Horse Show FoodVeterinarian and eventing enthusiast Dr. Steven Berkowitz draws crowds with his famous burgers and baked goods.

By LISA SLADE

BERKOWITZ BURGERSBurgers 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.

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.

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 rollsAmerican cheese

When 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.

“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

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.

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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.”

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THREE-LAYER BROWNIESThese decadent and Internet-famous 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 butter1 ¼ cups white sugar¾ cup cocoa powder½ tsp. salt2 tsp. vanilla extract2 eggs½ cup flour

For the cookie dough layer:

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature¼ cup brown sugar¾ cup white sugar1 egg1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract1 ¼ cups flour½ tsp. salt½ tsp. baking soda½ tsp. baking powder1 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.

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FOX FACE COOKIESAn 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 pre-made icing in the different shades.

There’s a fox face decorating tutorial available at thebearfootbaker.com/2012/06/fox-face-your-a-star.

INGREDIENTS: Sugar cookie mix, or your favorite from-scratch sugar cookie recipeStar-shaped cookie cutterWhite icingDark orange or brown icingLighter orange icingBlack icing

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

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.

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Berkowitz 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-peanut-

butter-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe) are simple and delicious, as are Rachael Ray’s chewy brownies (rachaelray.com/recipe/chewy-brownies).

STILL HUNGRY?