Fresh meat. Great flavorings. A gentle hand.

Martha Stewart isn't a big griller, but she still enjoys creating delicious varieties of burgers during summer, especially on her wood grill. In fact, in a first for her nearly 20-year-old magazine, Martha Stewart Living, she even put a burger and beer on the cover of the June issue.

And when Stewart does burgers, she considers the whole burger to make sure she gets it right.

"It is not just about using the freshest meats - chuck, sirloin, turkey, chicken - but also about the added flavorings, buns and toppings," she said in an e-mail.

For the AP's 20 Burgers of Summer series, Stewart offered one of her favorites, a chicken burger with Japanese flavors, including wasabi, ginger and soy sauce.

"You will love it," she said.

Just be sure not to press the burger, which compacts the meat.

WASABI MAYONNAISE

Start to Finish: 5 minutes

Makes 1/2 cup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder

In a small bowl, combine the wasabi powder and mayonnaise. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until needed.

CUCUMBER-SHALLOT PICKLES

Start to Finish: 4 hours (5 minutes active)

Makes enough for 4 burgers

1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pink peppercorns

1/3 cup pickled ginger

1/2 English cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 shallot, cut into 1/4-inch slices

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns and ginger. Mix until the sugar and salt dissolve, then add the cucumber and shallot slices.

Refrigerate the mixture for at least 4 hours.

JAPANESE CHICKEN BURGER

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken breast

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

4 whole-wheat burger buns with sesame seeds

Wasabi mayonnaise (see recipe above)

Cucumber-shallot pickles (see recipe above)

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, ginger, garlic and soy sauce, then form into 4 patties.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

Season the patties with pepper. Add the patties to the skillet and cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Cover and set aside.

Heat the oven to broil.

Brush the insides of the buns with a small amount of wasabi mayonnaise. Place the buns mayo-side-up on a baking sheet and toast briefly under the broiler.

Brush the buns with more of the mayonnaise. Place a burger on each bun, then top with the cucumber-shallot pickles.