Brie-Stuffed Burgers with Caramelized Onions & Shiitake Mushrooms & Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

1/3 lb. triple-crème brie
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
2 T pine nuts
1 clove garlic
¾ C. basil
2 C. oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 T olive oil
Caramelized Onions & Shiitake Mushrooms
1 small or ½ large Vidalia onion
12 Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed
2 T olive oil
1 t Salt
Patties
1 lb. freshly ground Sirloin
1 lb. freshly ground Chuck
½ T  Steak Seasoning
2 T Tomato Paste
1 T steak sauce
6 Ciabatta Rolls
Olive Oil for grill

Instructions

Place the cheese in the freezer. To make the pesto, place the pine nuts in a flame-proof pan over a low flame. Stirring frequently, cook until nuts toast. Remove from flame. In the bowl of a food processor, place the garlic clove and process until minced. With the motor off, add the pine nuts, basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Process until ingredients are well chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until a thick paste is made. Set aside. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. To make the onions and mushrooms, thinly slice the onion and shiitake mushroom caps. Place olive oil in flame-proof pan over medium flame. Add onions, mushrooms and salt then sauté until onions and mushrooms are caramelized. Cover pan with aluminum foil and set aside. To make the patties, in a large bowl combine the ground sirloin, ground chuck, steak seasoning, tomato paste and steak sauce. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide meat mixture into 6 even portions, split each portion in two and shape the 12 portions into patties to fit the rolls. Remove the cheese from the freezer. Slice the rind off of the cheese. Slice the cheese, the long way, into thin slices. Divide the slices evenly for the 6 burgers. Place cheese on top of 6 of the patties. Top each with another plain patty and pinch the edges well to seal. You should now have 6 large burgers with cheese in the middle. Slice the rolls in half. Brush oil on the grill rack to prevent the burgers from sticking. Grill the burgers for 5 to 7 minutes per side on medium-high heat, until desired doneness. When the burgers are almost done place the rolls, cut side down, on the outer edge of the grill to toast lightly and warm up. Spread a generous amount of the pesto over the cut sides of each roll half. Place the bottom of each roll on a plate. Place a burger on top of each roll bottom. Top each burger with an equal portion of the mushrooms and onions. Add the bun tops and serve.