Hearty Cranberry Glazed Cheesy Beef Burger
The wonderful flavors of New England including cranberries and cheddar cheese.
Ingredients:
Cheddar Cheese Filling:
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese/freshly shredded (not prepackaged)
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano / freshly grated
2 tablespoons Country Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons walnuts, ground
1 clove garlic/ smashed with paper removed
Patties:
2 pounds fresh ground chuck – 80% lean
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg/ beaten
1 tablespoon Country Grainy Dijon mustard
1 scallion/minced
2/3 cup plain Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano / freshly grated
Cranberry BBQ sauce:
1 /2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup water
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Country Grainy Dijon mustard
4 finely chopped scallions
1 /2 cup cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1 /4 cup Sutter Home Pinot Noir
Finishing:
1/4 cup vegetable oil for grill
6 Ciabatta Rolls split
3 tablespoon butter/ softened
6 leaves Boston Bibb lettuce
6 thin slices Vidalia onion
Instructions:
To make the Cheese Filling
In a medium size bowl of a food processor combine the shredded cheese ,Parm, Dijon, walnuts and garlic. Pulse several times to blend. Remove and set aside.
To make the Beef Patties:
Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add beaten egg, scallion and Dijon mustard.. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano . Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of the meat. Gently mix all ingredients until combined with a fork but do not over work the mixture. Turn out onto a plate and evenly divide into 6 sections. Make a 4 inch burger ( I like to use a burger press for continuity of size ,shape and grilling time) but all hand molding will work too. Place a ball (a large gumball size ¬ about 1 1/2 tablespoon) of the cheese filling in the middle of the burger-depress slightly but do not go beyond a 2 inch diameter. Cover the cheese with the meat mixture and finish hand molding the burger. Repeat for each burger. This makes 6 burgers. Cover with wax paper and set aside to chill until cooking.
To make BBQ sauce:
To make BBQ sauce: place the dried cranberries and the water in a small grill safe saucepan . Turn heat on medium low. Add rest of ingredients and stir. Cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally until mixture is almost rich and flavors blended well. Lower heat , stir in the Sutter Home Pinot Noir and let set until needed.
To cook:
Brush the grill rack with oil using an oil moistened paper towel. Preheat a gas grill to medium high.
Place the patties on the rack and grill until browned on the bottoms, 3-4 minutes. Turn the patties on the rack gently with a spatula and continue grilling until done to 160 degrees, about 4-5 minutes longer for a medium burger. Glaze the burgers with a tablespoon of BBQ sauce and let cook for last minute.
Burger assembly:
Place a bottom roll on each plate and top with a lettuce leaf. Place the cooked burger on top. Dollop 1-2 tablespoons of the Cranberry BBQ sauce on top of the hot burger and a slice of Vidalia on top then cover with the roll top.
Makes 6 burgers.