Marinated Burgers with Bacon, Gorgonzola & Fig Butter, nestled on a bed of Baby Arugula & Cherry Tomatoes
Well if coming to the BBB Cook-Off in Chicago and a chance to win $100,000 isn’t enough inspiration to get in the kitchen and make a killer burger, I am not sure what is!!!I love cooking and creating original unique recipes. So that is what I did!! I sat at my kitchen table and began writing. After adding and deleting ingredients, I felt I had created the perfect burger recipe! Off to the store I went to get all the ingredients. I came home, made it & my family agreed that this burger is the best EVER!
Ingredients:
Marinade
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Patties
2 pounds ground beef chuck (80/20)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon
Gorgonzola Bacon Fig Butter
16 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
12 tablespoons butter, room temperature
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup green onions, diced
3 figs, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh Thyme
Arugula Salad
3 cups baby arugula, washed and torn
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 Ciabatta rolls
Instructions:
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Cook bacon in a fire-proof skillet on grill until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. Coarsely chop. Set aside.
To make the marinade, blend mustard, oil and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in oil. Add thyme, garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper. Blend well. Set aside.
To make the patties, combine the beef, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper & wine in a large bowl, handling as little as possible. Shape into 6 patties making an indentation in the middle. Place patties in a shallow pan. Pour marinade over patties, cover and refrigerate until ready to grill, 10-15 minutes.
To make the butter, combine butter, Gorgonzola, onions, fig, thyme & bacon. Season with salt & pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator when you begin grilling patties to allow butter to soften.
Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place patties on grill. Cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium.
Cut tomatoes in half and add to arugula in a large bowl. Mix oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour over salad & toss. Set aside.
Cut rolls in half. Place top roll on grill for 1-2 minutes until warmed & golden brown.
To assemble, place salad on bottom buns. Add burger patties. Spread butter mixture on top buns. Place top bun on top of hot burger & press down to ensure butter mixture melts into burger. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 burgers