Moo-Gobble Cranberry Swirl

Warning! Four of your five senses will betray you.Close your eyes while taking a bite from this burger and they will transport you to my great home state of New Jersey. This recipe offers historical food ingredients of sweet corn, tomatoes and cranberries from the first inhabitants of the state, the Native American Lenni-Lenape. An indication of the quality of these ingredients is self evident by the bordering States supermarkets yearly advertisements that they have “Jersey” sweet corn and “Jersey” tomatoes for sale. My state also would not rank 3rd in nation of cranberry production if it is not of highest excellence. Toss in some smoked turkey to compliment the cranberry and you now have a full feast. Go ahead and take another bite. Experience in progression the sweet taste of the cranberry on your tongue’s tip, the crunch of the corn resonating in your ears quickly followed by the aroma of tomatoes. Your mouth will enjoy the texture of the turkey/beef blend before every swallow. Treat your eyes to the experience by leaving them open to view the turkey swirl within the burger patty. Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted a more American best local burger.

Ingredients:

Cranberry Mayonnaise….

1 tablespoon of salted butter

1/2 cup of white onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup canned cranberry sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Corn Relish…

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon salad oil

3/4 teaspoon mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup corn, cooked

1/3 cup firm ripe tomato, diced

1/4 cup sweet pickle, diced

Patties…

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup of white onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cracked pepper corn

2 pounds freshly ground chuck

8 oz smoked turkey lunch meat, 8 slices

Additional Items…

skillet

36 inches by 6 inches of wax paper

12 inch ruler

rolling pin

sharp serrated knife

2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack

6 Sourdough buns cut in half

Instructions:

To make the cranberry mayonnaise, in a medium heated skillet melt the butter until bubbling. Add the white onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the rosemary, chicken broth, cranberry sauce and balsamic vinegar. Stir until cranberry sauce is melted, around 5 minutes. Bring skillet to a boil, stir occasionally and reduce until sauce thickly coats the spoon. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the mayonnaise, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

To make the corn relish, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, salad oil, mustard seed and pepper. In a large bowl combine the corn, tomato and sweet pickle. Toss with the dressing to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

To make the patties, in a small bowl of hot water, soak the dried cranberries for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain and chop cranberries in halves. In a large bowl combine the cranberries, white onion, garlic powder, cracked pepper corn and ground chuck; mix well. Place on a large flat stable surface the wax paper. Crease the wax paper in half the long way giving you two sections of 18 inches in length. Unfold the wax paper back to its’ full length. Take patty mixture and place lengthwise onto one of the 18 inches section the patty mixture 16 inches long and 3 inches wide; you don’t have to be exact. Flip the meatless 18 inch section of wax paper on top of the exposed patty mixture. Take rolling pin and apply to top of wax paper and roll the patty mixture flat so that it covers evenly the bottom wax paper. Unfold the wax paper back to its’ full length. You are left with a patty mixture that is 18 inches long and 6 inches wide. Apply to the top of the patty mixture the turkey slices right to left overlapping by half each other leaving 1 inch of patty mixture exposed on both verticals edges. Begin to roll tightly and evenly left to right the patty/turkey mixture off of the wax paper. With a sharp serrated knife, slice the roll into a patty every inch; this will give you 6 portions.

When the grill is heated to roughly 160 degrees, brush the grill rack with the vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover until done, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. Place the sourdough buns cut side down, on the outer edge of the grill rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of the cranberry mayonnaise over the bottom cut side of the buns. On each bun bottom, place a grilled patty, followed by equal portions of the corn relish, add the top bun and serve.