Sake Glazed Kimchee Burgers with Asian Pear Slaw and Red Chili Mayonnaise

Pairs well with:

White Merlot

Imagine sipping a lighter Merlot. This fresh, pale-pink wine is a nice change from traditional red or white wines.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS NUMBERED AND LISTED IN ORDER OF USE
1. 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2. 2 tablespoons sugar for Asian pear slaw, plus 1/4 cup sugar for the sake glaze
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt for the Asian pear slaw, plus 2 teaspoons salt for the burgers
4. 1 large Asian pear,skinned cored and grated
5. 1 cup Napa cabbage, grated
6. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
7. 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8. 1 medium sized lemon. Cut in half. Use one half lemon for mayonnaise and one half lemon for the avocado.
9. 1 clove crushed garlic
10. 1/2 cup sake
11. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
12. 1/2 cup prepared kimchi drained with 1 tablespoon liquid reserved
13. 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
14. 1 1/2 pounds 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat ground chuck Olive oil for brushing the grill
15. 6 soft sesame seed buns
16. 1 large ripe avocado
INGREDIENTS FOR PREPARATION, LISTED IN ORDER OF USE:
ASIAN PEAR SLAW
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large Asian pear, grated
1 cup grated Napa cabbage
RED CHILI MAYONNAISE:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice of one half of a medium sized lemon
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
SAKE GLAZE:
1/2 cup sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
BURGERS:
1/2 cup prepared kimchi drained with 1 tablespoon liquid reserved 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 pounds 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat ground chuck
Olive oil for brushing the grill
6 soft sesame seed buns
1 large ripe avocado cut into 12 slices

 

Instructions

PREPARATION: FOR THE ASIAN PEAR SLAW: In a large bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Toss with the grated Asian pear, and grated Napa cabbage. Set aside. FOR THE RED CHILI MAYONNAISE In a bowl, combine mayonnaise,crushed red pepper, lemon juice, and crushed garlic. Refrigerate until needed. FOR THE SAKE GLAZE Prepare a grill to medium high heat. In a fireproof nonstick pan, cook sake, soy sauce and sugar on the grill until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Set aside until needed. FOR THE BURGERS In a large bowl, stir together kimchi with reserved liquid, sesame oil and salt. Add ground chuck to the bowl and combine gently. Form into 6 uniform patties and set aside. Brush grill with olive oil. Grill burgers 3-5 minutes on each side, turning once. Burgers are done when an instant read thermometer inserted in the middle of the patty reads 165 degrees. Remove burgers from grill, placing them on a medium sized cookie sheet. Brush each burger generously with the sake glaze. Cover loosely and set aside. Place the buns on the grill, cut side down and grill until lightly toasted. Remove the buns from the grill and place opened on a clean work surface. Cut Avocado into 12 slices. Spread the red chili mayonnaise on each side of the buns. On the bottom bun halves, add a medium sized slotted spoon of the Asian pear slaw, draining any excess liquid with spoon. Follow with sake glazed kimchi burger patties. Add two slices of avocado on each burger and squeeze remaining half of lemon onto avocado. Top burgers with remaining bun halves and serve immediately.