Sparkling White Truffle Burgers with Mascarpone Black Pepper Pesto and Radicchio Sweet Onion Salad

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

Ingredients

For the Mascarpone Pesto:
2 cups (packed into measuring cup) fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1/4 cup minced shallot
1 tsp. fine sea salt
3 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. white truffle oil
1/4 cup (about 1 oz.) parmigiano-reggiano cheese, finely grated 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
For the Burgers:
4 oz. Proscuitto San Daniele, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. white truffle oil
1/3 cup sparkling dry white wine
1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (about 2 oz.) parmigiano-reggiano cheese, finely grated
1 3/4 lb. ground chuck (80% lean, 20% fat)
For the Radicchio Sweet Onion Salad:
2 large sweet onions, quartered and thinly sliced
2 heads radicchio di Verona (round and deep burgundy/purple leaves), cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. white truffle oil
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
4 oz. Proscuitto San Daniele, thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Avocado or grapeseed oil for oiling the burgers and grill
6 uncooked burgers from step #3 below
6 onion challa or brioche hamburger sized rolls
3-4 Tbsp. truffle butter 
Mascarpone Pesto Radicchio Sweet Onion Salad

 

Instructions

Prepare your Grill: For a Gas Grill: If you have a grill that has more than one section, heat one section to high and one to medium. If you only have one section, heat it to medium. For Mascarpone Black Pepper Pesto: Place the 2 cups fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup minced shallot, 1 tsp. fine sea salt, 3 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and 3 Tbsp. white truffle oil into a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped and well combined. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl. Add 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese and process until evenly combined (about 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl once or twice). For the Burgers: Place the 4 oz. Proscuitto San Daniele into the food processor and process until finely ground. Scrape down the sides of the processor and add the 3 Tbsp. white truffle oil, 1/3 cup sparkling white wine, 1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and process until well combined. Scrape the proscuitto mixture out of the processor into a large wide mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Use a rubber spatula to fold the cheese into the proscuitto mixture. Make sure the mixture is thoroughly combined (you want it uniformly and thoroughly mixed so when you add the beef you will not have to handle it any more than necessary). When the proscuitto/cheese mixture is evenly combined, crumble the ground chuck over the mixture in the bowl. Use your hands to toss the ground chuck with the mixture-like a salad-crumbling the beef chunks as you mix. NOTE: You want to handle the meat as little as possible while still mixing it evenly and thoroughly. When mixed thoroughly, divide into 6 burgers/patties (a slightly rounded or "heaping" 3/4 cup meat mixture per burger-if you have a little meat mixture left over, make the chef a little spicy meat ball). Place burgers onto a clean platter and cover with plastic wrap. Chill if not cooking within 1 hour (remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling). For the Radicchio Salad: Place the 2 thinly sliced sweet onions, 2 heads thinly sliced radicchio di Verona, 1 tsp. fine sea salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper into a large mixing bowl and use your hands (or tongs) to toss until the salad ingredients are evenly combined. Add 1 Tbsp. white truffle oil and 2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. NOTE: If you are planning on cooking the burgers now, add the 4 oz. thinly sliced Proscuitto and toss to combine. If you are not serving for over 1 hour, wait until almost ready to serve to start mixing the salad (don't add the salt and pepper to the onion and radicchio) and wait until the last minute to add the Proscuitto. Cook the Burgers: NOTE: Have a spray bottle filled with water ready (grill-side) when you cook the burgers to put out any flare-ups (flames) that result from the melting/dripping fat from the burgers. Lightly oil both sides of all of the burgers the grill with the avocado or grapeseed oil. Grill the burgers for about 4 minutes per side (you re aiming for about 135-140 degrees internal temperature-they will stay very juicy and moist because of the proscuitto and cheese), turning them once. While the burgers cook, prepare the rolls/buns by creating a "divot" in each top bun: remove any excess dough from the inside of each top bun-this will help the toppings stay on the burger and the burger stay together. Lightly butter the cut sides of the buns with the truffle butter. When done, remvoe the burgers to a clean plate and tent with foil to rest and keep warm while you toast the buns. Place the buns, cut sides down around the edges of the grill (on the cooler part of the grill so the butter doesn't burn) and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until warm and lightly toasted. Remove buns from grill and place one top and bottom onto each of 6 plates. Finish the Burgers: Spread about 2 Tbsp. of the Mascarpone Black Pepper Pesto onto the cut sides od each top and bottom bun (spread it into the "divot" in the top buns). Place 1 cooked burger onto each bottom bun. Place about 1/4-1/3 cup of the Radicchio Sweet Onion Salad into the "divot" in the top bun, and quickly flip the tops onto the burgers (you may have extra Pesto and Salad-save them for another day!!). Serves 6.