The Parallel Burger

Ingredients

• Burger:
• 6 Brioche burger buns Glaze:
• 1/2 Cup fig preserves
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons verjus Patties:
• 4 Ounces ground pork removed from the casing of andouille or other fresh, seasoned sausage
• 2 Pounds 80/20 ground beef (80 percent lean meat and 20 percent fat)
• 2 Teaspoons garlic puree, roasted
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 12 Slices honey-cured bacon
• 6 Ounces Taleggio cheese, sliced thinly into 6 equal portions Olive Spread:
• 1/4 Cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 2 Teaspoons roasted garlic puree
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 Teaspoon original-flavor tabasco Soft-Herbs Topping:
• Zest of 1 medium-size lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• Juice of 1 medium-size lemon (2 1/3 tablespoons)
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• . Cup parsley leaves
• . Cup basil leaves, finely chopped
• . Cup chives, finely chopped
• . Cup arugula, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, to brush on the grilling rack
• 3 Paper towels
• Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Instructions

• Heat a gas grill to medium-high.
• Make a glaze by stirring together the fig preserves and verjus in a small bowl.
• Make the patties by combining the ground pork, ground beef, roasted garlic, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the fig-verjus mixture in a large bowl and working ingredients together only until they are combined. Set aside the rest of the fig-verjus mixture for the time being.
• Shape the meat mixture into 6 patties. The diameter of each burger should be about the same as that of the bun. To prevent the patties from mounding as they cook, press on the top middle of each one with your thumb, enough to leave an imprint.
• Heat a large fireproof frying pan on the grill. While it heats, place a double thickness of paper towels on a large plate and set aside. Cook the bacon 10 minutes or until crisp. Drain the bacon on the paper towels, blotting slightly with a third paper towel. Wrap the bacon in aluminum foil and set aside for the time being.
• Make the Olive Spread by mixing the mayonnaise, olives, roasted garlic cloves, lemon juice, and Tabasco in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the Soft-Herbs Topping by mixing the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley leaves, basil, chives, and arugula in a medium-size bowl. Set aside for the time being.
• Brush the grill rack with the vegetable oil. Place the patties on the grill rack, cover, and turn once to cook for a total of about 10 minutes for medium. Immediately divide the cheese equally on top of the patties, then transfer them to a plate. Tent the plate with aluminum foil, not letting it touch the cheese, and set aside for the brief time before you assemble the burgers.
• Place the buns, cut-side down, on the outer edges of the grill. Toast lightly for 1 to 2 minutes, watching constantly to avoid letting them burn. Transfer the toasted buns, cut sides up, to a large sheet pan to assemble the burgers.
• Working as quickly as possible, spread the Olive Spread equally onto the tops and bottoms of all 6 buns. Place burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each one with an equal amount of the Soft-Herbs Topping and 2 slices of bacon. Drizzle the remaining fig-verjus mixture over the bacon, add the top buns, and serve right away.
• Yield: 6 burgers