I opened my Today Food Club email this morning and look what I found? They featured me as their TODAY Food Club Star this week AND they featured two of my burgers. Check out these delicious burgers! Both recipes are below.
Caprese Burger
Servings: 6 Burgers or 12 Sliders
Yield: 1 Serving
Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
INGREDIENTS
1 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup mashed strawberries
¼ cup brown sugar
2 cups fresh basil leaves
¼ cup shelled pistachio nuts
2 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil
½ grated parmesan cheese
2 pounds ground chuck (80/20)
½ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly grated onion
6 hamburger buns, split
6 - ¼ inch slices tomato
6 - ¼ inch slices fresh mozzarella
1 ½ cups lettuce (I use frisee, you can use whatever you like)
PREPARATION
In a medium saucepan, add the balsamic, berries and sugar and cook over medium high heat for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
In a food processor, add the basil, nuts, garlic, oil and parmesan and process until well blended.
In a large bowl, gently combine the chuck, soy sauce and onion. Gently shape into 6 equal size patties, make an indentation in the center of each patty. (If you want sliders, just make them smaller patties)
Over medium high heat in a skillet or grill, cook the patties for 8-10 minutes turning only once.
To assemble, add pesto to all cut sides of buns. On each bun bottom, add equal amounts of lettuce and a patty followed by a tomato slice then a mozzarella slice. Drizzle on some balsamic glaze and then add the bun top.
Shakin' Cherry Chipotle Cheese Stuffed Burgers with a Mango Mimosa Salsa and Adobo Avocado Aioli on Pretzel Buns
Compound Butter – Cherry Chipotle Cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/8 cup fresh black sweet cherries, chopped - you can substitute dried cherries in they aren’t in season
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I am using Sargento 4 State Cheddar for this)
Mango Mimosa Salsa
1 ripe mango, peeled, cored and diced
3 tablespoons Champagne/Sparkling Wine/ Or Cherry Wine (Since we are in cherry season in Oceana County, I am using The Fox Barn & Winery Harvest Cherry Wine today)
3 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 plum tomato, diced
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Adobo Avocado Aioli
1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Patties
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80/20) – (I freshly grind my own meat blend of chuck, short rib and brisket, but ground chuck 80/20 works well)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 pretzel buns, split
Mixed salad greens
Heat a grill to medium-high.
To make the compound butter, add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. You could also use a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the compound butter to a sheet of parchment or wax paper and roll up to form a log. Chill until ready to use.
To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate until assembling the burgers.
To make the aioli, combine all the ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until assembling the burgers.
To make the patties, gently combine the chuck and soy sauce. Form into 8 even thin patties. Add a round slice of the compound butter in the center of 4 patties. Top each with another patty and seal the edges, sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill burgers over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes each side (or to desired doneness). Add the cheese slices during the last few minutes of grilling. Lightly grill the cut sides of the buns.
To assemble, spread the aioli over the cut sides of the pretzel buns. Top each bun bottom with a patty then add the mixed greens. Top the greens with the salsa mixture and attach the bun tops.
This burger was featured by the Food Network's New York City Wine & Food Festival for a #nycwffdish challenge. I am a huge Rachael Ray Burger Bash fan and so this was a huge honor for me. One of my goals is to one day have one of my specialty burgers in the burger bash, that would truly be a dream come true. Hope you guys enjoy this burger as much as we do! I can't wait for the NYCWFF 2017, check out all the great events this year on their website.
