Well, here is the
@KSM32 burger. First off, I am using a freshly ground all-beef blend of chuck, short rib, and brisket. (40/20/20) Secondly, I will be incorporating a mushroom duxelle. That's a finely chopped or minced mushroom combination with herbs, etc, cooked down to a paste. Think Beef Wellington. However I want the texture and meatiness of the mushrooms to stand out so assume these are not chopped as fine. It's usually finished with wine or something else. I will finish with whiskey and reduce it.
Other ingredients will be a sliced Vidalia onion, cabbage (yes cabbage), and Gorgonzola Piccante. The roll will be Kaiser. To me one of the best buns to hold a burger together.
Oh...the duxelle. It will be a medley of Portabella, Oyster, and Button types cut into small slices. It will be cooked in butter. High heat initially but then very low. I want them to reduce and get 'sticky.' I will add fresh garlic and a pinch of salt with the mushrooms at first then towards the end I will add some fresh thyme leaves. Once cooked down, I will raise the heat and add a shot of a fine whiskey, then reduce it until dry. The whiskey will give a smoky sweetness to the earthiness of the 'shrooms.
After the meat is ground and patties are formed I'll sprinkle them with smoked sea salt and coarse cracked pepper. Multi-colored peppercorns to boot. The burger will be cooked over open flame, charred, and finished medium temperature. The patty gets set aside. Then the slice of Vidalia onion will be grilled but not cooked soft. I still want some crunch. I set that aside and break into rings. Split the rings into 2 portions. One for the bottom of the burger and one for the top.
Now...the cabbage. You may say "Yuck! cabbage on a burger?" This cabbage will be shredded razor thin. The subtle bite of the cabbage and the sweet aftertaste will accent the burger. The cabbage will be raw. It will provide a nice foundation for this burger.
Toast the Kaiser roll. Put the the rest of the onions on the patty. Top that with 2 TBS of the duxelle. Then add the Gorganzola on top. A hearty amount of cheese. Place in broiler until melted to the point it oozes over the patty and starts get get a tad crispy in areas. This cheese is sharp and has a little "spiciness" to it. Not heat per say, but very rich. The cheese, onion, and 'shrooms will collapse on each other on hold together.
Now, let's build it.
Bottom bun ~ add a small handful of the fluffy razor thin cabbage ~ Add 2 TBS of the duxelle ~ Then take a few of the sweet grilled Vidalia onion rings and layer them on the 'shrooms ~ Place the finished patty that has the onion, 'shrooms and cheese, then cap it off with the top part of the bun. No condiments needed. This burger will be rich and juicy. Grasp the burger hard and press it all together before taking a bite. You will taste a medley of flavors that should mingle together and be very satisfying. The smoked sea salt will marry well with the hint of whisky in the mushrooms and the sweetness of the Vidalia will pair well with the raw cabbage. The peppercorn medley will give some mild heat and accent flavors. The melted Gorgonzola will act as a condiment because of it's melting point and moisture. Plus it will give a little 'tang' to it.
Wang dang sweet poontang!!!!
I truly believe
@KSM32 would enjoy this. Perhaps not. Nonetheless, this is my first crack at it. I think a nice craft beer would go well with this too.
Thoughts and feedback are appreciated. I wish I could make it for you so we can actually eat it. This is just reading food porn now. And we all know porn. Some good...a lot bad.
CHEERS!
PS ~ Sorry if I rambled on or wasn't clear enough. I didn't want to get into cook times, etc. I just wanted to give an overview.
