Sometimes you just need a juicy messy burger. We took the opportunity for a Valentine’s Day indulgence, although, really, anytime is a good time for a burger.
The Perfect Burgers
We start with my go-to recipe for burgers from Bobby Flay.
Use an 80/20 blend to keep your burger juicy. Bobby’s recipe is simple, a thumbprint in the center of each burger keeps them cooking evenly.
We top our burger with sautéed shitake mushrooms, blue cheese, arugula, and bacon jam. Yes, bacon jam. You get that recipe below and trust me, bacon jam is life-changing.
For a side? Cheddar Cheese corn-chips (ours were Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips). They are the perfect junk food snack to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon.
So spoil yourself, or a loved one or a friend! But go ahead and indulge in this burger!
L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. This was from L’Ecole No. 41 and it is their 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
This Cabernet comes from Washington’s largest AVA the Columbia Valley AVA. It covers a full 1/3 of the landmass of Washington. It is sourced from vineyards across this AVA that L’Ecole No. 41 has built a relationship with over the years.
The wine has notes of black currant, blackberry, and spice on the nose. It is soft and round in its mouthfeel with soft suede-like tannins that coat your mouth unevenly. On the palate, in addition to the fruit notes, I found dusty cocoa and mocha notes.
It is 100% Cab Sav from the Columbia Valley AVA and runs $29.00.
L’Ecole No. 41 is located in Walla Walla Washington in an old schoolhouse. You can read more about them here and here.
*We received this wine as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.
Bacon Jam?!!!
Cook the bacon jam first. It takes a bit more time than the burgers. You can even make it ahead of time and just reheat it slightly to use on the burgers.
This recipe does call for a ½ lb of bacon and you end up with about ½ cup of jam, but trust me it is worth it.
Crisp up the bacon and reserve the bacon grease. Cook some onion and garlic in some of that grease. Chop the bacon up and add it and brown sugar to the onions. Cook a little then some dried cranberries, some Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and a little bit of water, and cook this until it’s syrupy. This will keep in the fridge for about a week (if you can keep from eating it all!)
Shitake mushrooms
You can cook the burgers and the mushrooms at the same time. I hadn’t thought about it, but you could probably cook them in the same pan.
I used my rod iron skillet for the burgers and a smaller pan for the mushrooms. The mushrooms just get a little olive oil. You can add soy to season, but if you are pairing with a Cabernet Sauvignon, don’t. The cooked soy on the shitakes just somehow doesn’t work.
Cooking the burger
The burgers need to be about 6 ounces (a little kitchen scale is great here) and should be ¾ inch thick each. Put that thumbprint in the middle and season with salt and pepper. Add a little oil to your pan (something neutral like canola) and heat it up. Add the burgers and they do 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other (for medium-rare, which is how we like our burgers). Add the cheese, put a lid on, and cook for one last minute to melt the cheese.
Burgers with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
Based on Bobby Flay's recipe for the Perfect Burger which keeps your burgers perfectly juicy! It's important to use at least 80/20 ground beef to keep the burgers juicy and the thumbprint? Well, a thumbprint in the middle is key to keeping the burgers cooking evenly.
We topped our burgers with sautéed shitake mushrooms, blue cheese, arugula, and bacon jam. Don't worry, there is a recipe for that too!
Ingredients
- 5 Shitake mushrooms
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ¾ lb ground beef (ideally 80/20)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 2 tbs Canola oil
- 2 tbs Blue Cheese
- 2 hamburger buns
- 1 tbsp bacon jam
Instructions
Prep the Mushrooms
1. Clean and slice the mushrooms
2. Heat a pan with olive oil, add mushrooms
3. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes
Cooking the Burger
1. Divide the meat into 6-ounce portions, (a kitchen scale comes in handy here). Form each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the canola oil in a rod iron skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the burgers. Cook 3 minutes (they should be golden and charred on the bottom). Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the blue cheese on top. Pop a lid on and cook one more minute. This gets the burgers to medium-rare, if you like your burgers less rare, add some time to each side.
4. Place on a bottom bun (with mayo) top the burger with mushrooms, bacon jam, and the top bun. Need some green? Add a bit of arugula!
Notes
Serve with Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips. No really, especially if you are sipping a Cabernet Sauvignon with this burger. It's the perfect pairing.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 871Total Fat 61gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 40gCholesterol 158mgSodium 770mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 53g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Valentines Day Menu Ideas
L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Truffles
These delicious wine truffles are completely decadent. We created two, one with chopped dried cranberry inside, dusted with ground pistachio, and one with a touch of espresso powder inside, then dusted with cocoa.
The wine we used was the L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also the perfect wine to pair with these truffles.
Thank you to L'Ecole No. 41 for the delicious sample that inspired these truffles.
Burgers with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
Based on Bobby Flay's recipe for the Perfect Burger which keeps your burgers perfectly juicy! It's important to use at least 80/20 ground beef to keep the burgers juicy and the thumbprint? Well, a thumbprint in the middle is key to keeping the burgers cooking evenly.
We topped our burgers with sautéed shitake mushrooms, blue cheese, arugula, and bacon jam. (there is a recipe for that too!)
Steak with Gorgonzola sauce
These dishes cook simultaneously and you will end up with lots of leftover gorgonzola sauce. That's really okay. It's so good on almost anything. I drizzled it on pizza the other night.
This is an elegant dish, but not too tough to make! Get the polenta going first and set that on a back burner to cook while you make the steak and gorgonzola sauce.
We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon and it was heaven!
The recipe came from "The Anthony Kitchen"
Cheesy Polenta
Polenta is simple but takes a little time. I love cooking it in my Dutch Oven. I can get other dishes going while it cooks, and the big heavy dutch oven lid keeps the splatter down.
You can also pour your finished polenta in a dish or pan and refrigerate it, then cut it when it is firm and pan fry it. I like to do this and serve it covered in sautéed vegetables.
Bacon Jam
This bacon jam is based on a recipe from Mom's Dinner. We substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, which brings a bigger fruit note to the dish and paired great with the Cabernet Sauvignon we chose.
Bacon jam is life-changing. How did I ever live without this stuff! You can serve it with crackers or bread. The other night we topped a pizza with some. Quite honestly, had I been home alone, I would have made this and sat on the couch and eaten the whole bowl with a spoon.
Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms
This recipe has variations to be Vegan Vegetarian or Gluten-Free, depending on the breadcrumbs and cheese (or cheese substitute) that you use.
This is a dish that is great with Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, red wine with a dish that isn't meat!
Grilled balsamic purple cabbage
This is a perfect side dish and it's vegan! The marinade gives this so much umami. With a stovetop grill pan this is a delicious grilled dish that you don't have to go outside for!
Chocolate tart with forest berries
This looks so fancy, but it's really easy. I found this recipe on Rachel Cooks. No-bake, 4 ingredients (+the berries and powdered sugar). So easy and delicious.
I suggest starting with a full pack of Oreos. For a 9 inch tart, use 32. Mine was actually an 8-inch tart pan, so I sadly destroyed too many Oreos. Somehow I ended up with just 3 left?
Oreos and melted butter for the crust, chocolate, and creme make a ganache for the filling and then berries to decorate just before serving. Pretty simple
Get artsy with your decoration. I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and mint, but you could use a variety of fruit. I think I might try adding just a little orange liqueur and candied oranges to decorate next time. There are so many variations you can take with this.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Leave a Reply