Patty Melts With Cranberry Chutney

Patty Melts with Cranberry Chutney

Part grilled cheese, part burger, this patty melt offers the best of both worlds in one satisfying sandwich. Made with turkey, onion, sage and cranberry.  The recipe makes more cranberry chutney than you need, but it freezes well and is terrific with poultry or pork.
Ingredients:
Cranberry Chutney
1 cup (250 mL) water
3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar
12 oz (340 g) fresh or frozen cranberries, about 3 1/2 cups 875 mL
1 cup (250 mL) grated peeled Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup (60 mL) minced shallot
3/4 cup (175 mL) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground ginger
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground mace
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
Burgers
2 lbs (905 g) ground turkey, preferably dark meat
1 egg
1/2 cup (125 mL) panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2/3 cup (150 mL) mayonnaise
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely minced fresh garlic
Canola oil for cooking
2 cups (500 mL) thinly sliced white onion
8 slices turkey bacon
8 slices pumpernickel bread
8 slices Swiss cheese, about 1 oz (30 g) each
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened, divided
Directions:
For the chutney, combine all ingredients in medium pot over high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mixture is thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

For the burgers, combine ground turkey, egg, panko, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Using hands, mix thoroughly. Form into four equal oval patties to fit bread slices. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Mix mayo, sage and garlic in small bowl to make an aïoli. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

In a medium frying pan, warm a film of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a film of oil in a very large skillet over high heat. Add bacon and reduce heat to medium. Cook until brown and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towel. Set aside.

Wipe out skillet, add a fresh film of oil and place over high heat. Add patties, reduce heat to medium and cook until well browned on both sides and an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) is reached, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Lay out eight slices of bread, spread a little aïoli over each slice, then place a slice of cheese on top. Divide onions between four slices. Place turkey patty and two slices turkey bacon on onions. Top with remaining cheese slices, then bread.

Melt 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter in very large skillet over medium heat; add in sandwiches. Cook until brown and crisp on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip sandwiches and add remaining butter into pan. Cook until bread is crisp and cheese is melted, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Cut each melt in half and serve immediately with cranberry chutney.
Serves 4

Australian Wallaby Burger

Australian Wallaby Burger

We arrived in Tasmania NSW for a full day of touring.  Following a 5 hour tour into a National Park with many interesting sights of nature, we decided to find a nice restaurant with the locals and perhaps find a Tasmanian dish.  The Wallaby Burger filled the bill.  So how did it taste?  It was more like pulled pork.  It was lightly dressed with a bar-b-que sauce and the slightest "gamey" taste which took time to discern.  It was not a dominant flavor.  We all agreed if we didn't know what we were served and told us it was pulled pork we would not have thought further.  It was served with a jam on the bun.  I think I remember it being current but it was not the traditionally sweet tasting jam.  Yes I would order the sandwich again.

Burgher's Better Burger

A creamy, avocado-enriched cream cheese adds decadence to this burger from the team at Burgh'ers in Harmony, Pennsylvania. 

Ingredients

• Burger Patties:
• 5 ounces portobello mushrooms, chopped
• Olive oil as needed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 sprigs thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 15 ounces ground beef
•  
• Spicy Avocado Cream Cheese:
• 1/2 avocado
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and muddled
• 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• Pinch salt
•  
• One red pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 4 hamburger buns

Method

Marinate the mushrooms: place the mushrooms in a bowl. Add the olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Make the spicy avocado cream cheese: combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir until all of the ingredients as well blended. Reserve.

Place the marinated mushroom and ground beef in large bowl. Use your hands to combine the ingredients into a blend for the patties. Form the mixture into 4 balls of equal size. Smash each ball down to make a patty.

Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Place the burger patties on the grill and cook to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium.

Sandwich each cooked patty between the two halves a hamburger bun. Serve the burgers with roasted red peppers and spicy avocado cream cheese on the side. 

Yield

4 1/2 pound burgers

Juicy Burger ~ Humphus

Juicy Burger On French Bread With 

TruffleOil, Pine Nuts, Apple Plum 

Caramelized Onions, Pickled 

Onions, And Frito Breadcrumbs

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This is the last of the recipes from my class with Katherine Humphus.   Katherine was a celebrity chef on the TV Game Show of Guy Fierie, Grocery Games.  The recipes of this week won Katherine $1600.00.

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Ingredients:
Burger Patty Recipe:
1 lb. ground beef  80/20
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon onions, raw and diced
 Salt, pepper
1tablespoon chili oil
2 tablespoons Frito crumbs, placed in food processor
   and grind to texture of bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together.  Form 8 oz. patties, sear in hot cast iron skillet.

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Pine Nuts:
1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:
Lightly toast pine nuts in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

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Apple Plum Caramelized Onions

1/4 cup apple plum baby food
1 onion
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, pepper

Directions:

Begin Caramelizing onions in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Once onions begin to soften, add wine and continue to cook for 6 more minutes.  

Let wine reduce slightly, (2 more minutes) and add apple plum baby food.  Cook for 2 more minutes.  Taste for seasonings and remove from heat.

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Quick Pickled Onions:

1 onion, peeled and sliced

2 cups red wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

Boil red wine vinegar with sugar.  Add raws sliced onions and boil for 1 minute.  Turn of and let cool in liquid.

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French Bread With Truffle Oil

Drizzle French bread sliced horizontally in half with truffle oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Grill on hot grill until toasty.

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Assemble Burger: Place patty on top of one piece French Bread, add apple plum caramelized onions, pickled onions, and pine nuts.  Place other piece of French bread on top.  Serve!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burger

Sweet Potato Veggie Burger

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes 

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 cup carrots, grated
1 1/4 cups whole oats
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 egg
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper, to taste

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Directions

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Cut sweet potatoes in half and place them cut side down on a baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.

Once cool, remove skins from potatoes, chop into pieces and set aside.

In a food processor, blend oats until they are a fine powder. Remove and set aside.

Add kidney beans, onion, sweet potatoes, carrots and cilantro, and pulse for 10 seconds. Then add in spices and salt and pepper.

Add egg and pulse for another 5 seconds, until semi-smooth.

Slowly pour in ground oats until mixture holds together.

Divide mixture into 4-6 burger patties.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place burger patties in pan and cook each side for 3-4 minutes, or until golden and warmed through.

Grilled Southern Shrimp Burgers

Grilled Southern Shrimp Burgers

A good shrimp burger should be first and foremost about the shrimp. This recipe features a moist yet still cohesive patty, and seasoning that complements the sweet shrimp flavor without overpowering it.  Keep the seasonings simple: minced scallion and parsley, as well as lemon zest
Makes 4 Burgers

Be sure to use raw, not cooked, shrimp here. Dry the shrimp thoroughly before processing, or the burgers will be mushy. Handle the burgers gently when shaping and grilling; if overhandled while being shaped, the burgers will be dense and rubbery, and if handled roughly during cooking, they will break apart. Serve with tartar sauce.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled, deveined,  

    and patted dry
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large 

   pieces and pulsed in a food processor to coarse 

   crumbs

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Directions:
1. Pulse the shrimp in a food processor until some pieces are finely minced and others are coarsely chopped, about 7 pulses. Transfer the shrimp to a large bowl.

2. Combine the mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, lemon zest, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until uniform, then gently fold into the processed shrimp until just combined. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the mixture and gently fold until incorporated.

3. Scrape the shrimp mixture onto a small baking sheet, divide it into 4 equal portions, and loosely pack each into a 1-inch-thick patty. Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours.

4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open the bottom grill vents completely. Light a large chimney starter three-quarters full with charcoal briquettes (75 briquettes; 4 1/2 quarts). When the coals are hot, pour them in an even layer over the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover, and heat the grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all the burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all the burners to medium-high. (Adjust the burners as needed to maintain a medium-hot fire).

5. Clean and oil the cooking grate. Lightly brush the tops of the burgers with oil, lay them on the grill, oiled side down, and lightly brush the other side with oil. Cook the burgers, without pressing on them, until lightly browned and cooked through, 10 to 14 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Transfer the burgers to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.