3 October 2012

Foraging for Mushrooms in the Kitchen with Cabernet-Balsamic Burgers with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions


Cabernet-Balsamic Burgers with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions

Autumn is bombarding all of our senses. The bright kaleidoscope of autumn leaves, the nip in the air, the sound of flocks of geese moving on. You can feel the changes at night. As the sun sets, a cool blanket of air gently rolls down the hill. And that,  if combined with steady rains, means we are into the autumn mushroom season. As I walk through the woods I see clusters of mushrooms. Not being an expert forager I would never take the chance and gather my own, so for now am content to leave this to the experts. Chanterelles, hen of the woods (maitake), and porcini  tasting like meat from the earth are complex, rich, and woodsy and can be found in markets everywhere this time of year.
With the onset of autumn our thoughts move quickly over to comfort foods. It is not uncommon in fall or winter for my home to be filled with warm, fragrant and earthy aromas of a slow cooked roast or a bubbling crock pot. Mushrooms often play a starring role.

With thoughts of cozy fires and warm blankets this brings us to to another edition of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club where each month we create a menu from the pages of Cooking Light magazine. If you would like to join us for one month throughout the year just send us a note and we will give you your choice of months to join in. This month we are extolling the virtues of mushrooms and Foraging in The Kitchen For Mushrooms a theme chosen by yours truly this time around. 

Let's see what our members have brought to the table to celebrate!!! We are up to something special.

Sandi of The Whistestop Café  Cooking started us off with an appetizer  of Creamy Corn Chorizo StuffedMushrooms. This recipe extols the virtues of seasonal ingredients.
 
Jerry of Jerrys Thoughts, Musings and Rants rounded out our meal with a Mushroom Salad with TruffleOil and Parmigiano Reggiano, a blend of amazing flavours.

I brought along the piece de resistance with Cabernet-Balsamic Burgers with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions,  There's something very satisfying about making burgers from scratch in your own kitchen from start to finish. A touch of blue cheese, earthy mushrooms and caramelized onions add to the feeling.
Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen wows us with a Wild Mushroom Omelet perfect as a side or a main dish.


**Cabernet - Balsamic Burgers with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions**

5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 cups thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine 
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms 
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin 
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup light mayonnaise 
  • 1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
  • garlic clove, minced
  • (1 1/2-ounce) whole-wheat hamburger buns 
  • 1 1/2 cups baby arugula or other greens

  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and thyme; cook 17 minutes or until golden and very tender, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high; add wine, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook for 6 minutes or until the liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove onion mixture from pan.
  •  Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté for 8 minutes or until mushrooms brown and liquid mostly evaporates.
  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
  • Coarsely chop 1 cup onion mixture, and stir chopped onion mixture into beef. Divide the beef mixture into 6 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1-inch-thick patty. Press a nickel-sized indentation in center of each patty. Sprinkle the patties with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 4 minutes on each side or until done.
  •  Combine mayonnaise, blue cheese, and garlic in a bowl, and mash well with a fork. Spread the top halves of buns evenly with mayonnaise mixture. Arrange 1/4 cup arugula on bottom half of each bun; top each bottom half of bun with 1 patty, about 2 tablespoons remaining onion mixture, about 1/4 cup mushrooms, and top half of bun.

  • You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.
Best Blogger Tips

22 comments:

  1. I love this season (on all levels)! What scrumptious burgers. A mouthwatering combination.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. Two of my favorite things -- a mushroom burger and fall. Really. This burger makes an ordinary burger into genuine comfort food. A great celebration of autumn.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now that's a burger. The way those onions are cooked and then placed into the meat sounds yummy. I have a long love affair with ground beef and this is a winner.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree you turn a ordinary burger in a gourmet burger.Looks so good

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks wonderful and, I'm sure, is delicious. I'm printing it out as a surprise offering for my husband who loves burgers with mushrooms!

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ritz burgers..They look amazing..Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite season Val. What a creative way to eat burgers. Looks so good.

    ReplyDelete
  8. We're way too much alike - our posts almost sound the same. That burger with all the trimmings - yum-O

    ReplyDelete
  9. The photo alone sold me on the dish... Fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is truly a wonderful burger! I am a real fan of the woody heavier flavoured mushrooms ... adding them to a good burger is just brilliant! I'd love to join the supper club, Val! Are you still taking joiners?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness,these look incredible and are heading to the top of my must try recipe list,as soon as I stop drooling all over my screen !

    ReplyDelete
  12. My senses are so ready for autumn!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Now THAT'S a burger. It looks amazing. Did you use wild mushrooms in here? If so, where do you purchase your wild mushrooms?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Living in BC there are mushroom foragers who sell wild mushrooms to some of our local mom and pop type grocers. These days wild mushrooms like chanterelles and porcini can also be cultivated so the are available.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Living in BC there are mushroom foragers who sell wild mushrooms to some of our local mom and pop type grocers. These days wild mushrooms like chanterelles and porcini can also be cultivated so the are available.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm a mushroom forager from way back...but mostly in the spring, for morels. It was something we did every year in Michigan as morels seem to grown in the same places every year.
    What a delectable recipe, Val. Anything with mushrooms is on my list!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don't have a burger very often but when I'm hungry for one it has to be something like this. Mouthwatering.

    ReplyDelete
  18. These burgers have some serious fall energy. I kind of want to curl up with one!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, what a beautiful burger! It has everything I love on it :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. balsamic--that's one of my new favorite flavors. i have a balsamic reduction that i put on everything. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. This burger looks great, Val. Love everything about it!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Now that is MY kind of burger! Looks fantastic Val!

    ReplyDelete

Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

This blog uses comment moderation therefore SPAMMERS, SELF-PROMOTERS and ADVERTISERS will be deleted.