BLACK AND BLUE-CRESS BURGER WITH MERLOT-BLACKBERRY GLAZE AND GRILLED RADICCHIO

I cooked a recipe similar to this one in a steak competition.I thought it would make a great burger!

Ingredients:

Glaze–

1 (750 ml) bottle SUTTER HOME MERLOT
1 whole clove garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar or reduced balsamic syrup
3 tablespoons blackberry jelly
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper in adobo, seeds removed and minced finely
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Patties–

4 ounces blue cheese, room temperature
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
3 cups watercress, packed
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (preferably Black Angus)

12 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon
2 large heads radicchio, cut in half
6 crusty rolls, split in half
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Instructions:

Place the wine and garlic clove in a heavy-bottomed, shallow saucepan over high heat on the grill. Boil until the mixture is reduced by half, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the garlic clove and whisk in the balsamic vinegar, jelly, chipotle, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.

Place the blue cheese, mascarpone, shallots and watercress into the bowl of a food processor and process until chunky. Form six equal patties and stuff one-sixth of the cheese into the center of each patty. Grill over medium-high heat for three minutes on the first side. Flip the patties and brush the cooked side with the glaze. Cook for three minutes longer, flip and glaze the second side. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer until medium doneness.

Cook the bacon in a heat-proof skillet over medium heat until crisp. Once crisp, brush the bacon with the glaze and set aside until ready to assemble the burgers.

Brush the radicchio with the glaze and grill, cut-side-down for 1-2 minutes just until slightly charred. Cut into shreds using a sharp knife.

Brush the cut side of the rolls with butter and grill for one minute, cut-side-down.

Assemble the burgers with the bacon and radicchio and serve hot.