A Texan Surprise

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

I am a certifiable, absolute foodie so the four years I was fortunate enough to live in the San Francisco area were pure heaven.The fantastic produce, wines, cheeses and fresh seafood so readily available kept my creative juices flowing. When my husband

Ingredients:

Sweet and Spicy Pecans

2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup pecan halves, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons Colavita Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 thick slices Texas 1015 sweet onion (substitute with Vidalia or other sweet onion if necessary)
2 Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples, cored and each sliced in 6 slices

Rosemary Wine Sauce

1 and 1/2 cups Sutter Home Pinot Grigio
1 and 1/2 cups apple cider
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 and 1/2 cups half and half

Patties

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/4 cup finely minced onion
2 tablespoons Colavita Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
6 ounces Brazos Valley Triple Cream Brie cut in a 1/4 inch dice (substitute with another brie, if necessary)

6 thick slices french bread

Instructions:

Preheat grill to medium-high.

To make the pecans, heat the butter in a grill-proof skillet until melted. Add pecans and saute 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and cayenne and cook until the sugar is completely melted, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer to a piece of wax paper in one layer and let cool. Break apart any pieces stuck together and set aside.

Combine the 4 tablespoons olive oil and pepper in a small bowl Insert one or two toothpicks or skewers into the concentric rings of each slice in order to hold the rings together on the grill. Brush the onion and apple on both sides with the olive oil and place on the grill. Grill the apples 3-4 minutes and the onion 10-12 minutes, turning and basting occasionally. Transfer to a large piece of foil. Wrap and keep warm.

Combine Sutter Home Pinot Grigio, apple cider, chicken broth, and rosemary in a grill-proof sauce pan and heat to boiling. Boil 10-12 minutes. Add half and half and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until thickened. Cover, set aside, and keep warm.

To make the patties, gently mix together the ground beef, 1 tablespoon rosemary, seasoning, onion, and olive oil in a large bowl. Form beef mixture into 12 equal patties on a large piece of wax paper. (Make them roughly the size of the bread slices). Sprinkle 1 ounce brie cubes and 2 tablespoons pecans on 6 of the patties. Top with remaining six patties, pressing edges to seal well. Grill 4 minutes per side. In the last minutes of grilling, toast the bread slices on both sides on the grill.

To assemble, drizzle one half of the wine sauce over the 6 bread slices. Top each with a patty. After removing the toothpicks, add an onion slice to each patty, breaking up the rings to cover the entire patty if necessary. Add two apple slices to each burger and drizzle evenly with remaining sauce. Makes 6 burgers.