ASADERO SAUCED ZIN BURGERS

Like most Americans, I LOVE cheeseburgers!Whenever I visit a new city or restaurant, chances are, I’m trying out a new burger! Although most cheeseburgers are made with sliced cheese, I love cheeseburgers that have a cheese sauce. There’s just something about an ooey-gooey cheese sauce on top of a yummy burger that you can’t beat! Unfortunately, my husband would tend to pick Mexican restaurants sometimes over burger joints, so I decided to make a burger with a slight Mexican influence so that we’re both happy!

Ingredients:

Avocado Mayo:

2/3 cup fresh avocado, chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Patties:

2 pounds ground chuck

2 tablespoons Sutter Home Zinfandel

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh oregano (Mexican if possible), finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground ancho Chile pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Asadero Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large sweet onions, peeled & chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 cups asadero cheese, finely shredded

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for brushing on grill rack

6 good quality large soft bakery hamburger rolls, split

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To prepare mayo, place avocado in small bowl, and mash with back of fork. Mix in mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 garlic clove, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and set aside or place in refrigerator until ready to assemble burgers.

Combine ground chuck, 3 tablespoons wine, 3 garlic cloves, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons cilantro, oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and ancho Chile pepper in a large cold bowl with a large cold spoon until just combined being careful to not over-mix. Form into 6 patties, cover with plastic wrap and keep cold until ready to cook.

Add olive oil to large fire-proof skillet (or fireproof disposable aluminum pan) and place on grill rack on preheated grill. Add onions and cook 10-15 minutes or until fork tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in heavy cream. When cream is hot, stir in asadero cheese, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until smooth . Cover and set aside to keep warm.

Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook until done to preference, about 4-6 minutes per side. During the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, place the rolls, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly. To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of the mayo over the cut sides of the bottom half of rolls. Top bottom buns with a burger patty, then spoon a generous amount of cheese sauce on top of each patty and cover with roll tops.

Makes 6 burgers