Can’t Have Enough Pepper, Peppercorn Brie Burger

Pairs well with:

Moscato

Paired or alone, there's something magical about this creamy wine that nods to yummy peaches and sinful delights.

Ingredients:

Wine Soaked Grilled Pears
3 large Bartlett pears (ripe, but still firm)
1 750ml bottle Sutter Home Moscato

Encrusting
1 cup black peppercorns
1/3 cup Grey Poupon Counrty Dijon Mustard

Patties
2 pounds ground chuck (80-85% lean)
2 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced
½ cup Vidalia onion, minced
2 tablespoons Grey Poupon Country Dijon Mustard
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
1 wheel Baby Brie, sliced to fit patties
6 Kaiser rolls, split
2 cups baby spinach

Instructions:

To prepare pears, wash pears. Cut pears around the stem (basically squaring off around the core). Slice pears about ¼” thick. Place pears in a bowl or shallow dish and cover with Moscato. Set aside, allowing pears to soak for 15-30 minutes.

Prepare the peppercorns, use a food processor or small coffee grinder to coarsely chop. Short pulses will give you a coarse chop and will help keep the peppercorns from getting too fine. Set aside.

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat.

To prepare the patties, combine the ground chuck, garlic, onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a large bowl. Mix well, but handle the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form patties that are slighly larger than the roll size and approximately ¾ in thick. Create a divot in the center of the burger to offset puffiness when cooking.

Brush the outside of the patties with the Grey Poupon mustard. Place peppercorns on a plate and dip both sides of the patty into the peppercorns pressing down slightly to allow them to stick.

When the grill is ready, brush the rack with vegetable oil. Remove pears from wine and place on outer edges of grill, cover and cook, turning once, check at 3 to 4 minutes. Pears should have golden brown grill marks, watch carefully so that they don’t burn. Remove the pears from grill and lay flat on a plate and set aside..Place patties on the grill with the divot side up cover and cook, turning once after 3 minutes. Allow another 2 ½ minutes for medium. After burgers have been flipped place the buns on the outer edges of the grill, split side down to toast lightly.

To assemble burgers, on the bottom roll evenly disperse the spinach and pears. The bottom bun should be completely covered with both. The patties on top of the pears and top burger with the pre-sliced brie, enough to cover the burger finish with the top roll. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 6 burgers.

Erica Jensen