Oregon Marionberry-Merlot Burgers

Oregon is the worlds leading producer of Blackberries, of which one very special type is the Marionberry. This large, juicy berry known for its complex flavor and small seeds blends perfectly with the merlot wine making this truly an Oregon burger.

Ingredients:

Marionberry-Merlot Sauce:

1½ cups low sodium beef broth
1 ½ cups Sutter Home Merlot wine
1 ½ cups Marionberry syrup- or Blackberry syrup can be used
3 cloves crushed garlic
9 sprigs Rosemary
9 sprigs Thyme
1 large square of cheesecloth
¾ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons Colavita extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup sliced brown mushrooms
9 shallots-sliced

Patties:

36 ounces ground chuck- 22-24% fat
3 cloves garlic-minced
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons fresh Rosemary- finely minced
3 teaspoons fresh Thyme-finely minced
4 tablespoons Sutter Home Merlot wine
4 tablespoons low-sodium beef broth
¼ cup tablespoons Japanese panko crumbs
6 hamburger buns
6 teaspoons Dijon mustard- more or less to taste
6 leaves butter lettuce
6 slices of yellow Heirloom tomato
Note: If not available you may use red tomato slices

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing grill

Instructions:

Directions:

Preheat your gas grill or charcoal grill to medium.

To make the Marionberry-Merlot sauce, combine the beef broth, Sutter Home Merlot wine and the Marionberry syrup in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook on your grill over medium heat until it reaches a boil then reduce the heat to low, stirring frequently. Peel and crush the garlic. Place the garlic, Rosemary, and thyme sprigs in the middle of the cheesecloth and tie in a bundle. Add this Bouquet Garni to the simmering Marionberry wine sauce along with the kosher salt and black pepper. Cook the wine mixture until it is thick and has reduced to about 1 cup.
While the wine mixture is reducing, peel and slice the shallots and the mushrooms. In a 10- inch skillet, sauté the shallots and the mushrooms over a medium heat on the grill until the shallots are translucent and the mushrooms are tender, set aside.
Finally take the wine sauce off the grill, add the unsalted butter along with the shallots and mushrooms. Give the wine sauce a stir to incorporate the elements before using.

Be sure to turn your gas grill up to medium- high, or your charcoal grill to medium-hot before grilling the burgers, and brush with oil.

To make the patties, combine the ground chuck, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, minced Rosemary, minced thyme, Sutter Home Merlot wine, low-sodium beef broth and Japanese panko crumbs in a large bowl. Shape into 6 patties, each a little larger than your hamburger bun being careful not to compress the meat too much. Cover with plastic wrap until the grill is ready.

Place the patties on the grill, cover, and cook, turning once until done to preference, 5-7 minutes on each side for medium. The last two minutes of grilling, place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, spread each side of a toasted bun with Dijon mustard. On the bottom bun place a leaf of butter lettuce followed by a patty. Top each patty with a slice of tomato and the Marionberry-Merlot sauce. Add the hamburger top and serve.