Peter Piper’s Pickapeppa Burger

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

Ingredients

2 cups Sutter Home Zinfandel
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tablespoons Polaner All Fruit Apricot preserves
Zest of one Valencia orange
2 pounds ground chuck
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 Vidalia onion, sliced, keeping rings together fpr easy grilling
1 Tablespoon Colavita olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
1 cup Pickapeppa Sauce
1 Tablespoon Colavita olive oil for brushing on grill
6 hamburger buns
6 leaves romaine lettuce

 

Instructions

Preheat gas grill to medium high. Put wine in a grill safe sauce pan and reduce wine on grill until it becomes thick (to about 1/4 cup).

While wine is reducing, prepare the other ingredients. Mix cream cheese, apricot preserves and orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix beef, salt and pepper gently until incorporated, then form into 6 equal patties, being careful not to press too hard, but at the same time making sure they will stay together. Set patties aside. Rub onion slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the onions until slightly charred and soft (about 5 minutes per side). Set aside.

When wine is reduced, remove from heat and stir in Pickapeppa Sauce. Brush grill with olive oil and grill burgers 2 minutes on one side, flip and brush burgers with Pickapeppa glaze. Flip after another 2 minutes and brush again with Pickapeppa glaze. Repeat 2-3 times depending on your preference for medium-rare or medium burgers and allowing the glaze to caramelize slightly. Set burgers aside, brushing with glaze once more before building your burger. Toast buns and place burger on bottom bun, top with onions and lettuce and smear 3-4 tablespoons (to taste-leftovers are great for your morning bagel!) of apricot cream cheese on top bun.