Sriracha Roasted Garlic Burgers with Balsamic Black Cherry Reduction Jam and Pancetta Cheese Wheels

I wanted to create a great burger that pairs with Sutter Home Merlot wine.The distinctive taste of dark cherry in the merlot wine led me to creating a balsamic black cherry reduction jam. To compliment the tartness of the black cherry jam, I added heat to the burger by using sriracha hot chili sauce. I also added the pancetta cheese wheels to satisfy all those who crave salt. Bon appetite! It may be a two glass merlot burger!

Ingredients:

Sriracha Roasted Garlic Burgers with Balsamic Black Cherry Reduction Jam and Pancetta Cheese Wheels
Roasted Garlic
6 large garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of fresh ground pepper
Balsamic Black Cherry Reduction Jam
4 cups black cherries pitted, de-stemmed and halved
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup Sutter Home Merlot wine
Pancetta Cheese Wheels
36 thin cut & round slices pancetta
18 thin slices of aged yellow cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Sriracha Patties
2 1/4 pounds ground chuck (20% fat)
3 tablespoons fresh chives- chopped fine
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
¼ cup Sutter Home Merlot wine
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Olive oil spray
6 high-quality seeded hamburger buns or sandwich rolls, split
6 Romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions:

Preparation

Roasted Garlic
Put the garlic and olive oil in a small fire proof skillet and heat slowly until the oil just begins to simmer. Turn the cloves over in the oil and saute for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the flame and let cool for 15 minutes.
Remove the garlic cloves from the oil and mash them to a paste with a knife or mortar and pestle. Place in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside for later use.

Balsamic Black Cherry Reduction Jam
In a medium fire proof skillet place black cherries, balsamic vinegar and Sutter Home wine. Heat to a low boil, stir often and simmer until cherries become soft and the liquid becomes syrup like and the mixture has a jam consistency. Keep warm on grill while burgers are cooking.

Pancetta Cheese Wheels
Place one slice of pancetta on cutting board. Top with a slice of the cheddar cheese. Place another slice of pancetta on top of cheese. With sharp knife cut any edges of the cheese that sticks outside of the pancetta. Squeeze the pancetta wheel together so the cheese sticks to pancetta slices. Repeat the procedure for the remaining pancetta and cheese slices. Top all slices with fresh ground pepper.
Place the slices directly on the grill racks careful not to let them fall through the racks. Cook about five minutes the pancetta wheels turning to crisp both sides. (Be careful not to burn). Remove from grill and place in tented aluminum foil to keep warm.

Sriracha Patties
To make the patties, combine ground chuck, chives, thyme, Sriracha sauce in a large bowl and mix together well. Add the merlot wine and mix again trying to handle the meat as little as possible; this prevents it from becoming too dense. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form into patties leaving a slight indention in the center of patties; this allows the final product to be more equal in thickness when finished. Season the patties with sea salt and ground pepper. Spray each side of each patty with olive oil spray.
Increase the grill heat to medium-high. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, 4 to 6 minutes on each side for medium. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, spray patties with additional olive oil spray. Place the buns, cut sides down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly. Remove the buns and burgers from the grill and immediately spread the roasted garlic evenly over the top of each burger.

To assemble the burgers, place one piece of lettuce and one pancetta cheese wheel on each roll bottom. Then place a burger. Place three heaping tablespoons of the black cherry jam on each burger. Then top with two pancetta cheese wheels and roll top. Serve with a glass of Sutter Home Merlot wine. Enjoy Serves 6