The “Rat Pack” Burger

This savory burger is dedicated the Las Vegas of the late 1950s and 1960s when the legendary Rat Pack ruled the Strip.Based on the popular steak house dish of the era – Steak Diane – this burger incorporates classic steak “au poivre” seasonings with easily found supermarket ingredients. The flavors of this classic dish – cracked black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, burgundy wine, sautéed mushrooms and heavy cream are incorporated in a variety of ways that hearken back to a time when diners started off a meal with a stiff cocktail and a low-carb low-fat lifestyle wasn’t even a twinkle in a cardiologist’s eye.

Ingredients:

For the burgers…
2 lbs ground sirloin 80/20
2 T Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon
1 T Cracked Black Pepper

For the spread…
2/3 cup good quality mayo
4 finely chopped green onions (white and light green parts)
2 T Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic – crushed
Kosher salt

For the toppings…
1.5 lbs Crimini mushrooms
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1.25 lbs Double or Triple Cream Brie Cheese – reserved

For the Buns…
2 large loaves (14-18″x 4″) of fresh baked French Bread – ends removed and sliced into 6 burger sized pieces
1 stick butter
1 head garlic crushed and finely chopped

Garnish…
12 1/4″ fresh, ripe, beef steak or heirloom tomato slices
1 medium red onion – sliced 1/8″
6 leaves iceberg lettuce – chilled

Instructions:

Prepare the patties…
incorporate all ingredients, gently mixing to just incorporate all the liquid and seasoning, shape into 6 4.5″ patties – refrigerate to let “marinate” – do not over mix as it will ruin the burger texture

Prepare the spread…
1) in a mixing bowl add mayo, Dijon and garlic and mix until smooth any clumps
2) fold in green onions, season with kosher salt to taste, cover and place in refrigerator

Prepare the topping…
1) preheat grill to medium
2) clean mushrooms and place in bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper, toss to coat
3) skewer mushrooms and grill until nicely browned and caramelized
4) remove from grill, wrap in aluminum foil and reserve
5) slice brie into 1/4″ slices – divide into 6 equal portions, reserve

Prepare the buns…
1) split French bread portions horizontally to make 6 “buns”
2) slowly melt butter over low heat, add garlic – allow to simmer over very low heat until garlic softens – about 5 minutes
3) spread garlic butter on both sides of “buns” – reserve

construct the burgers…
1) preheat grill to hot
2) finish preparing the mushrooms by roughly chopping mushrooms – equally divide into six portions – reserve
3) season patties liberally with Montreal Style Steak Seasoning on both sides and place on hot grill – cook until juices just begin to rise to the surface
4) flip burgers, mound mushroom portions on top of cooked side and place slices of brie on top…cover grill and cook 2 – 3 minutes until medium and cheese is melted
5) remove burgers to platter to rest and grill buttered buns until golden brown
6) spread each side of bun with 1 T spread, place burger on bottom, top with tomato slices, and, crisp iceberg lettuce, and red onion to complete…