Chef Richard Blais Uses Mushrooms As Secret Ingredient For A Great Burger

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, television personality, restaurateur, and cookbook author, Richard Blais, puts mushrooms front and center in a new burger blend and recipe.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130627/CG39331)

"A burger is the perfect vehicle for creativity," says Blais. "I've experimented with all sorts of meats and ingredients but have found that simply chopping hearty, meaty mushrooms and adding them to ground meat results in a juicy, mouth-watering patty with exceptional texture and flavor."

Creating a burger with mushrooms and meat can also help trim calories and fat without sacrificing hearty portion sizes and inherently adds vegetables and nutrients to the plate. With mushrooms, you can have your burger and eat it too – all summer long.

Follow these additional easy tips and techniques to build a better burger this grilling season:

• Perfect the patty: Finely chop any mushroom variety and combine with ground meat of choice for a moist burger packed with flavor.
• Switch Up the Seasoning: Experiment with a combination of herbs and spices like rosemary and thyme to add another layer of savor.
• Create New Condiments: Take typical toppers like ketchup or barbecue sauce and stir in unexpected pairings like soy or hot sauces.
• Bring on the Bun: Bring flair to the whole affair with different bread choices like brioche buns, pretzel rolls, English muffins or even sandwich wraps – be adventurous. 

Like Chef Blais, tell us how you're transforming your meals with mushrooms this summer.

Enter the 'Swap It or Top It' Recipe Contest for the chance to win $8,500 in prizes. Categories for entry include: Swapability, Best Topped Burger, and MyPlate Burger. To learn more and to enter the contest visit www.mushroominfo.com.

Blais' FLIP burger boutique in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA, will feature the "Earth & Turf Burger" recipe from July 1-31. Visit the restaurant to get a taste or as Blais' new cookbook instructs, Try This at Home, with the recipe below. Check out additional mushroom burger ideas at www.mushroominfo.com.

Earth & Turf Burger
Yield: 8 burgers plus an extra taste!

Burger Blend - Mushrooms
12 ounces portabella mushrooms
9 ounces shiitake mushroom caps
9 ounces button mushrooms

Burger Blend – Meat*
12 ounces beef chuck
9 ounces beef short rib 
9 ounces beef brisket
*You may also use a freshly ground, 20% fat store bought blend.

Patty Preparation

1. In a pan with high-quality butter, roast the mushroom blend until golden. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
2. Place on a paper towel and cool.
3. In a grinder, grind the roasted mushrooms.
4. Use paper towel to blot out any remaining moisture.
5. Gently fold the cooked mushroom grind and beef grind together.
6. Form into ¾ inch thick patties.

Patty Seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire powder 
½ tsp garlic powder 
½ tsp onion powder 
½ tsp Porcini mushroom powder 
Salt & pepper to taste                                                  

Cooking Instructions

1. Season burger with the spice blend and salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Cook in a pan or on a hot grill for 3-4 minutes per side.
3. If cooking in a pan, toss in a pat of butter and sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Baste the burger as it cooks.

Condiment Options
Brioche or burger bun
Mushroom Ketchup (recipe below)
Mushroom Mayo (recipe below)
Caramelized onion
Sliced Gruyere cheese
Bread & butter pickles

The Build

1. Toast a brioche or burger bun in butter or olive oil.
2. Spread the Mushroom Ketchup and Mushroom Mayo on the bottom bun.
3. Next add caramelized onions followed by burger patty topped with melting Gruyere cheese.
4. Finish with bread & butter pickles and top bun.

Mushroom Ketchup
1 tsp curry powder
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 cups shiitake mushroom stems
2 cups water
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp orange juice

1. In a pot, boil the curry powder, soy sauce, shiitake stems and water until it reduces to approximately ½ cup of liquid.
2. Strain and add the ketchup, hoisin sauce and orange juice.
3. Stir until combined and smooth.

Mushroom Mayo
1 quart button mushrooms
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt & white pepper to taste
½ tsp white truffle oil

1. Simmer the button mushrooms in the cream for 15 minutes.
2. Puree the mixture in a blender until completely smooth.
3. Add the mayonnaise and seasonings and combine thoroughly.

About The Mushroom Council:

The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information on the Mushroom Council, visit mushroomcouncil.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Abagayle Marx
312-240-2885
[email protected]

SOURCE The Mushroom Council