Duboeuf Beaujolais & Burgers
On Monday I was lucky enough to attend the Philly press event for Duboeuf Beaujolias & Burgers! Decadent burgers + beautiful wine = Heaven!
There were burgers...boy were there burgers! Beautiful, juicy burgers which hailed from Alpha, 500 Degrees, Spiga and Rouge in Philly were halved, which gave us the opportunity to taste them all...I however only tasted 2 and boy were they good! Had I brought a pair of pajamas, maybe I would have been able to taste all 4. Note to self for next time!!
There were 6...yes 6 different Beaujolias from Georges Duboeuf - The premier name for Beaujolias! I will admit, I had never previously tasted a Beaujoloas so I was excited to experience them and guess what? I found a new favorite red, the Chiroubles which I did in fact just order. Can you see me doing the happy dance?
What is a Beaujolais you might be asking? It is considered a pivot wine, which means it is a wine that straddles both red and white. I am no wine expert, all I know is that it was delicious! If you try 1 new wine out this Thanksgiving or upcoming holiday season, why not make it a bottle of Duboeuf Beaujolais, I think both you and your guests will be glad you did! Here is a link to descriptions of the dozen bottles he offers. The price points for these range from $10-$19 and per wine expert Mark Oldman "price does not define the quality of a wine". If your store does not carry these, ask...you may just find a new favorite! Beaujolais should be chilled in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes or in an ice bucket for 15 minutes for optimum enjoyment.
There was Mark Oldman...whom I liken to a rock-star, only his music happens to be his palate and his incredible passion for both the enjoyment of wine and his unending enthusiasm for sharing that with others. His latest book reveals favorites from around the world that are both affordable and easily attainable. I learned a few great tips from Mark during his talk and now feel confident on how to chill lighter red wines. Thanks Mark! Check out Marks' website for his wine picks, wine buzz in general and a list of his upcoming appearances. Man...I want his job!!
And I was lucky enough to share this experience with a few ladies who loved it as much as I did. Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife, Trina from O'Boy! Organic and Kristy from 22nd & Philly. Thanks for making this such a great event ladies!
My experience of pairing Beaujolais & burgers was so awesome that yesterday I recreated it for my husband and boy was he happy!! As a matter of fact, unbeknownst to me, he snapped a photo of his burger and put it on his Facebook timeline taunting to his friends, just how incredible he thought it was...how sweet was that? I think I liked that way better than a bouquet of flowers...Thanks babe!
Here is the recipe for the burger I whipped up for my husband, and let me seriously tell you that it was SO stinking good that neither of us used a condiment!
I used quality fresh ground beef and pork from the farmers market I visit weekly, Fresh spinach from that same market that I wilted with a bit of olive oil and garlic, our favorite Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Cheese and bacon! People...the Kennedy's have a new favorite burger! Here's the funny thing, whenever I make a traditional burger, I use ground beef - This time, because I had bought both ground beef and ground pork from the farmers market with the intention of making burgers AND meatballs, I decided to just throw it all in one bowl, mix it up with Kosher salt and pepper, portion out 4 burgers THEN add in what I normally do to make meatballs after. Who knew adding pork to the burger would yield such delicious results!!
Beef & Pork Burger with Wilted Garlic Spinach and Bacon
1 pound of ground beef
½ pound of ground pork
½ TBS Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Cheddar cheese for the burgers (I prefer Kerrygold, sliced down)
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS minced garlic
3 cups of fresh spinach, rinsed with stems partially cut off
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
6 strips of cooked bacon
Brioche, kaiser or burger rolls
In a bowl, combine your meats, salt and pepper. Knead it until it is just incorporated. Form into 4-5 burgers, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, up to 2 hours. When ready, grill burgers to your preference of doneness. Just before you remove the burgers from the grill, place a slice of cheese on each one and allow it to just melt. Remove the burgers from the grill and assemble.
While the burgers are cooking, heat your olive oil, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add in the spinach and stir until just wilted about 90 seconds. Remove spinach from the pot and hold it in a bowl until ready to assemble the burgers.
On your roll, place your spinach, then your burger, top with 2-3 halves of the crispy bacon and serve!! And don't forget a glass of Beaujolais...it jut might be a life-changing meal!!
Enjoy!
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