Duck Burgers with Shiitake Mushroom Ketchup and Chinese-Style Mustard Sauce

There are a lot of parts to this recipe, but don't get discouraged. The whole thing is fairly straightforward and the burgers themselves are nothing short of outstanding. Do not skip on making the shiitake mushroom ketchup (which isn't really much like a ketchup) or the Chinese-Style Mustard Sauce. They are both worth the extra effort. The recipe calls for cooking these on the grill which gives a great flavor, but our burgers were entirely too soft to maintain shape on the grill and we lost quite a bit of meat, so do so at your own risk. I think pan frying would be preferable to losing precious duck.

Also note that all of the components can be made ahead of time.

One year ago: Duck Stew with Black Cardamom and Cherries
Two years ago: Chicken-Fried Steak
Three years ago: Celebration Yellow Rice
Four years ago: Penne Rigate della Kay

Duck Burgers with Shiitake Mushroom Ketchup and Chinese-Style Mustard Sauce (from Big Small Plates)

(I'm going to deviate bit from my normal procedure and put the ingredients with their instructions rather than a long list of intimidating ingredients at the top. You're welcome!)

Mongolian Marinade
(You'll need this in several of the recipes below.)
Ingredients
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp tamari (or regular soy sauce)
2 1/4 tsp sherry vinegar
2 1/4 tsp rice vinegar
1 - 2 scallions, white and light green parts, minced
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
3/4 tsp black bean chili sauce or hot garlic sauce
3/4 tsp grated ginger
2 1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp minced cilantro
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1. Whisk everything together in a bowl.
(See that was easy!)

Duck burgers
Ingredients
1 lb ground duck
1 scallion, white and light green, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Mongolian Marinade
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
2. Cover and chill for 1 hour - overnight.

Shiitake mushroom ketchup
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup Mongolian Marinade

1. Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until tender.
2. Add onion and cook until translucent.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Stir, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is thick, 3 - 5 minutes.
(You can make this ahead, refrigerate, and just rewarm when you're ready to serve if desired.)

Chinese-Style Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp Colman's mustard powder (or whatever you have on hand)
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
6 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream

1. Combine sugar and mustard powder in top of double boiler and mix with a whisk.
2. When well combined, whisk in egg yolk and vinegar.
3. Cook over simmering water, stirring, 10 - 15 minutes until thick enough to form ribbons when drizzled with the spoon.
4. Remove from heat and cool. When cool, fold in creme fraiche. Refrigerate until needed.
(The hardest part of this whole thing!)

Assembly
Ingredients
Additional Mongolian Marinade for basting
brioche or other buns
1 - 2 tbsp butter
2 cups arugula

1. Portion chilled duck into patties. (The book calls for 2 ounce mini patties, but I prefer regular size burgers.)
2. Grill, griddle, or pan-fry burgers over medium-high heat. (See head notes.)
3. Toast and lightly butter buns.
4. Place burgers on bun bottoms, top with shiitake ketchup, arugula, and a drizzle of mustard sauce. Serve with extra mustard and ketchup on the side.

Jalapeno Salmon Burger

Our beer/meal planning calendar told us we should be doing burgers and IPA this month. We've been doing fairly well with adding burgers to the mix, but I thought it might be time to branch out into salmon. These burgers are a bit difficult to keep together, but worth the effort.

Two years ago: Pork Vindaloo
Three years ago: Corn Chowder

Jalapeno Salmon Burger (from Fish Without a Doubt)

Ingredients
1 lb skinless wild salmon fillet, chilled in freezer for 1 1/2 hours
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
2 tbsp minced jalapeno chile
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
1 large egg white, beaten to soft peaks
1 tsp vegetable oil
For serving
4 pita breads
olive oil
2 avocados
juice of 2 limes
coarse salt

1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Cut salmon into 1/3" dice. (Sorry, the author warns using the food processor here will result in mush.
3. Put salmon in medium bowl with scallions, bell pepper, jalapeno, sour cream, and Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper. Fold together with spatula.
4. Add beaten egg white and fold gently.
5. Heat vegetable oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Form fish into 4 burgers (these will be very hard to keep together!) on plate.
6. Slide burgers into skillet. Cook for 1 minute to set bottom.
7. Place skillet in oven and bake for 2 - 3 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, split pitas and brush inside with olive oil. Grill until hot and toasted.
9. Peel, pit, and chop avocados. Mash with lime juice and pinch of salt.
10. To serve, put each burger in pita half, divide avocado between burgers, and top with pita half.

Roasted Mushroom and Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Warning: this method creates incredibly juicy burgers. You'll probably want to use a fairly substantial bun for them! If you don't want to do the filling here, just skip the initial step and create the undivided patties. I scaled the recipe down, but have included the original below which cooks enough for 6.

Roasted Mushroom and Cheddar Stuffed Burgers (from All About Roasting)

Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter
225g button mushrooms, finely chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro instead)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (35g)
burger mix
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
900g ground beef
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, spread a thin layer of salt over foil to absorb drippings and prevent smoking. Arrange a wire rack so that it sits at least 3/4" above the surface of the pan.
2. Melt butter in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, season, and increase heat to medium high. Saute until mushrooms release liquid and start to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley. Remove from heat and cool. When cooled, stir in cheese.
3. Break beef into 1 - 2" lumps with your hands and drop in a mixing bowl. Season with salt, Worcestershire, and pepper. Mix gently. Try to avoid overhandling.
4. Divide hamburger meat into 12 even portions. Shape into a thin 4" patty.
5. Divide filling among 6 of the flat patties. Top each patty with another flat patty and pinch edges and round the burger to make 6 burgers.
6. Roast burgers on the wire rack for 10 - 16 minutes, depending on desired level of doneness.