Mulled Wine Christmas Cheeseburger
All the amazing tastes of Christmas in one mulled wine Christmas cheeseburger. Who says Christmas should be celebrated with a roast?
Mulled wine in a burger… Say what?
Yes, well, if I can’t drink I’m at least eating mulled wine, although it sounds weird 🙂 But seriously, this is the most Christmas flavored burger I’ve ever had. And I can’t tell how beautifully the house smells after simmering the mulled wine for half an hour. It’s like a potpourri, but you can eat it afterwards 🙂
I’m all about Christmas this year, which you’ve probably guessed from my previous recipes. I’m like seriously anxiously waiting for the C day. Not sure why, it’s probably the hormones 😛 Anyway, tree is decorated and more cookies will be baked. All I needed is an awesome savory dish that would match the season. First think that came to my mind was mulled wine. I wasn’t sure if I could acually make it into a thick sauce, so I tried. And it was crazy good. It’s like a mulled wine jam.
Which gives me an idea. I should try it with peanut butter. Yeah, I’m gonna try that, you should, too 😀 And tell me if you love it!
So, let’s get into details. By now you know mulled wine sauce is the most important ingredient of this Christmas cheeseburger. But it wouldn’t be a cheeseburger without some cheese!!
I’m using matured cheddar to contrast the sweet sauce. It has just the right saltiness and spiciness to go perfectly with mulled wine. Plus, who doesn’t love cheddar. When I was cutting the slices, I ate one and left one for the burger… my husband is probably wondering, where all the cheddar went 🙂
And of course, we shouldn’t forget the ORANGE. This cheeseburger is simply not so awesome without it, so don’t leave it out. Seriously! Besides the amazing Christmasy flavor it also gives some freshness and juice. Yum!
Ok, final thing, then I’m leaving you all alone with the recipe. Which is very simple, I might add.
The buns! For the first time in my life I made pretzel buns. Crazy! I make my own bread all the time, but never really went for pretzels. I found a very easy recipe for pretzel buns by Eat in my kitchen and I love it. Really simple and incredibly tender, so if you feel confident enough to make your own buns, I strongly recommend you to try them.
I know your dying to try the Christmas burgers with mulled wine sauce, so go for it!
MULLED WINE CHRISTMAS CHEESEBURGER
Ingredients
MULLED WINE SAUCE
- 1 1/2 cup dry or semidry red wine
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried sultanas
- 1 TBSP honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 9 cloves
- 1/2 medium-hot chilli deseeded
- orange zest of one orange
CHRISTMAS CHEESEBURGER
- 500 g minced beef
- 4 pretzel or burger buns
- 1 big orange sliced to 5mm slices, peel removed
- 120 g matured cheddar thinly sliced
- big bunch of arugula
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Mulled Wine Sauce
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Put all ingredients for mulled wine sauce in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
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Use an immerse blender or a regular blender to thicken the sauce. You don't need to make it completely smooth.
Christmas Cheeseburger
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Divide minced beef into 4 and make patties that are slightly larger than the bun.
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Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Fry the patties for about 4 minutes on one side. Turn around, season with salt and pepper and cover with slices of cheddar. Cook for another 4 minutes for a medium burger or for 5-6 minutes for a well done. Cover with lid if the cheese needs some help with melting.
Assembly
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Cut the buns in half, spread the mulled wine sauce on the bottom part, add the burger patty, top with arugula and slices of oranges. Cover the burgers and enjoy!