Lamb & Veal Burger with Chanterelle Mushrooms

Ah, the burger. It's simple, versatile, and so damn tasty. Must I add that I make the damn best burgers in town? I have yet to taste a juicier and more flavourful burger. (To those who take the challenge to introduce me to something better: it's on.) Today's burger is one that emphasizes the sweet taste of wild chanterelle mushrooms. Since chanterelles have a delicate taste, it's very important to minimize ingredients in order to avoid overpowering the mushrooms. In that case, spicing will be concentrated on the meat. Also, a milder fresh cheese should be used in order to accentuate the chanterelles.

First, we prepare the patties. I used a lamb and veal combination since the intense taste of the lamb with the mild taste of the veal makes for a lovely experience.

Serves 2:
- 150 to 200 g ground lamb
- 150 to 200 g ground veal
- 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander (coriander and lamb are a superb combination)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- 1 glove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
- pinch of salt, espelette, ginger powder, and mace

1. Preheat oven to a high broil (500 C) or preheat grill to the max.
2. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients.
3. Make patties.
4. You will cook patties about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on how done you like them. *Remember, when the meat bleeds, it's medium rare. It's about a minute more for each grade up.

For the garnish, I cooked up some chanterelles. Have them going as soon as you put your burgers into the oven or on the grill since they are very quick to make.
Chanterelle Garnish:
- 100 to 150 g chanterelles, pulled apart into slivers (there's no need to cut chanterelles since they pull apart easily and perfectly)
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp sliced yellow onion
- 1/3 tsp honey
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp broth (chicken)
1. In a pan at medium heat, throw in butter and onions.
2. Add honey, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
3. Add broth. Cook for another minute while stirring.
4. Add chanterelles. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Remove off heat and keep covered to keep the mushrooms warm until you put them on the burger.

The other two main key garnishes I added were the following:
- pickles (this is an extremely important part of a burger)
- slices of mozarella di bufala (the light taste of the fresh mozarella really accentuates the mushrooms)
 During the last minute of cooking the burgers, put the slices of cheese onto the lower buns and throw them into the oven to melt the cheese.

I also added:
- a very small amount of arugula
- slivers of tomato
- ketchup
- a creamy dijon

PS Hallah makes for the best buns.

As a final step, stack those ingredients up. I recommend cheese, arugula, mushrooms, patty, pickles, tomatoes, and mustard and ketchup on the bun; it seems to hold better in that order (the patty keeps the mushrooms in place). I guarantee that this burger will be a vertical challenge anyway. Good luck.