American Wagyu Truffle Burgers with Maitake, Garlic Scapes, and Black Garlic Mayo
Elevate your burger game by starting with American Wagyu (aka. Kobe) beef patties infused with black truffles. Top it off with fresh green shiso, braised maitake mushrooms and garlic scapes, and our simple-yet-exotic black garlic mayo.
Servings: 3 burgers
Ingredients
- 3 American Wagyu burgers with black truffles or other good-quality burger patties
- 1 Tbs oil
- Maitake mushroom
- 1/4 cup chopped garlic scapes fresh or frozen
- 2 Tbs cooking sake
- 1 Tbs mirin
- 6 green shisho leaves
- 3 buns
- Butter
For the black garlic mayo:
- 8-10 cloves black garlic
- 1/2 cup mayonaise
Instructions
- Prepare grill and heat to medium-high heat.
- Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Dice maitake mushroom and saute in oil until it starts to release its liquid and begins to brown, about 5 mins.
- Add diced garlic scapes. Continue cooking until scapes change color and begin to soften (about 3 minutes for fresh garlic scapes. A little longer for frozen).
- Reduce heat to low and stir in mirin and cooking sake. Cook until wines are completely absorbed, about 5 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Prepare the black garlic mayo by placing the black garlic cloves in a bowl and mashing them to a paste. Add mayonnaise and stir until thoroughly blended. An immersion blender will allow you to make things perfectly smooth, but mashing and stirring with a fork will get the job done quite well.
- Grill your burgers to your preferred level of doneness (3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare). Remove from heat and allow them to rest on a plate for a few minutes.
- While burgers are resting, butter the insides of your buns. Place them butter-side down on the grill to toast them (about 30 seconds).
- Assemble the burgers by placing a pattie atop each lower bun. Top each with two shiso leaves and a few tablespoons of the maitake/garlic scape mixture. Spread a generous amount of the black garlic mayo on the inside of the top buns, then place atop the burgers, using the mayo to help hold the mushroom mixture in place. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Maitake mushrooms (aka hen-of-the-woods) are a large, dark brown mushroom that grows in clusters of flat "leaves", rather than the classic "mushroom shape". Farm-raised maitake is available year round at specialty markets and Asian grocery stores. Wild specimens are a favorite target of foragers in the fall (September, here in Chicago), and may be found for sale at farmers markets if you are not up to the task of searching for them yourself.
- Shisho (perilla) is a broad-leafed herb in the mint family that can be green, red, or both. The green variety is a staple in Japanese cuisine and is readily available at Asian markets focusing on Japanese food. It is also very easy to grow in the home garden.
- Garlic scapes are the flower stalks of the garlic plant, picked before the bloom opens. They have a texture similar to thin asparagus, with distinct (but not over powering) garlic flavor. Fresh scapes are available for a short time in the spring (primarily at farmer's markets), but they can be found frozen year round. We have commonly found frozen garlic scapes at Asian markets, labeled as "garlic sprouts".
- Black garlic has been popular in Asia for many years, but is only recently gaining attention here in the US. Often referred to as "fermented", it is actually produced by continuous cooking under low heat for roughly a week. The cloves are pure black in color, very soft, and have a flavor more akin to dried fruit than garlic (it reminds me of a combination of dried figs and dark chocolate). Look for it at Asian markets, specialty grocery stores, or directly through the producers (we buy most of our from Black Garlic North America).