Quintessential American dish
In my opinion, a patty melt is the quintessential American dish. I had a hunch that my family's favorite savory milk gravy would pair beautifully with my True Aussie Beef and Lamb and blended mushroom patty melt at the 2018 Annual Mushroom Festival Amateur Cook-Off held in Kennet Square, Pennsylvania on September 8, 2018.
My hunch paid off with a First Place Win at the contest! Winning is so much fun!
Inspiration
My Aussie Grassfed Beef and Lamb Patty Melt with Mushroom and Bacon Gravy was inspired by one of my favorite recipes EVER, Low Country Bacon Gravy. My parents taught this girl how to love her gravy and I've been cooking the recipe ever since. Brown, giblet, milk, mushroom, and onion gravies have all found a home in both my heart and hearth.
About The Cook-Off:
The 2018 theme is: Mushrooms Blended with Grassfed Beef or Lamb
Blended mushroom recipes require ground mushrooms to be mixed with protein. As a trendy meat extender, the mushrooms create a unique, flavorful combination for burgers, meatballs, tacos, stuffing, or even a Bolognese sauce. The 2018 Mushroom Festival Amateur Cook-Off will focus on blending mushrooms with grass-fed beef or lamb. At the Cook-off all recipes will be made with the Australian grass-fed beef or lamb of our partner True Aussie Beef and Lamb.
About The Competitors & Awards:
This year’s Mushroom Festival Amateur Cook-off theme was Mushrooms Blended with Grassfed Beef and Lamb. The entries that came in were amazing and ranged the gamut from hummus and burgers to potstickers and chili. Cuisines ranged from Chinese, Mexican, Mediterranean, and American. Each recipe was tested and rated by a panel of local food enthusiasts and the following six finalists were chosen:
- Rebecka Evans (Me) of Pearland, TX– American Fusion Patty Melt with Low Country Mushroom-Bacon Gravy
- Jill Gilber of Philadelphia, PA– Exotic Spiced Beef & Silky Buttered Mushrooms over Hummus
- Devon Delaney of Westport, CT – Ginger Snapped Lamb and Mushroom Lettuce Cups with Lemon Mint Yogurt Sauce & Buttered Pistachios
- Janine Washle, of Eastview, KY – Hunter’s Style Beef and Wild Mushrooms over Creamy Parmesan Grits
- Lynne Laino, of Downingtown, PA – Kennett Square Gyros with Tzatziki and Crispy Shiitakes
- Daniel Richeal of Kennett Square, PA – Mushroom Risotto with Savory Mushroom and Lamb Meatballs
Each of the finalists will take home from the Cook-off at least a $100 Cash Prize, a $250 Gift Card and Party Pack from True Aussie Beef and Lamb and a Kitchen Aid 3.5-Cup One-Touch 2-Speed Chopper with Extra Bowl.
The first-place winner will receive a $1500 cash prize and a Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships to compete in the Burger Category ($1500 value). The second place receives a $300 cash prize and the third place receives a $200 cash prize. There will be a special $250 cash prize for Best Use of Butter with Mushrooms.
The Official Rules:
- Charged with the task of blending mushrooms and the choice to use either True Aussie Beef or Lamb, I decided to blend my mushrooms with both proteins. The 80/20 mixture of ground beef and lamb was the perfect bite of deliciousness set against the caramelized onions, domestic Swiss cheese, and mushroom-bacon gravy. I added my favorite bread, marbled rye to make a marriage of flavors that create this blended American Fusion patty melt.
- Contestants were also asked to use Challenge Butter in their recipes to be judged in a special ancillary contest for a chance to win $250 cash prize for Best Use of Butter with Mushrooms. Jill Gilber (one of my dearest friends and fellow food competitors) won the contest with her Exotic Spiced Beef & Silky Buttered Mushrooms over Hummus.
- Finally, the contestants were asked to submit a photo of their recipe for a chance to win an additional $250.00. The photos pictured on my blog were chosen by a panel of judges as the winner. Doubly blessed, I won the First Place Prize of $1500.00 and then another $250.00 for my recipe photos. The cash prize is such a treat but the experience is priceless!
Fun Facts About Cream Gravy:
- People throughout this great nation have long made gravy with whatever is stuck to the bottom of the skillet, but Texas deserves a special citation for its love of cream gravy. It's a simple, perfect meld of leftover fat, flour, milk, or cream and crucially, plenty of black pepper stirred together over heat until it's sufficiently thick. Spooned lavishly over a chicken-fried steak, it's something akin to heaven in liquid form.
- Texans can't take all the credit for milk gravy, Low Country Bacon Gravy, and other milk-based gravy are the cuisine of the Southern United States developed in the traditionally defined American South; influenced by African, English, Scottish, Irish, French, Spanish, and Native American cuisines. Tidewater, Appalachian, Creole, Lowcountry, and Floribbean are examples of types of Southern cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread north, having an effect on the development of other types of American cuisine. wikipedia.com
Aussie Grass-Fed Beef and Lamb Patty Melt with Mushroom and Bacon Gravy
Ingredients
- 15 ounces’ True Aussie Ground beef
- 3 ounces True Aussie Ground Lamb
- 2 pounds Mixed Mushrooms baby portabella, white button divided
- 1 ½ cups Heavy cream
- 22 slices Bacon (about 24 ounces) 16 slices cooked whole, 6 cooked and chopped, all bacon fat reserved
- 2 ½ teaspoons flour
- 2 sticks Challenge butter 1 cup
- Marbled Jewish Rye Bread
- 16 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 large Sweet Onions
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- water to the thin gravy if necessary
- Rosemary seasoned sea salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- Long rosemary sprigs for garnish
- Mixed mushroom for garnish
Instructions
- Cook 8 strips thin cut bacon till crisp. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Remove bacon fat to a small bowl.
- Chop and cook remaining 6 slices of bacon. Leave 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in pan, reserve the rest. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Reserve remaining bacon fat.
- Slice large sweet onions thinly, sauté in 1 tablespoon bacon drippings and 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter until caramelized. About 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside
- Chop 1 bunch large green onions (both green and white parts) makes about 2 cups. Set aside
- Sliced Mushroom Blend:
- Slice 2 ½-pounds mushrooms thinly. Heat a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoon bacon drippings and 2 tablespoon Challenge Butter, 1 cup of green onions, 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary, and sliced mushrooms. Cook until crisp and caramelized, (About 5 minutes)
- Season with a pinch salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
- Once mushroom are slightly cooled chop mushrooms in the Kitchen Aid 3.5 Cup One-Touch 2 speed chopper. Set aside half the mixture for blended burgers and half for the for mushroom gravy.
Blended Burger:
- In a large bowl combine 15 ounces True Aussie Ground Beef, 3 ounces True Aussie Ground Lamb, 1 cup chopped green onion, 2 cups cooled, chopped mushroom blend.
- Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper. With your hands or a large spoon, combine the mixture just till blended. Don’t overwork the meat.
- Divide blended burger mixture equally into 4 balls. Place the balls on a parchment line baking sheet and shape into 4, ¼-inch rectangle patties.
- In a large sauté or grill pan, melt 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter and cook burgers for 3-4 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Reserve drippings
Mushroom Gravy:
- Add 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, 2 tablespoon Challenge Butter to a large sauce pan. Heat over medium high. Once bacon drippings and butter are melted add 2 ½ teaspoons flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Whisk in 1 cups heavy cream. Continue whisking until all the flour mix is incorporated and there are no lumps. Add remaining ½ cup cream and blend well.
- Reduce heat to low. Add 1 tablespoon Challenge Butter, remaining Mushroom Blend, reserved burger drippings, and chopped bacon. Stir to combine. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked pepper. Keep warm
- Making the Patty Melt:
- Butter 8 slices Marbled Jewish Rye bread with Challenge butter. Using a large sauté or grill pan turn heat to medium and place 4 slices bread, butter side down in the pan
- Add 2 slices Swiss cheese to each piece of bread, lay two slices bacon on top of 2 of 2 cheese breads and a cooked burger patty on top of 2 of the pieces of bread.
- Top both burgers with caramelized onions, 2 more slices bacon for each burger, and top with 1-2 tablespoon mushroom gravy.
- Cover the burger with second slice of bread and cook for 2-3 minutes. Carefully, flip patty melt over and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 3 more minutes or until heated through.
Notes
- Skewer burgers with rosemary sprigs and serve with additional mushroom-bacon gravy. ENJOY!
Special Thanks:
Jennifer Daskevich, Owner @tikihutbrands.com Event MC, Culinary Brand Ambassador, True Aussie Beef and Lamb
Jennifer Basciani, Mushroom Festival Amateur Cook-Off and Culinary Event Coordinator
John D'Amico J.D. Mushrooms, Inc Senior VP
Sources:
The Mushroom Festival - The Mushroom Festival
Fun Fact About Gravy- My Recipes .com
Lowcountry - Wikipedia
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