Diced! Day of Eating Contest: Becky – Italian Cheeseburger

The latest Diced! cooking contest by The Ranting Chef is here. In this competition, contestants make four dishes: a breakfast/brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert. After each dish, I will put up a poll for you to vote for your favorite. Votes for the breakfast/brunch post are worth one point apiece, lunch are worth two points, dinner votes are worth three points and dessert posts are worth five. 

Today we have a Dinner entry from Becky who blogs over at BubblyBEE. Check out the blog and the post below. Here’s Becky…

Italian Cheeseburger

August 27, 2015 ~ “National Burger Day” ~ will be a very happy day for my husband.  He LOVES hamburgers. The only thing he loves as much as hamburgers is fried prosciutto.  As a special treat for my hubby I am combining his two favorites to create this Italian Cheeseburger for a fun summer dinner.

Pictured above:  Italian Cheeseburger on Brioche Roll

Pictured above:  Brioche roll from the local bakery…rich and buttery!

Makes 3 hamburgers (the secret ingredient that makes these hamburgers so moist is sour cream!)

3 ounces prosciutto

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 pound hamburger (85% lean and 15% fat)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I like “Slap Ya’ Mama brand)

2 tablespoons sour cream

4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced into 3 slices

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 Tomato slices

3 Brioche hamburger buns toasted (Choose the best quality hamburger bun you can find from the local bakery or market. Brioche or potato rolls are always nice choices.)

Mayonnaise

Place vegetable oil in sauté pan and heat over medium-low heat.  When oil is hot, place prosciutto slices in oil and fry until crispy, turning once. Remove prosciutto from oil and place on paper towels to drain off any excess oil.

In a bowl mix hamburger, black pepper, Cajun seasoning and sour cream. Form hamburger mixture into 3 flat hamburger patties.

Place mozzarella slices in a flat dish. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the mozzarella. Place in refrigerator to marinate.

Grill hamburgers (or use your favorite cooking method for hamburgers) until the desired doneness.  Place brioche buns on the grill to lightly toast.

To serve: Spread mayonnaise on the bottom half of toasted brioche bun. Top with grilled hamburger. Top hamburger with slice of marinated mozzarella, 2 slices of fried prosciutto and a slice of tomato. Spread mayonnaise on the top half of toasted brioche bun and place on top of tomato.

Wine Pairing:  What to Drink with What you Eat (Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page) suggest serving California Syrah with hamburgers.  A nice Cabernet Sauvignon would be a very nice choice too.

And don’t forget the Italian Sparkling Water for the table.