Sunday Night Dinner: Umami Earth Burger

The Umami Earth Burger is a treasure among veggie burgers. I am not a vegetarian but I do enjoy a good veggie burger once in awhile and this particular one happens to fall in the category of 'food perfection'. Umami discontinued making this burger at their restaurants for reasons other then just plain stupidity, that I am not sure of. Big mistake in my opinion, but now the recipe is yours so you can make the amazing burgers whenever your little heart desires. My friends and I made these last week and I feel confident in saying that they were the best f*cking veggie burger I've ever had. (Even better then the restaurant...I swear) Don't be intimidated by the amount of ingredients and don't skimp on any either. Each part is equally important to the overall greatness.

Makes 4 + patties
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, sliced
1 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup white wine or champagne
1/4 cup miso paste (I couldn't find any at the grocery store so I went to my local sushi place and bought some from them)
1/2 teaspoon mushroom base
1 tablespoon beet juice (from a can of beets), optional
1 cup shelled edamame beans
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Japanese style Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
4 whole-grain or sprouted-wheat buns
Garlic Aioli or good-quality mayonnaise
Boursin
4 large butter lettuce leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan until very hot but not smoking. Cook the onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine, miso paste, mushroom base and beet juice. Pour over the mushrooms to deglaze, stirring up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the liquid has almost evaporated.

3. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the edamame and bread crumbs and pulse until chopped well but not pulverized. Transfer the burger mixture to a bowl to refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Form the mixture into six 1/2-cup patties. Brush the burgers on both sides with the hoisin sauce.

5. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add a thin film of oil. Cook the patties until they are well charred on each side, 3-4 minutes per side, being careful when flipping them so they won’t fall apart. Transfer the burgers to serving plates.

6. Brown the buns briefly in the skillet. Place them on the serving plates with the burgers, spread with Garlic Aioli on one side of the bun and Boursin on the other. Arrange the lettuce and patties on top.