I’ve been doing the occasional wine pairing with the recipes I present for as long as I’ve been blogging. After all, I did call this blog Sippity Sup and I meant to imply with that name that these posts were to be a celebration of both sips (drink) and sups (food). Until today we have always chosen the sip to go with a particular sup. In other words, I’d pick the food I wanted to make and my brother Grant, my partner Ken, or once in a while my friend Helen would pick a wine to go with the recipe. This Bacon Egg Burger paired with a red blend from the Haut-Médoc AOC is the exception to that tradition.
The Médoc is a well-known as a wine-growing region of France. It’s located in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Ken was recently sent samples from this region to taste. In the process, he wrote up some tasting notes. Because many of the wines from this region are blends featuring Merlot, a medium-bodied wine, they pair easily with medium-weight foods. Ken’s notes suggested a few possible pairing ideas which included simply prepared meats, and/or mushrooms. Both sensible suggestions.
Wine Pairing
Chateau Rollan de By Cru Bourgeois Médoc 2011
I love a good blend. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with blends from France. Mostly Rhône varietals, like Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre (GSM) for reds and Marsanne/Roussanne and Viognier for whites. This is undoubtedly due to my fab trip to the Ardèche last year. Still, I’ve always steered clear of the more famous blends from the Bordeaux region– assuming that […]
Ken Eskenazi Price $25
Pairs well with all meats, hamburgers, wild mushrooms, strong cheeses, bacon and eggs (for dinner)
Bacon Egg Burger
However, when I looked deeper into his tasting notes I was intrigued by the idea that these elegant Cru Bourgeois blends from the Bordeaux region could also be paired with foods with far humbler pedigrees. Ken suggested hamburgers and even the classic combination of bacon and eggs.
Both suggestions intrigued me. GREG
“Larding” is a tried and true culinary practice where fat is injected into food using a long needle. Larding enhances the moisture of the meat while it cooks and also adds flavor. This Bacon and Egg Burger simplifies that practice by hand-mixing minced bacon into the burger.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ⅓ pound raw bacon (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon minced shallot
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- salt and pepper (as needed)
- 2 teaspoon canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- ketchup (to taste)
- 4 English muffins (sliced and toasted)
- sliced red onion (to taste)
Directions
In a bowl, combine beef and chopped bacon. Add shallots and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, lift and fold ingredients together until blended. Do not overmix.
Form the meat into 4 equally-sized patties about 3/4‑inch thick and ⅓ of a pound each. Season again on the outside with salt and pepper.
Swirl canola oil across the bottom of a heavy bottomed, non-stick or cast iron skillet. Place over medium-high heat. Sauté burgers until browned on bottom. Turn them, basting with fat in pan. When browned on both sides, check the interior temperature of the burgers with an instant-read thermometer (140°F for medium-rare to 160°F for well done). Move the burgers to a warm plate to rest. Lower the heat to medium and leave the fat in the skillet and keep it on the burner.
Crack eggs into the skillet and cook sunny side up, until the whites are firm and the yolks runny, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread some ketchup onto the bottoms of the toasted English muffins. Lay a burger on each bottom; top with red onion and an egg. Place the English muffin top onto the burger; serve warm.
We were sent a sample of Chateau Rollan de By Cru Bourgeois Médoc for the purpose of this pairing. All opinions are our own.
Bacon Egg Burger
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I always appreciate your posts about wine pairing as I find in daunting. Thanks for the great information and recipe.
Always fun to pair wine, isn’t it? Makes both the wine and the food seem much better when the combo is right. Anyway, who doesn’t like a burger? Been weeks — maybe months! — since I’ve had one, so of course now I’m dying to have this. Looks really good — thanks.
Good pairings elevate the flavours of both food and wine, this one looks and sounds like a winner! A while ago, I cooked meatballs for a morning show from a restaurant’s cookbook and the recipe had pork belly in it! It was incredible, so moist and tender. The fried egg on top is awesome!
Greg, I’ve never had a Medoc blend with a burger, but I’ll take your and Ken’s word for it and give it a try! I’ve usually just had plain ole Merlot. Looks like a perfect burger.
For all the wine knowledge I’ve been garnering, wine and food pairing is still something I need practice at so this entry was super useful for me! And cru bourgeois is an excellent Bordeaux option…I don’t eat the meat but am now picturing an appropriately spiced/herbed bean substitute burger with an egg with some Bordeaux…
My three favorite foods, burgers, fried egg, red wine. Brilliant pairing a wine with a burger. Everyone always thinks beer!
I’m always glad to see your wine suggestions, because although I love good wine when I stumble onto one, I’m really clueless about them. I’m also a bit clueless about the egg on top of the burger. I’ve never had one! I have no doubt that it’s good — the egg probably enhances the umami.