Xesla Research Organisation

Umami is known as the fifth taste and is often described as ‘savoriness’ or ‘meaty’.    In the last few years it’s been getting a lot of attention around the internet as well as some of the better of the TV chefs / cooking shows ( Heston Blumenthal, Top Chef, and others ).

Over the last few months I’d been slowly collecting Umami rich ingredients with a plan to produce a recipe that really highlights it.   A few days ago I stumbled across a review for a burger place in California called ‘Umami Burger’ and I figured that a burger would be a great food to highlight the flavour.

I spent the morning putting thought to paper on what ingredients to use, and how to use them.  I decided on trying to get the taste into everything that went into the burger from the sauce to the bun.   So I made a Shitake Mushroom sauce, a Parmesan Crisp, and a Truffled Brioche Bun.   The burger has Beef, Shitake, Vegemite and Truffle salt through it.

Recipes after the jump.

Burger

• 500g Ground sirloin beef
• a pinch of truffle salt
• 3 anchovies and a dash of oil from tin
• 6 sliced shitake mushrooms
• 1 tsp of white peppercorns
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1tsp coriander seeds
• 1 (very heaped ) tbsp Vegemite
• 1/2 chopped red onion

Saute the onion in a pan until nicely browned, reserve.    Saute the mushrooms until browned in the same pan,  add anchovies for the last minute or so of cooking.

mix together onion and mushrooms and chop finely.  add a good tablespoon of Vegemite and stir.  Leave to cool.

toast the peppercorns, cumin and coriander and then grind it to a powder.

Put the ground beef into a large mixing bowl, then add in the rest of the ingredients.   Mix until everything is well incorporated.  Divide into 4 equal sized balls and form into burger patties.  Refrigerate these until ready to cook.

Mushroom Sauce

• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 8 sliced Cremini  mushrooms
• 6 sliced Shitake
• Bonito flakes
• handful Kombu
• water
• splash of light soy sauce
• splash of Chinese rice wine
• 1 tsp corn starch

Simmer about 500ml of water with kombu and bonito for 30 minutes, strain.

Saute onion and mushrooms seperately until golden,  add into strained stock.

Deglaze saute pan with rice wine / soy, add into stock along with the onion and cremini mushrooms.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain the stock through a coffee filter and add in shitake.  reduce down to about a third.   Mix the corn starch with some water to make a slurry and add this to the sauce, simmer for at least a minute for the corn starch to fully incorproate into the sauce.  This should thicken the sauce up and give it a nice gloss.

Brioche Bun

• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 200ml warm water
• 1 teaspoon buttermilk powder
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 500g bread flour
• 6g  salt
• pinch of truffle salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• Smoked Sea salt ( optional )

In a glass measuring cup, combine the water, buttermilk powder, yeast and sugar.  Leave sit for a few minutes to activate the yeast.

Meanwhile add the salts to the bottom of your kitchenaid bowl and add the flour on top.   Crack the eggs on top of the flour and pour over the water/yeast mix.

Using the paddle attachment mix the ingredients at a medium speed for about a minute.  Switch over to the dough hook and knead for 5 minutes.  Rest for 5 minutes, then knead for another 5 minutes.   Shape dough into a ball, flour it and rest until doubled ( about an hour ).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for about an hour until double in size.

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 F with rack in center. brush the butter  on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and Smoked Sea Salt, if using. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Parmesan Crisps

• Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

line a baking tray with some parchment paper or a silpat.   For each burger you want to lay down about a tablespoon of grated cheese and smooth them down to be a circle about the size of your buns.   Bake at 350 F for about 5 minutes.   remove and allow to cool.   Once cooled they should be golden cheese crisps.

Final Assembly

Brush the bun with olive oil and lightly toast. put a cooked burger on top, add mushroom sauce,  parmesan crisp and sliced tomato.

Tags: Burger, Cooking, Hamburger, Umami