Mini Duck Burgers With Shiitake Mushroom Ketchup and Hot Sweet Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

Hoisin Marinade

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 to 2 green onions, white and a bit of
the tender green, minced
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/4 teaspoons tamari
2 1/4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2 1/4 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon Asian black bean chile sauce or chile-garlic sauce
3/4 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon tabasco Pepper Sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Patties

2 pounds ground duck
2 green onions, white and a bit of the tender green, minced
1/2 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Shiitake Mushroom Ketchup

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
and quartered
1 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 bunch chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hot-Sweet Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Coleman's mustard powder
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup creme fraeche or sour cream

Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
16 small sesame brioche buns, split
Butter, at room temperature, for spreading
on the buns
2 cups arugula

Directions

To make the marinade, combine all of the ingredients in a stainless steel or ceramic bowl and whisk to blend well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make the patties, combine the duck, green onions, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and
2 tablespoons of the hoisin marinade in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

To make the ketchup, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add 1/4 cup of the hoisin marinade, the vinegar, basil, molasses, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to coat the mushrooms evenly. Decrease the heat and simmer until the liquid is thick enough to coat the mushrooms, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

To make the sauce, combine the sugar and mustard powder in the top of a double boiler and mix well with a whisk to prevent lumps. When well combined, whisk in the egg yolks and vinegar. Cook over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until it is thick enough to form ribbons when drizzled from a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. When cool, fold in the creme fraeche. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Divide the chilled patty mixture into 16 equal portions and form the portions into mini-patties to fit the buns. Place the patties on the rack and cover the grill. Cook, turning once and basting with some of the marinade, just until the juices run clear when the patties are pierced in the center, about 4 minutes on each side. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, spread softened butter on the cut sides of the buns. On each
bun bottom, place a patty, mushroom ketchup to taste, a few arugula leaves, and a drizzle of the mustard sauce. Add the bun tops and serve with any extra ketchup and mustard sauce on the side.

Makes 16 mini burgers

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