The Walnut Burger^®

The original classic! At the Hotel we serve it on a whole wheat Kaiser Roll with sprouts, tomato and mayo. You might want to “fancy” it up with any number of tasty condiments: a crunchy kosher dill slice or relish, hummus or guacamole, a tangy barbecue sauce or maybe ranch dressing or a fancy honey mustard. The only limit is your imagination!

Preparation Tips

Walnut Balls

Go ahead. Make a joke. We’ve heard them all and created most of them. But these tasty little gems are the Hotel’s top-selling appetizer, and some of our customers think they are better than the burger. Served with salsa, honey mustard or your favorite dipping sauce, they make a delicious, unique hors d’ ouvre or party snack. And they can serve as an outstanding meatball substitute. You can easily make them from thawed Walnut Burger^® patties.

Preparation

Walnut Ball Spaghetti

A favorite on our dinner menu, the Walnut Ball spaghetti is a Trempealeau Hotel version of a classic Italian entreé. Some people even mistake the Walnut Balls for meatballs in this dish. Mama mia it’s delicioso!

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Walnut Ball Marinara Sub Sandwich

Another way to add some Italian moxie to the dinner table is our Walnut Ball sub-style sandwich drenched in marinara sauce. We added this number to our lunch menu a couple of years ago, and it has proven to be very popular.

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Walnut Burger^® Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
 

For the meat and potatoes crowd, we’ve found that the Walnut Burger^® can make a very complementary stuffing for meat dishes. One of our favorite versions is WB stuffed pork tenderloin. We’ve served this dish as a special in the restaurant numerous times, and it always plays to rave reviews. A sellout every time.

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Walnut Burger^® Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

The Walnut Burger as stuffing concept also works well with beef. Stuffing a tenderloin with the Burger mix is a great way to spice up a classic meat and potatoes favorite. Might we suggest a glass of your favorite red wine as an accompaniment?!

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Chicken Roulade
 

This dish is a little more labor intensive. But your efforts will be rewarded, and your dinner guests will be very impressed (even if it’s only your spouse!). Serve it with a honey mustard or horseradish sauce and throw some fresh veg or garlic mashed on the side, then sit back and collect the compliments.

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Walnut Burger^® Stuffed Pepper
 

A great way to give some extra substance and heartiness to a classic and classy vegetarian dish. And it’s simple, too. It’ll make you look like a gourmet with a minimum of effort. Alternate red and green peppers for an extra-colorful presentation.

Walnut Burger^® Stuffed Rainbow Trout
 

Delicacies from the waters also benefit from a touch of Walnut Burger^® assistance. The WB stuffing makes the fish less “fishy” and lends a complementary nuttiness to the flavor.

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Walnut Burger^® Stuffed Button Mushrooms
 

Try these at your next social gathering. It’ll be the talk of the party. Guaranteed. And it’s as simple as it is delicious. You might want to make an extra dish. They won’t last long.

Trempealeau Hotel Quiche w/ Walnut Burger^® Crust
 

This one even surprised us. The WB makes a tasty, crispy quiche crust. And did we mention EASY?! Just spread the burger mix in the bottom of a pie pan and bake for a few minutes. Take your favorite quiche recipe to an all new, delicious level.

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Additional Ways to Use the Walnut Burger^®

Walnut Burger^® Recipes

Walnut Burger^® Preparation

The burgers cook best from frozen, but can also be cooked after being thawed. Place patties on a hot electric griddle or a pan on the stove top. They will also cook nicely on a Foreman-style cooker, but you’ll need to flip them over half way through. If using a good stickles surface, cooking oil is not necessary. Otherwise, use a bit (but not too much) olive or canola oil to keep the patties from sticking to the cooking surface.

The burgers should be cooked at 350 – 400 degrees, usually medium to medium-high heat on a stove top. Let the burgers get nicely golden-brown and crisp (but not burnt!) on the underside. Then flip and repeat on the other side.

DO NOT MICROWAVE or cook on a grill. However, cooked burgers can be re-frozen or refrigerated and re-heated in the microwave or on a grill. A convenient way to pre cook the burgers is by baking them on a lightly oiled pan or cookie sheet. Bake at 325 F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the burgers are nicely brown and firm.

Walnut Balls

Divide patties into thirds or fourths, depending on desired size, then roll into ball shape. Place on a lightly oiled pan (Pyrex^® works well) and bake at 325 degrees for 25 – 35 minutes, or until nicely browned and firm to the touch. Once baked, the balls can be re-frozen or refrigerated and re-heated in the microwave as needed.

Walnut Ball Spaghetti

Cook a serving of spaghetti noodles al dente. Place hot, baked walnut balls on top of spaghetti. Smother with your favorite marinara sauce. Top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Walnut Ball Marinara Sub Sandwich

Place hot, baked walnut balls on the bottom half of a sliced sub-style bun. Smother with your favorite marinara sauce. Top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. A bit on the sloppy side. You might need a knife and fork to eat this one.

Walnut Burger Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 1 - Beef Tenderloin - sliced into 1/2" medallions

• 1/4 Cup Walnut Burger Mixture per Beef Medallion
  (1 - 3.2 oz. WB Patty = Appr. 1/3 cup)

• 1/4-1/2 Cup Veg, Chicken, or Beef Broth

• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Slice raw tenderloin into medallions about ½" wide and pound each medallion with a meat tenderizer until the tenderloin portion is about 1/4" thick. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper onto the pounded beef. Spread the Walnut Burger mixture into a thin layer on each beef portion. Carefully roll up each beef portion, securing each with a kitchen string. Place in a baking dish, leaving very little, if any, space between each roll-up. Pour the broth into the pan, over the roll-ups. Place in oven and bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes. (Cooking time may vary depending on your preference of beef done-ness.) Uncover and let rest for 5 minutes before serving, so that Walnut Burger stuffing firms up.

Walnut Burger Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• Pork Tenderloins

• ¼ - ½ Cup Walnut Burger Mixture per tenderloin, depending on size of the loin
  (1 - 3.2 oz. WB Patty = Appr. 1/3 cup)

• A Few Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary and Thyme

• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Filet each pork loin so that it lays flat. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper onto each filet. Spread the Walnut Burger mixture into a thin layer on each loin. Carefully roll up each pork loin, and secure the stuffed loin with a kitchen string. Place the loin(s) in a baking dish and add broth, rosemary, thyme, and a little more salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 375°. (Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the loin; approximately 20 minutes per pound). Uncover and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving so that the Walnut Burger stuffing firms up.

Walnut Burger^® Stuffed Rainbow Trout

Ingredients:

• Whole Filleted Rainbow Trout (head on and boneless is recommended, but any will work)

• Approximately 2.5 oz (3/4 of a 3.2 oz. Patty) of Walnut Burger Mixture per Fish

• 3/4 Cup Veg, Chicken, or Beef Broth

• 1/4 Cup Butter (cut into small pats)

• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Thoroughly wash fish. Lightly salt and pepper the outside and inner cavity of fish. Stuff the fish with the Walnut Burger mixture. Place fish in a baking dish. If using more than one fish, do not overlap them, but leave very little, if any, space between them. Pour broth into the pan over the top of the trout. Scatter the butter pats evenly over the fish. Cover and bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to 350°, and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven, re-cover, and let rest for a few minutes before serving, so that the burger mix firms up.

Chicken Roulade

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. Chicken Breasts

• Appr. 3 oz. of Walnut Burger Mixture (1 - 3.2 oz. Patty) per Breast

• Canola Oil (enough so that there is a ½" of oil in pan)

Breading:

• 2 cups All-purpose Flour

• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Pound chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer until evenly tender. Place Walnut Burger mixture on top of the flattened breasts. Roll up each breast, making sure that the ends are sealed. Roll each breast in seasoned flour. Dust off excess flour and wrap each breast tightly in aluminum foil. Place foil-wrapped breasts in the fridge for 1 hour. Remove from the fridge and discard foil. Roll the breasts in seasoned flour again, patting off excess flour. Heat the oil in pan to 350° and fry each rolled breast until the outside is uniformly golden-brown. Place each fried breast roll into a baking pan. Bake at 350° until the internal temperature of the breasts is 155°. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving, so that the burger mix firms up.

Trempealeau Hotel Quiche w/ Walnut Burger^® Crust

(The Walnut Burger^® crust will work with any quiche recipe. Here is one of our favorites.)

Ingredients:

• Appr. 1 – 1/3 Cups Walnut Burger^® mix
  (Appr. 4 - 3.2 oz. Patties)

• (Amount may vary according to desired thickness of crust)

• 4 Large eggs, beaten

• ½ Cup Chopped mushrooms

• ½ Cup Chopped tomatoes

• ¼ Cup Chopped green peppers

• ½ Cup Grated Parmesan

• 1 tsp Chopped fresh oregano or basil

• ¼ tsp Salt

• dsh Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Press the Walnut Burger mix into a greased 10 inch pie plate or quiche pan to form a crust. Place in 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes, until crust begins to become firm and golden brown. While crust is baking, beat eggs and mix with mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over cooled crust. Bake at 350 degree 45 minutes, or until top is browned and knife inserted into center of quiche comes out clean. Top with Parmesan and chopped herbs. Freezes well and may be warmed in the microwave oven after thawing.