Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen

People working in restaurants can almost feel April 15 coming. Maybe it’s my imagination, but guests seem to order less extravagantly. That’s just one of the serious side effects that the looming federal tax-return deadline can have.

Home food budgets, too, can feel the pinch. Suddenly it’s ground meat season, with casseroles and pasta sauces, meatloaves and burgers starring on the dinner table.

Of course, such behavior doesn’t really make sense. Tax returns are all about last year. But they sure can make us all think about how we’re spending our money right now, especially if we have to pay back taxes.

Which is why I feel that this is an important time to share a lesson I learned long ago, not just from my mother’s humble kitchen but from those of the top restaurants where I apprenticed: Even the most inexpensive ingredients, when cooked with care and imagination, can be turned into meals that feel extravagant and taste luxurious.

Let’s take ground turkey as an example. It’s extremely popular now, not only because it doesn’t cost too much but also because it provides a healthier, leaner alternative to red meat. You’ll find lots of recipes for meat loaves and pasta sauces made with it instead of beef. But its most common form is the turkey burger, a hamburger alternative now featured in many restaurants.

So forgive me for saying that I find most turkey burgers boring. The meat doesn’t have much flavor, and if you cook it all the way through - after all, nobody wants rare turkey - it dries out.

Prepare it the right way, however, and your turkey burger will be moist and flavorful. The secret is to mix something with the ground meat before cooking to add interest and keep it juicy. My favorite addition is the classic French preparation called duxelles, a mixture of chopped mushrooms formed into a thick, luscious paste. Then, all you need to complete a great sandwich is some sauteed onions, sliced tomatoes and a good bun (or, if you’re watching carbohydrates along with your budget, two sturdy romaine lettuce leaves instead of the bread).

Another trick is one that every good sandwich maker knows: Add a delicious condiment, which is as essential to meat served on a bun as it is to a fine plated entree. As your base, you can use bottled products such as mayonnaise or ketchup. Then, make things more interesting by stirring in other piquant embellishments. For my turkey burger, I prepare a higher-class, but no more expensive version of the kind of condiment that burger joints sometimes call “secret sauce.” The only difference is, I’m more than happy to share the secret with you.

TURKEY-MUSHROOM BURGER WITH WOLFGANG’S “SECRET SAUCE”

Makes 6 burgers

WOLFGANG’S SECRET SAUCE

1/2 cup good-quality bottled mayonnaise

1/4 cup tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons bottled tomato-based barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon chopped cornichons or sweet pickles

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1/2 lemon

TURKEY-MUSHROOM BURGERS

1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean, stem ends trimmed

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

6 good-quality hamburger buns or sandwich rolls, split

1 beefsteak tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices

First, make the Secret Sauce: In a mixing bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

For the Turkey-Mushroom Burgers, first prepare the mushrooms: With a chef’s knife or in a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade, finely chop the mushrooms. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add about one third each of the mushrooms, shallots and garlic and season with pinches of salt and pepper. Add a third of the butter and continue to saute, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid they give off has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in a third each of the mustard and thyme. Transfer to a sheet pan and spread the mushrooms out evenly with the spoon to cool. Repeat the process with the remaining mushrooms in two more batches, using 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and a third each of the other ingredients for each batch.

When all the cooked mushrooms are completely cool, transfer them to a mixing bowl and add the turkey and parsley. With clean hands, mix the ingredients together thoroughly. Form six individual patties about 3/4 inch thick. Brush them generously on both sides with the remaining olive oil and season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (or, if the weather is nice, prepare a fire in an outdoor grill). Cook the burgers until they are nicely browned and still look juicy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Then, transfer to a heatproof platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil; the residual heat will continue to cook them to perfect doneness without drying them out.

Meanwhile, add the onion slices to the pan or grill and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side.

To serve the burgers, spread some of the sauce on the bottom half of each bun. Top with a layer of sliced tomato. Place a burger on top, then the grilled onion, more sauce, and the top half of the bun. Serve immediately.

(Chef Wolfgang Puck’s new TV series, “Wolfgang Puck’s Cooking Class,” airs Sundays and Wednesdays on the Food Network.)