Blue Cheese Burger Recipe

Say Cheese! Point Reyes Blue Cheese Burgers

July 16, 2009

On Monday one of the Sugar girls came into work raving about an amazing blue cheese burger she had over the weekend. The cheese was stuffed inside the patty, and a tangy red pepper aioli moistened the bun. Remembering that I had some Point Reyes Blue Cheese in my fridge, I decided to try grilling up some blue cheese burgers.

The pairing of beef and blue cheese is a classic one and it translates well to a hamburger. To complement the burger, I made a quick garlic aioli and grilled veggies. The final burger is more sophisticated than its cheddar all-American counterpart, but it's just as tasty. Sticking the cheese inside the meat results in a delightful ooziness. To experiment with your own molten center blue cheese burger get the recipe and read more.

Modified From Food & Wine and Emeril Lagasse

Blue Cheese Burgers

Ingredients

For aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup grapeseed oil
3/4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
For burgers:
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces blue cheese
Four 1/2-inch-thick slices of red onion
Four 1/2-inch-thick beefsteak tomato slices
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces arugula
4 large whole wheat buns, split in half

Directions

Take care when grilling these burgers. Mine were left on the grill too long and one of them was a little overcooked.

Make aioli: In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise. Gradually whisk in the olive oil and the grapeseed oil. Add the lemon juice and season with cayenne.
Using the flat side of a chef's knife, mash the garlic to a paste with a generous pinch of salt. Whisk the garlic paste into the medium bowl of mayonnaise, then transfer the aioli to a serving bowl.
In a bowl, combine the beef, garlic, salt, pepper, and mix gently but thoroughly. Divide into 8 equal patties.
In a separate bowl, crumble the cheese and form into 4 equal patties. Place 1 cheese patty on each of 4 beef patties. Top with remaining 4 beef patties, pinching the edges under to seal the cheese completely.
Light a grill. Thread each onion slice onto a skewer. Brush the onion and tomato slices with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lightly brush the grate with vegetable oil. Grill the onions over a medium-hot fire until charred and tender, about 5 minutes per side. Grill the tomato slices until charred, about 1 minute per side.
Place the burgers on the grill over a medium-hot fire until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and let stand for 2 minutes.
Brush the cut sides of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and grill until lightly browned, about 10 seconds. Set the burgers on the rolls, top with the onion, tomato and arugula and serve.

Serves 4.