The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger

I was recently at a private event here in Calgary for Jelly Modern Doughnuts. It was an interactive evening where we got to decorate doughnuts and as an ice breaker we were asked to create a new doughnut. Sounds easy enough right? Well then we were told to go around and ask other attendees what their doughnut creation was and give them a sticker if you loved their idea. The most stickers won. Sadly my doughnut idea didn’t win but the combination remains a tried and true favourite in many variations; blue cheese, pear, toasted walnuts on top with a honey drizzle. This is what lead to the inspiration for our new burger, The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger. For the sauce I grabbed some chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, mixed it with mayo, and we ended up with a delicious Chipotle Mayo to accompany the burger.

Not every one in my family loves burgers but that doesn’t stop us from trying new creations regularly. This version, surprisingly, was loved by the entire family.

Burgers are also a great meal to have when you are camping. We mix up a batch of fresh burgers in advance, freeze them individually in burger containers/set given to us by friends and transfer them to the trailer freezer when it’s time to go. It’s the perfect camping meal. You make/take as many as your family will eat and won’t have any leftovers. Everyone loves a good burger while sitting around the campfire.

And here is the next addition to our Triple B (Bakers Burger Blast).

The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger

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Course: camping, dinner, lunch, Main

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
• 1 pear sliced thin and rough chopped
• 1 onion sliced into thin rings
• 1 tsp spice blend your favourite, we used za'atar
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp butter
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup dark beer
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 3/4 cup chipotle mayo

Instructions

• Melt butter and olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add in your onions, turn the heat down and let your onions cook slowly. After about 10 minutes pour in your dark ale. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the onions are soft and lightly browned. The liquid will evaporate. Set aside to cool.
• Combine burger, cheese, pear, 1/4 cup of the caramelized onions, spice blend, salt, pepper and shape into patties.
• Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through. Toast your buns, cut side down, until lightly browned.
• While still on the grill top your burger with some blue cheese and then the leftover caramelized onions. Leave on grill until cheese starts to ooze a little into the onions.
• Once off the grill spread some chipotle mayo on your bun and top with fresh spinach.
• This makes 5 good sized burgers or 8 medium sized burgers.

Notes

To make chipotle mayo combine 3/4 cup mayo with 1-2 tbsp chipotles in adobe sauce. For a finer consistency puree.