Bringin’ Da Heat!!
I love hot foods, particularly blackened Cajun stuff! I have tried blackening burgers but the taste just doesn’t hold up as well as it does with poultry or fish, so I started mixing it into my burger meat and loved the taste. The coconut and chili marmalade idea came from an appetizer I had 30 years ago in an airport bar in Pittsburgh. It was shrimp dredged in coconut, deep fried and served with spicy marmalade as a dipping sauce. I had completely forgotten about that and made it for friends one day. I had some marmalade and coconut leftover so decided to slather it on a burger and a star was born! And of course, the name is a baseball term for throwing a fastball!!
Ingredients:
- 3 Pounds ground beef
- ¼ Cup Cajun seasoning
- 4 Medium sized white onions
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Cup Sambal chili paste, divided
- 1½ Cup orange marmalade
- 1 Cup coconut, shredded
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 12 Slices chipotle-jack cheese
- 6 Kaiser rolls
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Teaspoons salt
Instructions:
- Combine the beef with the Cajun seasoning, mix well and form into 6 8-ounce patties and set aside
- Cut onions in half lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
- Place a large nonstick pan over medium high heat, add the oil and when simmering add the onions and the salt to caramelize the onions
- When onions have turned, a caramel color add ½ cup of the chili paste and continue cooking until a darker caramel color is achieved
- Turn off heat and set onions aside
- While onions are cooking combine the orange zest with the coconut and spread out onto a baking sheet and place in a preheated 300-degree oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned
- Place the marmalade into a small sauce pot with the remaining half cup of the chili paste and melt together over medium heat. Set coconut and chili marmalade aside
- Lightly butter and toast the kaiser rolls, grill burgers to your preferred doneness and top with the chipotle-jack cheese
- Place the burgers on the bottom of a Kaisers roll, top with a generous portion of the onions and top that with some of the marmalade
- Spread more marmalade on the other kaiser half and sprinkle with the toasted orange coconut and serve