CRANBERRY BURGER WITH BLUE CHEESE, WALNUTS, AND GRILLED ANJOU PEARS

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

I moved to Livermore California back in 1985 from Missouri.My brother said I was going to the land of “fruits and nuts”. But he meant it in a positive way about California. Yes, California is known for its huge agriculture industry so I created a burger to represent all the food groups. My Cranberry Burger with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Grilled Anjou Pear is a combination of the California people who work hard and play hard under the sun. Garlic from Gilroy, Walnuts from Fresno, and pears from the San Joaquin Valley. My burger is the American Burger and has the intense grilled flavors that is a true California burger and will represent the Golden State at its best.

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Cranberry Blue Cheese Mayonnaise:

1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ cup blue cheese, crumble
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Patties:

2 lbs ground chuck
2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning spice

3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

3 Anjou Pear, sliced 1/4 inch thickness

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive oil, for brushing the grill rack and pears

Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper for seasoning the pears

6 whole wheat buns, split

7 oz pkg shelled Walnuts

Instructions:

Directions:

Preheat your gas grill to high.

To make Cranberry Blue Cheese Mayonnaise, gently fold together the mayonnaise, garlic, blue cheese and the cranberries in a small bowl. Refrigerate and set aside.

To prepare the patties, gently combine the chuck and Montreal steak seasoning in a large bowl. Gently mix together using your hands. Divide into 6 equal parts and form into patties. Cover and set to the side.

Chop the romaine lettuce and set to the side.

Cut the pear in half and remove the seeds.
Slice the pear lengthwise in 1/4 thickness. Set to the side.

Brush the grill rack with olive oil. Place the patties on the grill, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the patties, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. During the last 4 minutes, brush the sliced pears both sides with olive oil. Lightly season the pears with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Place the pears on the grill and cook 2 minutes, turn the pears and grill another 2 minutes. Remove the pears from the grill. Place the
buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

To assemble the burger, slather the bun tops with the Cranberry Blue Cheese Mayonnaise and place 6 to 8 walnuts in the sauce of each bun top. On the bun
bottoms, place ½ cup lettuce and 3 to 4 grilled pear slices. Add the patty. Add the bun tops with wooden skewers and serve.

Makes 6 burgers.