Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Blueberry Burger

You might think there are just a bunch of ingredients that start with the letter B in this burger, and you’d technically be right. This is a delicious combination using tart and juicy blueberries to replace the pickles and tomatoes you’d find in a normal burger. You can find this burger served at a fantastic restaurant named Scolari’s right on the water in Alameda, California. This burger is a bit of a mess to enjoy, but it’s wonderfully juicy and very well balanced.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of 80/20 chuck ground beef
• 1 cup of blueberries
• ¼ cup of agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons of water
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 6 tablespoons of ground black pepper
• 3 brioche hamburger buns
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup of crumbly blue cheese
• 6 large slices of bacon
• 3 small handfuls of arugula
• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Instructions:

1. Mix in 2 tablespoons of black pepper and a pinch of salt, and form 3 patties of beef. Take the remaining black pepper and evenly rub it on the exterior of the patties.
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve your cornstarch into the lemon juice, water, and agave nectar and add to a pan with the blueberries. Cover and cook on low heat for about ten to twelve minutes, until your blueberries become soft and the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool and solidify in a separate bowl.
3. When your blueberries are ready, it's time to cook the bacon and beef. Start with the bacon in a pan, so you can use the fat from the bacon to cook the burgers. It’s fine to cook them both at the same time, just make sure you remove the bacon early as it will cook much faster than the burgers.
4. When the burgers are done, let them rest on a rack, then sprinkle the blue cheese on top and cover with bacon. The heat from the two types of meat should melt the blue cheese slightly. If this doesn’t work, place the cheesy patties back on a warm pan or grill, covered with no added heat.
5. Once the cheese has just begun to melt, we can assemble our burgers. Spread mayonnaise with a touch of black pepper on the bottom bun, then place the patty on top. Add your arugula and pour equal parts of the blueberry on top of each. Place the top bun and enjoy your incredible burger.