There are other methods of combining blue cheese and hamburgers. The easiest is to grill the burgers first, then top them with crumbles of blue cheese right before you put the bun on. You can also tuck a nugget of blue cheese deep inside the burger, so none of the cheese melts out while the burgers cooks. Lastly, serve burgers with a blue cheese sauce on the side:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 4 hamburgers
Ingredients:
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground meat
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled
Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together with your hands.
Form the meat into 4 patties. Try to bury most of the cheese crumbles inside the burger so not too many chunks of cheese are visible.
Heat grill to high. Grill burgers 4-6 minutes on each side.
© recipe 2012 Jennifer Meier licensed to About.com, Inc.
Sides for Blue Cheese Burgers
- Pickled Red Onion
- Quick Fennel-Flavored Pickles
- Fennel Spread
- Kosher Garlic and Dill Pickled Cucumbers
- Caramelized Onions
- Special Sauce
The unique look and flavor of blue cheese comes from a specific type of mold added during the cheesemaking process and from an additional step in the aging process called "needling". Many modern cheesemakers use commercially manufactured mold cultures that mimic the mold found naturally in the caves outside of a French town called Roquefort, where the famous blue cheese Roquefort was first made. This mold culture is called Penicillium Roqueforti.
"Needling" is the process of poking tiny holes in the wheels of cheese as they age. This lets air in, feeding the mold and encouraging it to spread throughout the cheese. This creates the veins of blue mold throughout the cheese.
If you were to taste blue cheeses from around the world side-by-side, you would clearly notice that each has a unique flavor and texture. These differences come from the slightly different recipes used by cheesemakers, the type of milk used (cow, goat or sheep), as well as factors such as what the animals feed on and whether or not the milk is left raw or pasteurized.
