Tonight for dinner I made Bleu Cheese Pancetta Burgers. I am slowly working toward perfecting these.
Here is what I have discovered:
A recent Cook's Illustrated magazine article showed that adding a splash of milk and some bread crumbs to the hamburger makes the burgers juicier. I used a splash of milk and about a 1/4 cup of crumbs.
Crumble bleu cheese and chopped pancetta into the mix...a dash of pepper, salt and onion powder....combine well.
Shaping the burgers is a critical step. The Cook's Illustrated article suggested making the hamburger patty into the shape of a mushroom top, so the underside is slightly indented. (I can't remember why- but the burgers just cook better this way)
Fry these on the grill (or in a pan on the stove). I cook these slow and low.
When the burgers are close to being done, I add a slice of pancetta to the pan - one for each burger. I am not sure if this is standard or not, but the pancetta that I buy is in rounds- perfect for topping a burger!
A slice of homegrown tomato and a few rings of red onion plus mayonaisse and these are heavenly.
For slight variation, I have mixed bleu cheese and mayonaise into a burger sauce, I have used stilton cheese instead of bleu cheese and I found this summer that a few leaves of basil add a great touch to these. Enjoy!
