Blue Cheese Cherry Burgers

Recently I took on the challenge to create a “hometown burger” for Labor Weekend, a request from Wisconsin Cheese Talk. Since I still think of Wisconsin as home – Madison, specifically – I thought back on two of my favorite summer flavors from that state: Door County Cherries and Black River Blue from North Hendron Dairy Co-op. If you’ve ever paired Stilton with port, you know that these two flavors make beautiful music in the key of sweet-salty.

Black River Blue is a great burger topper – it melts well, and the flavor is sharp without being too aggressive. If you have any left over, sprinkle it in a spinach salad or tuck it into a BLT. The cherry-onion relish can be made in advance, and it keeps well. The tartness of the cherries alongside the caramelized onions balance out the saltiness of the blue, making for a truly stunning burger.

Back when I lived in Wisconsin, I used to bike down to North Hendron Dairy from my favorite little writing cabin at a place called The Christine Center, which was run by nuns. Props to Sister Margaret and Sister Johanna who turned me onto this cheese. When I see it on the East Coast, it makes me think of rural Wisconsin and kind Franciscans.

Blue Cheese Cherry Burgers

For the cherry-onion relish

¼ cup dried cherries

½ cup warm water or dark beer

1 medium-sized white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

Ground black pepper

Sea salt

For the burgers

4 ground beef patties

4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Baby spinach

Black River Blue Cheese (or Gorgonzola)

1. Soak cherries in warm water or beer and set aside to soak for half an hour or more.

2. Melt butter in skillet and add thinly sliced onions. Cook on low to medium heat, about 20 minutes. If they brown, they’ll get tough, so be sure to let them cook down slowly. Once onions are transluscent, add balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and turn off heat. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Drain cherries, and add to onion mixture.

3. Salt and pepper ground beef patties, and grill. If you cook them on a stove, get the pan hot and cook them in a little butter, 5-7 minutes per side if you want them to be rare – closer to 9 or 12 minutes per side for well-done.

4. Top burgers with cherry-onion relish and a hunk of blue. For additional condiments, try some baby spinach, a shmear of mayo, and a little whole-grain mustard. Serve with a dark, smoky beer and sweet-potato chips.

Note: You can use dried cranberries in place of cherries in this recipe. If you like a smoother relish, put it in a food processor.

Blue Cheese Meets Vodka

Annie Baum-Stein, blue-cheese model

Today’s submission for the Blue Cheese Invitational comes from blogger Mike Lyons of West Philly Local. Lyons snapped this shot at his favorite West Philly cheese joint, Milk & Honey, where owner Annie Baum-Stein keeps her cheese case stocked with local gems, like Royer Mountain, along with international dream wheels, like leaf-wrapped Valdeon from Spain.

Lyons and his wife Julija, who is Russian, serve blue cheese as Zakuska – a chaser for vodka. In Russain, Zakuska means "snack."

“After a shot, you need something salty and punchy,” Lyons says.

He recommends a less crumbly blue with a sharp hook at the end. The Valdeon sold at Milk & Honey has become their go-to cheese. Baum-Stein (pictured above) also carries Black River Blue, a customer favorite from a dairy co-op in Wisconsin. I know it well -- what a coup!

For a Blue Cheese and Vodka party, Lyons recommends:

• pickled tomatoes
• black bread
• Valdeon blue cheese
• chilled Ruski Standard Vodka

Lyons also likes to shop at one of two Russian grocery stores in the Philadelphia area, Bell’s Market and Net Cost Market. Expect a full-on Soviet experience, complete with Russian pop, blue eye shadow, and plenty of pickled fish – both in line and at the seafood counter.