Recipe: Bluecheese Hamburgers with Barbecue Sauce and Saut ed Mushrooms

Blue Cheese Hamburgers with Barbecue Sauce and Saut ed Mushrooms

3 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 oz blue cheese
Salt and pepper to season
8 onion rolls, cut in half

In a large bowl combine the ground beef, cumin, paprika, pepper, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Gently form into 16 3-ounce patties about 1/2 inch thick. Use a spoon to make an indentation in the center of 8 of the patties. Place 1/2 ounce blue cheese in the indentation and cover with another patty. Gently form into burgers. Cover and refrigerate.

Just before grilling, lightly season with salt and pepper, then coat with barbecue sauce (recipe follows). Grill the burgers over a medium fire until done to your taste: -5 minutes per side for rare, 6-7 for medium, 9-10 for well done. Remove burgers from grill and brush with more barbecue sauce. Toast the rolls and serve the burgers topped with the mushrooms (recipe follows).

Barbeque sauce:
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and remove the crushed garlic cloves.

Saut ed Mushrooms:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons minced onions
4 tablespoons minced shallots
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup beer

Heat the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallots and cook until they are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and saut until the moisture has evaporated. Add beer, salt and pepper to taste. The beer will evaporate.