3798. BLUE CHEESE BURGER with BACON WALNUT CHUTNEY

Servings: 1

For Burger:
6-8 ounces ground beef (or beef blend)
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup (2 ounces) blue cheese, crumbled and divided
1 bun, toasted
1-2 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) Walnut Bacon Bourbon Chutney (recipe below)
2 large leaves butter lettuce

For Walnut Bacon Bourbon Chutney:
1 pound thick cut bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup combination of chopped fruits/vegetables: pears, fennel and/or rehydrated apricots, sun dried tomatoes, figs, dried cranberries, cherries or yellow raisins
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

For burger: Season beef with salt and pepper to taste and form burger. Use preferred method to stuff burger with 1 ounce blue cheese; grill burger to desired doneness. Top bottom of bun with some bacon walnut chutney and lettuce; place grilled burger over lettuce and garnish with remaining blue cheese and additional chutney.

For chutney: In large pan, fry bacon until crisp; remove bacon and drain all but enough bacon fat to coat bottom of pan. Add onion and sauté until translucent; add fruit and/or vegetables, garlic and thyme; sauté another minute. Add sugar, vinegar, bourbon and water; simmer covered until liquid is reduced by 3/4. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add cooked bacon and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Top blue cheese burger with chutney. Reserve remaining chutney for additional burgers.

bacon recipe source: Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (@WisconsinCheese), 8418 Excelsior Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53717

3084. RUSTIC CRANBERRY BACON CHUTNEY with ROSEMARY and PORT

6 slices of bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped coarsely
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly cracked pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon tawny port

Cut the bacon up into a fairly small pieces. Add the bacon to a medium-size saucepan. Set on the stove over medium-high heat Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If it starts to burn or smoke, turn your heat down. When your bacon is crisp, turn the heat off. Drain off most of the rendered bacon fat, leaving just a teaspoon or two in the pan with the bacon. Add the brown sugar to the bacon and fat in the pan. Toss in the rosemary, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir your pot to combine the ingredients well. Break up any lumps of brown sugar against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon. Pour in the orange juice. Stir well, scraping at the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Raise the heat to medium-high so your mixture can start to come up to a simmer. Add the cranberries to the pot. Give the pot a good stir to combine everything. Add the port. Stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes up to a simmer. When it does, turn the heat down a little and cover the pot tightly. Simmer covered for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, uncover the pot. Stir the mixture. As you stir, smoosh the cranberries against the side of the pot to pop them. Keep the heat on medium as you do this. Turn the heat off and transfer the chutney to a bowl to cool. The chutney will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jessie Cross, The Hungry Mouse, December 11, 2008

2836. CIDER-BRINED PORK CHOPS with MAPLE-BACON CHUTNEY

makes four servings 


4 bone-in pork chops, about 12 ounces each

For the cider brine:
3 quarts cold water
1 quart apple cider 
1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups kosher salt

3/4 cup sugar

For the maple black pepper bacon chutney:

1 slab bacon (about a pound), cut into medium dice

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons black pepper, coarsely ground

1 tablespoon mustard powder

2 cups apple juice

1 bay leaf

salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients for the brine. Add the pork chops to the brine and let sit for 12-18 hours. In a medium pot, sweat the bacon until about half-cooked. Drain the rendered fat, add the onions, garlic and sweat until translucent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until thick and syrupy. Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning to taste. Drain pork from the brine and pat dry before grilling. Place pork on a medium high to high temperature grill, flipping and turning as required, about 5-7 minutes per side. Cook to desired doneness and top with the warm bacon chutney.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Rick Gresh, David Burke's Primehouse, 616 N Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611; Food Republic, October 16, 2012