Recipe: Delicious juicy grilled blueberry burgers

The juiciness in the recipe is not from the beefy fat, butter and heavy cream but from anti-oxidant rich blueberries. Was it good? Yes. It was good, and the berries did lend a fresh, juicy bite. According to my husband: “This burger’s delicious. Think of your heart; think of your arteries! I’d prefer not having heavy cream and fatty mystery meat in my burgers.”

Yield: 3-4 burgers (depending on burger size)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Grill Time:8-12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons finely minced shallot or onion 
• 1 pound of your favorite grind
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped blueberries
• 3-4 artisan hamburger buns or
• ciabatta bread, sliced horizontally if whole*
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Hellman’s mayonnaise
• Romaine or other leaf lettuce
• Sliced tomatoes

*If using a lean grind (anything higher than 80 percent lean) in the following recipe, I’d recommend purchasing a freshly baked ciabatta bun. It’s out of the oven flavor has a wonderful “chew” and absorbs juices- the perfect housing for this scrumptious, if slightly messy, burger. The berry juices would saturate a fluffy, light pillow type of bun.

Directions:

1. Prepare gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat .
2. Combine shallot or onion, grind, salt, pepper and blueberries. Form into 3-4 patties.
3. Oil grill grates and carefully place burgers on your grates. If using a lean grind, handle with care: These burgers are a bit more fragile than their fatty brothers!
4. Grill 3-5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness. (For lean grinds, cooking to well-done is not recommended.) Meanwhile combine the Dijon and mayonnaise.
5. Spread the Dijon-mayo on the cut side of each bun half. Arrange lettuce and tomatoes on buns and tuck burgers in-between.

 This recipe was written by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on May 26, 2011.