Gorgonzola Dates

Gorgonzola dates are one of my favorite go to appetizers for dinner parties, both those hosted in my home and those at friends houses. There are many reasons to love this appetizer: it's simple, transportable and so delicious. The dates have a sweetness about them that pairs perfectly with the strong flavor produced by the gorgonzola and the saltiness of the bacon. The combination is both delicious and completely addicting so do yourself a favor and reserve this for evenings when you can share it with friends, otherwise you may end up eating the whole plate yourself!

Please forgive the lack of step by step photos in this post. I completely forgot to take photos while I was making this and the result was too good not to share anyways!

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Gorgonzola Dates


Ingredients
Medjool dates
Applewood smoked bacon (1 slice per 3 dates)
Wedge of firm, aged gorgonzola cheese
2 medium lemons
White pepper
Kosher salt
1 stick of butter chilled, cut into 8 pieces
Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Cut slices of bacon into three even pieces and set aside.  With a small paring knife cut a slit length wise in each date and remove seed within.  Cut a small piece of gorgonzola from the cheese wedge and fill date with gorgonzola so that date is fully stuffed.    Take a piece of bacon and wrap around the stuffed date, securing with a toothpick.  Place date seam side down on a greased rimmed baking sheet.  Once you have all your dates stuffed and wrapped, bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is browned and slightly crispy.

While the dates are cooking in the oven squeeze the juice of 2 medium lemons into a small medium-bottomed saucepan.  Add a pinch of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper to the juice and boil until reduced to 1 tablespoon.  Remove from heat and immediately whisk in 2 pieces of butter until melted.  Place pan over very low heat and whisk in butter one piece at a time until all pieces are incorporated into a creamy sauce.  Remove from heat and set aside until dates are done cooking.

When dates are ready, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Cover the bottom of your serving plate with lemon butter sauce, it should have thickened some as it cooled and drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top of the sauce.  Place the dates on the sauce and serve.

Blue Cheeseburgers

As I mentioned in my last post, to me Memorial Day and the beginning of summer should always be commemorated with the grilling of burgers. Robert and I did just that this past Monday as we celebrated with 2 other couples and enjoyed the back patio on one of our last days of housesitting.

While we could have easily made your normal burger patties and topped them with an array of cheeses and condiments, I decided to get a little fancy instead. One of my favorite burger joints in Dallas, Twisted Root Burger Co., has a burger on their menu that is topped with a big dollop of blue cheese. It always looks so delicious, but the thought of the mess that would inevitably ensue the moment that blue cheese was squeezed out by the bun always dissuaded me from ordering it.

To avoid the mess I decided to incorporate crumbled blue cheese into the patties themselves rather than topping them with a softer blue cheese variety. The melted cheese and the minced onions provided a nice juiciness that can sometimes be missing when using the leaner ground beef. I think these burgers would be excellent served on Suzie's homemade hamburger buns along with your favorite combination of condiments and veggies. Next time your planning a cookout with burgers, consider adding this recipe to your menu, you'll be glad you did!

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Blue Cheeseburgers
Ingredients
2 pounds ground sirloin
1/2 medium sweet yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions
Place the 2 pounds of ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl.

Add the minced onion,

Minced garlic,

Blue cheese,

And salt and pepper.

Mix with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated throughout.

Divide the mixture into 6 equally sized patties roughly the size of your palm and relatively thin, about 1/2-1/4 inch thick.

Heat the grill to medium high heat and place the patties on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes then flip.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes for medium, it will take longer for medium-well and well done.

Remove from the grill and enjoy!