Wild blueberries have a special place in our hearts. My wife and I have found them across multiple continents…in North America, we’ve foraged for some in the Pine Barrens of Southern NJ and the Delaware Water Gap (where these came from) in Northern NJ. We’ve also found Huckleberries in Montana and Bilberries in Switzerland! Of course, when we’re in the woods, we’re not the only living things there…in Montana, we had to keep an eye out for Grizzly Bears. And on the North Jersey hike that produced these berries, we happened upon a fairly unhappy Timber Rattlesnake (luckily, not in the area of the trail where we were foraging…but proof is included under the main entree pic).
Anyway, one reason that wild blueberries are so important to us is that we got engaged on our Montana trip (of huckleberry fame). On that trip, one of our go-to meals at the restaurant associated with our hotel was Huckleberry Bison Burgers, so we decided to try building another burger with wild blueberries…and this one is what we came up with! The “sauce” for this one is different in that it used goat cheese and fresh berries…but it was sooooo good! We also went with chicken for this, as it lends itself better to flavour infusion than the stronger ground bison does. So, we added some blueberries and toasted caraway to the patties, which gave the burgers a glorious uniqueness.
We served our burgers with Yellow Bean “French Fries” since we’d just harvested a bunch from our garden. That said, we think that Sweet Potato Wedge Fries would also provide an excellent pairing.
Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Ground Chicken (4 oz/burger)
- Blueberries (we used wild, but domestic works too)
- Caraway Seeds
- Salt
- Goat Cheese
- Brioche Buns
- Toppings of your choice
Method:
- Melt a little butter in a pan. As it heats, rinse your berries, and when it’s melted, add most of them to the pan (reserve some for your burger patties). Cook for 5 minutes or so until the berries soften into a paste. Then, transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool in your fridge.
- Add a pinch caraway seeds to a pan, and turn the heat on. Allow them to toast for a few minutes until they darken a bit.
- Combine your ground chicken, toasted caraway, and blueberries that you did not cook in a large bowl, and add a little salt as well. Mix by hand to fully incorporate your ingredients.
- Heat your grill or a grill pan. Then, form your patties, and place them on the grill/pan. Cook for 7-9 minutes per side until your burgers reach an internal cooked temperature of 165 degrees F.
- As your burgers cook, pull your cooked blueberries from your fridge, and add some goat cheese to the blueberry bowl. Use a fork to mash together and completely combine.
- Spread your cheese on your bun, and prep the rest of your toppings.
- When your burgers are fully cooked, place on your buns.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
