The first time I had a burger with pears and blue cheese I was at the Elephant Bar in Emeryville Ca. and instantly fell in love with it. I knew it would be something that I wanted to eat again but didn’t necessarily want to go out of my way to get, especially if I could make it at home. So I scoured the internet for a recipes of burgers cooked with pears and finally found one I could tweak to my liking. The blue pear burger recipe features caramelized pears,  balsamic red onions, arugula leaves, and is topped with blue cheese and crispy maple walnut bacon. The flavors go so well together and it is very close to the original Elephant Bar burger with the exception that I added bacon and different herbs and spices to the patty. I named it the blue pear burger obviously not bcause the pears are actually blue but they are topped with blue cheese. Any who, here goes the recipe. Enjoy.

Burger & Burger Seasoning:
2 Beef Patties
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar (dark or light)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Balsamic Onions:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ red onion sliced thinly
2 tbsp red wine (optional)

Bacon Topping:
A small handful of walnuts
4 pieces of Smoked Bacon
3 tbsp of Maple Syrup

Caramelized Pears:
1 pear (sliced)
1 tbsp of butter
1/2 tbsp of White sugar
1/2 tbsp of Brown sugar

Other Toppings:
2 Brioche Buns (cut in halves & toasted)
Handful of Argula Leaves
2 Slice of Blue Cheese