Kick off summer grilling season with these unique burger recipes

Missouri sirloin and blue cheese burger

Submitted by Tom Harte

This recipe adapted from Marcel Desaulniers' book "The Burger Meisters," a collection of burger recipes from America's best chefs, and was developed by Bill Cardwell of St. Louis restaurant fame. I have doubled the amount of blue cheese originally called for. Cardwell's serves the burger on cornmeal black pepper bread.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds ground sirloin

2 ounces blue cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices (1 oz.) white cheddar cheese

8 crisp slices bacon

Tomato relish

Directions:

Form meat into eight patties. Make an indentation in the center of four patties and fill each with a 1/2-ounce ball of blue cheese. Top each with another patty and seal edges. Grill or saute; until done. Top each burger with cheddar and bacon and serve on bun with tomato relish.

New American bistro burgers

Submitted by Tom Harte

This recipe, adapted from Rick Rodgers book, "365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats," is admittedly trendy, but it still satisfies the basic hamburger craving.

Ingredients:

1-1/3 pounds lean ground lamb or sirloin

3 T. pesto

2 T. grated Parmesan

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

4 ounces goat cheese, cut into eight slices

Directions:

Mix meat, pesto, Parmesan, salt and pepper, form into four patties and grill. Thirty seconds before done, top each burger with two slices of cheese. Serve with Arugula on toasted sourdough French bread.

Chicago beer burger

Submitted by Tom Harte

This recipe, also from Desaulniers' book, is the creation of Carlyn Berghoff of the famous Chicago restaurant family. Any beer will work, but I prefer something fairly dark. On the assumption that you can't have too much of a good thing, Berghoff recommends serving the burgers with onions that have been braised in beer.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds ground chuck

2 tablespoons beer

1/2 t. Tabasco sauce

1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices (1/2-ounce) brick cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except cheese and form into six patties. Grill or saute; until done. Top with cheese and serve on toasted buns.