Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese stuffed Burger topped with Caramelized Onion Relish and Garlic Aioli

1. Of course my first blog post would be a burger! I love burgers and plan on making one burger a week for the rest of my life! Tonight I made a burger stuffed with creamy goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes marinated in herb oil. I topped it with an onion relish I learned how to make in culinary school. The onions really turn into something special when you reduce them in rice wine vinegar then caramelize them. I also made an aioli <- don't let the name scare you away, it's just a fancy way of saying garlic mayonnaise. If you have never made homemade mayo before you do not know what you are missing! The taste is so fresh and light...

• Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato stuffing

1. 6 oz fresh goat cheese
2. 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in herb oil ( chopped)
3. 1 1/2 lb ground round ( 80/20)
4. Montreal steak seasoning

Mix the goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes together in a bowl, set aside. Form 8 even thin patties, about 1/2 inch thick, put 1 1/2 tbsp of the stuffing into a ball then place it in the center of 4 patties. Top each with another patty and seal edges. Season patties with Montreal steak seasoning. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, sear the burgers 4 minutes on each side.

Caramelized Onion Relish

1. 1 large white onion (sliced thin)
2. 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3. tbsp butter
4. salt and pepper

In a non stick skillet over medium low heat saute the onions in butter and season with salt and pepper. Add the rice wine vinegar and reduce down. Once all the rice wine vinegar has cooked out lower the heat to low and allow the onions to caramelize. The onions will take about 10 - 15 Minutes to caramelize.

Garlic Aioli

1. 1 garlic clove
2. 2 egg yolks
3. 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
4. 4-6 tbsp of a good olive oil
5. salt and pepper to taste

Grate the garlic clove on a *micro plane grater* ( I recommend this highly) if you do not have a micro plane grater you can chop the garlic very fine till it is almost into a paste. Combine the egg yolks, garlic, rice wine vinegar, salt, and pepper into a food processor or blender and puree. Add the oil in a slow stream and continue to process until the mixture has formed a thick emulsion.

***** A micro plane grater is such a great kitchen tool. You can use it to grate cheeses easily, its a great zester for citrus, and I love to use it to grate my garlic into recipes. It's a lot faster than chopping it and makes it turn into a paste.