What do I eat with Onion Fig Jam?

A good onion jam is a simple but tasty way to dress up a sandwich, burger, wrap, or pizza. You can also add it as a condiment on a lovely cheeseboard. You can also wrap it up in delicious puff pastry and bake for a quick appetizer. Fig onion jam is my way of adding natural sweetness and richness to this condiment. Many make onion jam with bacon, but this is a nice vegetarian version that has lots of natural sweetness thanks to the figs. The figs have a natural caramel flavor too, which sets a delicious flavor foundation to the fig onion jam.

You can whip up a batch of this fig onion jam and keep in your refrigerator for a few weeks, adding loads of flavor with each spoonful.

How to Make Caramelized Onions

First off, you need at least 1 tbsp of oil for every cup of onion. Not having enough oil will cause your onions to burn instead of caramelize.

Second, you need time. I remember watching cooking shows and thinking that caramelizing onions was a quick task. But in reality, caramelizing onions takes a long time. One way to speed up the reduction of the onions is to cover the pan with a lid. That helps to trap the heat and steam inside, accelerating the breakdown and browning of the onions.

Third, you need to add some flavorful liquid and sugar. You can de-glaze the pan with whiskey for a smokey onion fig jam or you can just use water for a cleaner flavor.

Fourth, sugar is a must because you are making a jam. It helps the consistency of the onions by thickening it up. Moreover, it imparts a delicious sweet flavor, which complements the natural sweetness of the onions. Because I used figs in this recipe, I did not need to add any other source of sugar. If you do decide to use sugar in your onion jam, brown sugar is best because it has a caramel-like rich flavor, but white sugar is fine too.

Here are some dishes that you can serve with this delicious condiment:

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Fig Onion Jam

Course condiment, Sauces

Cuisine American

Keyword fig onion jam, onion jam burger

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dried golden figs diced
• 2 tsp sherry wine
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

• Heat a skillet on high until it just begins to smoke. Then turn the temperature to medium low. Drizzle oil in the pan and add onions. Move them around the oil. Cook onions on medium low for 10-15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
• When onions are softened and golden brown, add in diced figs, sherry wine, water, and salt. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes until figs have softened. Then remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve or store in a dry clean container with a lid.

Blended Bacon Burger with Fig Onion Jam

Easy Pita Pizza with Italian Sausage

Easy Pulled Pork Sliders

Sadly I was only able to submit one recipe and I did not submit the recipe for this blended burger with onion fig jam recipe.

But I hope that you enjoy this recipe in all its California glory. You have sweetness from the fig onion jam, the acidity from the roasted tomato, the tang from goat cheese, the bitterness of the arugula, and the saltiness from the bacon.

All in all, this burger with goat cheese and fig onion jam is a great gourmet burger for entertaining or an end of the week meal.

For the blended burger recipe that I submitted to Bon Appetit’s Blended Burger Contest, check out my Blended Burger with Creamy Romesco Sauce.

What is a blended burger?

A burger that is partly made of ground meat, but also partly made of vegetables/other plant-based ingredients. In the case of Bon Appetit’s competition, the beef was blended with ground mushrooms. I used crimini mushrooms because they have a rich flavor compared with button mushrooms.

What Kind of Ground Beef Should I Buy?

The fattier the ground beef, the more juicy and tender it is. 80% lean beef is even fattier and juicier, but 85% lean ground beef works well and is much healthier.

How do I season my burger patty?

It depends on personal taste as well as the other burger toppings you will be using. If you are going to be using salty toppings (blue cheese, bacon, pancetta, pickles), then I would just season the surface of the burger patties. But if you plan on using relatively sweet or acidic toppings (onion jam, ketchup, roasted bell pepper), seasoning the inside of your burger patty should be fine as well. Test it out and see which method you prefer.

What toppings should I put on my burger?

• California style: crispy bacon, onion jam, and fresh figs, arugula
• Classic style: cheddar cheese or American cheese, thousand island dressing, raw onion, fresh tomato, and fresh lettuce
• Tex-Mex style: chipotle mayo/aioli, roasted poblano peppers, pepperjack cheese
• Asian style: miso mayo sauce, cabbage slaw with sesame ginger dressing, fried egg

How to make onion jam?

How do I form the perfect burger patty?

Do not smash or press your burgers as they cook. That will release all the juices and result in a dry patty.

For burger patties, always make the patty a bit larger than your bun. Burger patties shrink when they are cooked, and if yours is too small it throws off the ratio of your cheeseburger.

When shaping the burger patty, make slight dent in the middle. Burgers plump up in the middle as they cook, so making a dent toward the middle will allow it to be flat/even when cooked.

How do I cook my burgers?

I have a tutorial on searing steak that covers the basics of meat searing. The basic principles are simple:

• Hot oil
• Hot pan
• Room temperature meat
• Cast iron skillet
• Do not move the meat around once it is in the pan!
• Flip only once
• The thicker the burger, the more time it needs to cook

Price Comparison

What did I spend to make this burger with goat cheese? Brioche buns ($2), ground beef ($2), crimini mushrooms ($1), arugula ($.50), tomato ($1), onion ($.50), dried figs ($.50), bacon ($.75), goat cheese ($1)

Restaurant ($10-13) vs. Home-made ($4.63)

Gastropubs sell fancy burgers that are about 3x the price of how much it would cost you to make a similar dish at home. And the best thing about making it at home is you get to choose your own toppings without having to pay an extra $1 or $2 for bacon or cheese.

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Blended Burger with Goat Cheese and Onion Fig Jam

Fig onion jam gives a sweetness to the blended burger, while bacon adds saltiness and goat cheese adds a tang.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword blended burger, Burgers, cheeseburger, onion jam burger, sandwiches

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Roasted Tomato

• 1 beefsteak tomato 1/4 inch slices
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

Fig Onion Jam

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 c dried golden figs
• 2 tsp sherry wine
• 2 tbsp water

Burger Patty

• 4 cremini mushrooms minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 lb 85% lean ground beef

Toppings & Buns

• 4 tbsp chevre goat cheese
• 1 handful arugula
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 brioche buns

Instructions

• Preheat oven to broil setting. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes and place onto a baking sheet. Season with olive oil and salt. Place in the oven 6 inches from broiler when oven has pre-heated. Broil for 15-20 minutes or until the top of the tomatoes have a golden brown crust.
• While tomatoes are broiling, prepare onion fig jam. Thinly slice a sweet onion. Remove stems from dried figs and roughly dice.
• Heat a skillet on high until it just begins to smoke. Then turn the temperature to medium low. Drizzle olive oil in the pan and add onions. Move them around the oil. Cook onions on medium low for 10-15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
• When onions are softened and golden brown, add in diced figs, sherry wine, water, and salt. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes until figs have softened. Then remove from heat and set aside.
• Take broiled tomatoes out of the oven and set aside.
• Heat a skillet on high until it just begins to smoke. Turn the heat to medium and fry 4 slices of bacon. Fry for 3 minutes each side, flipping frequently to allow fat to render. Remove from pan when bacon is golden brown. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
• Prepare burger patty. Use a food processor to pulse crimini mushrooms until they are finely minced. Add minced mushrooms to ground beef. Mix with half the amount of salt and pepper, leaving the other half of salt and pepper for seasoning the surfaces of the burger patties.
• Form 2 burger patties. Make them slightly bigger than your burger buns, as burger patties shrink during cooking. Make burger patties approximately 3/4 inch thick on the edge, with the center slightly thinner than the edges. This will allow space for the center to rise during cooking.
• Heat an iron skillet on high until it just begins to smoke. Turn the heat to medium and drizzle in olive oil. Season 1 side of the two burger patties with salt and pepper. Place the seasoned side down on the pan first.
• While the burger patties are sizzling, season the side that is facing up with the remainder of the salt and pepper. Cook burgers 3 minutes on each side, flipping only once. This should make your burger medium rare.
• When burger patties are done, set aside.
• Dress arugula with lemon juice.
• Assemble the burgers. For each burger, spread 2 tbsp of the onion fig jam onto the bottom bun. Then place the burger patty on top of the fig jam. Place 2 slices of roasted tomato on top of the burger patty, followed by 2 slices of bacon, crumbled chevre, and arugula salad. Finally place the top bun and enjoy!

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