Smoked Paprika Black Bean Burger w/ Bourbon Poached Pears, Caramelized Onions, and Vegan Brie
Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Kickass Bourbon Poached Pear Recipe
Please note this is a preview of an upcoming recipe from my cookbook, Vegan Food That Doesn’t Suck. The cookbook is currently in the works. Pre-order here!
Hot damn! Now, that is a BURGER. Each part of this burger is pretty awesome on its own and feel free to leave off any element if it seems too complicated, but I think this is a great recipe to pull together. What I think is most awesome about this dish is the boubon poached pears. They are great on a burger. They are great on ice cream. They are great … on their own??
I love amazing burgers that combine flavor, texture, and depth. Here we have some crunch coming from the onions and arugula. We have heat coming from the sriracha aioli + then a sweet depth coming from bourbon poached pears. The burger is a pretty classic take on black bean but it doesn’t suck!
Overall, I love this recipe because it takes no prisoners and absolutely crushes your taste buds! Well, not much more to say…
Let’s get into it!
Ingredients:
Smoked Paprika Black Bean Burger
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water)
2 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup pepitas
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained + washed
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbl maple syrup
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/3 cup dry brown rice (cooked with 3/4 cup vegetable broth)
Spices: 1.5 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
Bourbon Poached Pears
3 pears, medium ripe (preferably Bosc), cut in half, sliced into small segments
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup water
2 tbl sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon and salt
Caramelized Onions
1 vidalia sweet onion, sliced into rings
2 tbl vegan butter
large pinch of salt + sugar
1 tbl balsamic vinegar
Sriracha Aioli
1/4 cup vegan mayo
2 tbl sriracha
1/2 lemon, juiced
large pinch of salt
The Rest
4 pretzel buns
2 cups arugula
vegan brie (I used a nut-based pre-made)
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Mixing Bowls . Food Processor . Small Castiron Pan . Medium Non-Stick Pan . Medium Sauce Pan . Whisk
Before You Cook:
Chop + wash fresh ingredients
Create the flax egg and set aside for 10 minutes
Cook brown rice
1. To start, add bourbon, water, cinnamon, sugar, and salt to a sauce pan. Put over medium heat and whisk until well blended. Add in bosc pears, bring to a simmer, cover, reduce to simmer low heat, and keep on for 20 minutes. I like my pears to be soft but still retain some crunch.
2. Next, add the vegan butter for caramelized onions to a medium pan (non-stick or castiron). When the butter starts to pop, add the onions and set for about 5 minutes then flip. After another five minutes, add salt, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Don’t mix it. Let the sugar/salt dissolve into it over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes, set aside.
3. While the onions + pears cook, add shallots + garlic to a medium pan over medium heat with oil for the burgers. Cook for 5 minutes, add carrots, and cook another 4-5 minutes until starting to brown. Add the mixture to a food processor.
4. Next add the rest of the ingredients for the burger to the food processor and pulse until well blended. Add a bit of water if too dry or more breadcrumbs if too wet. The consistency should be sticky but not leave too much residue on your hands (but a little … its cooking … get dirty).
5. Next add the burgers to a large-medium pan with a bit of oil and cook over 4-5 minutes over medium heat until browned on each side.
6. While the burgers cook, whisk together the aioli, all ingredients.
7. To form, add sriracha aioli and onions on a pretzel bun, then burger, then pears, then arugula, and then brie as last layer. Enjoy!
