Fire up the barbeque for this locally inspired Fourth of July celebra-tion using classic sum-mer favorites all grown and produced here and near to Middleburg.

One taste of this locally grown Blackwater Beef and you will be reminded of how beef used to taste. So full of flavor and juicy with just the right amount of fat. You can find Blackwater Beef at the Middleburg Farmers Market or order online from their web-site below. At $6 a pound, or $2 a burger, it's a summer habit I'm keeping. These add ons push it over the top - Fig Chutney from Virginia Chutney, and Fresh Goat Cheese from Georges Mill Cheese, all on a soft roll from The Upper Crust Bakery, pure local heaven.

Burgers with Port, Fig Chutney and Goat Cheese

Makes 6 burgers

2 pounds blackwater ground beef
3 tablespoons Ruby Port
3 tablespoon Fig Chutney
6 ounces fresh goat cheese
6 soft rolls
salt and pepper to taste
Garden lettuce and tomato slices to serve

Divide each pound of beef into 3 patties, being very careful not to over handle the beef
Salt and pepper the burgers
Heat the grill to medium high heat
Place the burger on the grill and grill the first side for about 3-4 minutes
Flip and pour about ½ a ta-blespoon of ruby port on each burger, then the goat cheese, then drizzle the chutney, cover the grill and cook until medium rare, and the goat cheese melts a bit, about 2-3 more minutes.
Let the burgers rest for about 5 minutes before serving
To serve - On a soft Upper Crust bun, start with a slab of tomato, the burger and top with garden lettuce, add more fig chutney if desired.

Fresh summer green beans from the Middleburg Farmers Market mix so well with the roasted peppers and onions. I do have a shortcut secret for pearl onions, I discovered frozen pearl onions which are ready to go, no peeling required! They can be used straight from the freezer and tossed in with the red pep-pers for roasting.

Green Bean Salad with Roasted Red Peppers and Pearl Onions with Basil

Serves 6

1 pint green beans, washed and trimmed
2 red or yellow peppers cored and cut 1 ½" pieces
1 cup frozen pearl onion (or fresh which have been peeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 handful of basil, torn into bite size pieces
Dijon Vinaigrette - recipe be-low

In a large stock pot of salted boiling water add the green beans and simmer for about 4 minutes or until tender, drain and give a quick rinse of cold water to stop the cooking
Heat the oven to 375 degrees
Line a baking sheet with alu-minum foil
Toss the pearl onions and pep-pers with olive oil on the bak-ing sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are soft golden brown in places
Let them cool to room tem-perature
Toss with the green beans
Dress with Dijon Vinaigrette
Add the basil right before serving

This will make much more dressing than you will need, but this is the dressing I always have on hand - for this salad start with 2-3 tablespoons

Dijon Vinaigrette

¾ cup olive oil
¼ seasoned rice vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

Combine in a jar with a tight fitting lid
Store the leftover dressing in the refrigerator

This simple rich lemony cus-tard is so silky smooth, you will be amazed how it firms up as it chills, it's the magic that hap-pens when heavy cream and lemon juice are combined. I found locally grown strawber-ries at Middleburg Farmers Mar-ket from C. Hess Orchard & Pro-duce, so fragrant and sweet, the smell and taste of summer.

Lemon Posset

Serves 8

1 quart heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
3 lemons - juice and zest
Strawberries, sliced for serving

In a large saucepan combine the sugar and cream and bring to a low boil
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring con-stantly
Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and zest and stir well
Divide the posset among 8 ra-mekin cups and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours, keep re-frigerated until ready to serve
Serve with sliced berries