HONEY MUSTARD TURKEY BURGER WITH SWEET/SPICY BACON, GRILLED PINEAPPLE AND GOAT CHEESE
Ingredients
FOR BACON:
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground
12 slices thick-cut bacon
FOR GRILLED PINEAPPLE:
6 – 1/2" slices fresh pineapple
FOR PATTIES:
2 pounds fresh ground turkey
1/3 cup Tamari sauce
4 tablespoons honey mustard
2/3 cup sweet red pepper, finely chopped
2/3 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
Colavita Oilive Oil for moistening hands and brushing grill
6 garlic foccacia
8 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
TO PREPARE BACON, place brown sugar, cayenne pepper and fennel on flat plate. Mix well to blend. Cut each slice of bacon in half. (Each slice should be appr. 5" – 6" in length). Dredge each slice of bacon in brown sugar mixture to lightly and evenly coat. Place bacon on vegetable rack and place directly on medium grill. Grill until crisp, adjusting temperature downward if necessary. When crisp, remove from grill and set aside. TO PREPARE PINEAPPLE, place pineapple slices on vegetable rack and place directly on hot grill. Grill, turning once for 1-2 minutes or until grill marks appear on slices. Remove from grill, cover and set aside. TO PREPARE PATTIES, combine ground turkey, tamari, mustard, red pepper, onion, ginger, egg yolk, lemon-pepper and garlic, handling meat as little as possible to avoid compacting. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions. Moisten hands with olive oil to form six patties. (Patties should be large enough to fit garlic foccacia and at least 1" thick.) Place patties on med/high grill for 8-9 minutes. Turn patties and continue grill an additional 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature reads 170 degrees. During final 2 minutes of grilling, cut foccacia in half, placing cut sides down on grill to toast. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove foccacia and patties from grill. TO BUILD BURGERS, place generous amount of goat cheese on both cut sides of all foccacia. Place pattie on cut side of bottom half of foccacia. Place equal amount of bacon atop each pattie. Place 1 pineapple slice atop bacon on each burger. Place top half of foccacia on top, cut side down. Serve and enjoy! Marilyn, Buffalo Grove, IL.