Unstuffed Jalapeno Cheeseburgers

Pairs well with:

White Zinfandel

With strawberry and melon essences, this American original is perfectly at home with however you like to unwind.

Ingredients

Spicy Cream Cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
1 T. plus 1 t. chili powder
1T. ground cumin
Chipotle Ranch Sauce
1/3 cup Ranch Style Salad Dressing
2 T. Chipotle hot sauce
Canola oil for frying Fried Jalapeno Strips
½ cup All Purpose Frying Batter 
2/3 cup ice cold water
12 jalapenos
Patties and Toast
2 pounds Ground Chuck
1 T. Black Pepper
1T. Salt
3 T. Butter
12 slices of Texas Toast
6 slices Sharp Cheddar cheese
12 slices Bacon, cooked and drained – for assembly

 

Instructions

To make Spicy Cream Cheese: Mix together 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1 T. chili pepper and 1 T. ground cumin, set aside in refrigerator. To make Chipotle Ranch Sauce: Mix together 1/3 cup of ranch salad dressing with 2 T. Chipotle Tabasco sauce and set aside in refrigerator. To make the Fried Jalapeno Strips: In a saucepan, preheat oil to medium high. Combine ½ cup all-purpose fry batter with 2/3 cup ice cold water until blended. Quarter jalapenos length-wise, remove seeds and coat in all-purpose batter. Once oil is heated, fry jalapenos for 6 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove jalapenos from oil and sprinkle with 1 t. chili powder. For the Patties and Toast: Combine ground chuck with 1 T. pepper and 1 T. salt. Once combined, form six patties. Preheat grill medium high heat. Lightly butter both sides of Texas toast. Place formed patties onto preheated grill and cook for 5 minutes. Turn patties over and cook an additional 4 minutes. Add one slice of sharp cheddar to each patty and cook for one more minute. Remove patties from grill and place Texas toast directly on grill. Grill toast for 2 minutes on each side, until toasted. To assemble burgers: Spread spicy cream cheese onto one piece of Texas toast. Next, place two slices of bacon on top of cream cheese. Then place hamburger patty and top with eight fried jalapeno strips. Drizzle with chipotle ranch dressing and top with second piece of Texas toast. Makes 6 burgers.