Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Ketchup and Grilled Shallots


Welcome to the July 2014 issue of the CIC - Crazy Ingredient Challenge. Once a month Dawn at Spatulas On Parade gives a group of bloggers 2 crazy ingredients. We all take those 2 ingredients and create a new recipe, never published on our blogs and we all share them on the same day. We link to one another, you can see them below, and see who did what with the ingredients. We have lots of fun!

This month's Crazy Ingredient Challenge is cranberries and shallots.  Cranberries always make me think of Thanksgiving, though, as The Boy pointed out to me, Thanksgiving is like four months away.

But turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving, is it?  With perfect grilling weather at hand, this seemed like a great opportunity to make turkey burgers, with a Crazy Ingredient Challenge twist!



Cranberries make wonderful sweet and savory ingredients, and this ketchup is a blend of both.  It has just the right tartness from the cranberries and vinegar, a touch of sweetness mingled with a little bit of spice.  On top of a turkey burger, this is fantastic.  And then add the pièce de résistance, buttery and richly carmelized shallots and you have a perfect burger!



If you can't find fresh cranberries - I know it isn't quite the season for them - you can use frozen.  And you cn even use canned cranberry sauce if that is all you can find.  Just replace the cranberries, sugar and half the water with canned cranberry sauce (this works best with whole cranberries rather than the jellied sauce) and follow the rest of the recipe.  

Check out the recipe below - you can see just how easy these are to make.  And go see what other delicious creations the Crazy Ingredient Challenge Chefs have made!








Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Ketchup and Grilled Shallots

by Susan @ Love in the Kitchen
Ingredients (8 burgers)
    for the Cranberry Ketchup
      • 2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
      • 1 1/2 cups sugar
      • 3/4 cup water
      • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
      • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
      • 1 teaspoon cumin
      • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    for the Grilled Shallots
      • 1/4 cup butter
      • 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
      • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    for the Turkey Burgers
      • 2 pounds ground turkey (90% lean is best for juicy and flavorful burgers)
      • 1 teaspoon salt
      • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
      • 1 teaspoon onion powder
      • 8 hamburger rolls (I like using Hawaiian sweet rolls like these from Kings because they have a soft fluffy texture with just a little sweetness, which works well with turkey burgers) 
    Instructions
    Make the Cranbery Ketchup
    • Add the cranberries, sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the cranberries begin to split open.
    • Stir in the red wine vinegar and spices. Simmer for another 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
    • Coarsely mash the cranberries and remove from the heat.
    • Set aside to cool.
    Make the Shallots
    • Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add the shallots and saute over medium-low heat until the shallots are soft and brown, and all the butter has been incorporated into the shallots.
    Make the burgers
    • Mix the ground turkey, salt, pepper and onion powder together in a bowl. Form into 8 patties. Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. This will keep your burgers from shrinking and help them keep their shape - without having to press down on them while you grill. and place on a baking sheet.
    • Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes.
    • Brush burgers with vegetable oil. Grill on medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side.
    • Brush the insides of the hamburger buns with melted butter. Place on the grill, buttered side down, and grill until lightly toasted - 1 to 2 minutes.
    Assemble the Turkey Burgers
    • Place a grilled turkey burger onto the bottom half of a toasted bun. Add 2 tablespoons of cranberry ketchup, 1 tablespoon of grilled shallots and top with the bun top.
    • Serve with sweet potato french fries.
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    HunngryLittleGirl


    zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
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    8 comments:

    1. I love turkey burgers & this sounds like an amazing topping! Can't wait to try it!

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    2. I'm sure that ketchup was absolutely delicious.

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    3. Yes please, I'll take one. Do you deliver? I made a jezebel sauce a few months back with cranberries, oh so good. But I didn't think to use it on turkey burgers.

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    4. What a perfect version of Thanksgiving in the summer! This recipe sounds delicious. Pinning!!

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    5. Yum! I'd love that topping on salmon too. :)

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    6. I thought about making a burger- great job!

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    7. This sounds awesome.. Great use of the ingredients for this challenge.. bringing a supposedly winter food ~ turkey and cranberries to summer.

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