Wild Rice Turkey Burgers with Scallions and Dried Cherries

Pairs well with:

Gewurztraminer

Hard to pronounce yet easy to drink, this wine combines lychee fruit and white peach flavors with a hint of spice.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup uncooked wild rice
3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing the grill rack
¼ cup Gewürztraminer
2 pounds ground turkey breast
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons grill seasoning
6 tablespoons dried cherries
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon scallions, thinly sliced, including the greens and whites
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
6 ounces Brie
6 whole grain buns, sliced in half
¾ cup cherry preserves

Instructions:

Prepare a charcoal grill with a cover to high heat or preheat a gas grill to high heat.

When the grill is prepared, bring water to boil in a small pan. Add salt and stir in the wild rice and cover, removing from direct heat and simmering for five minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and remove from grill.

To prepare the patties, drizzle a large bowl with 3 tablespoons of canola oil. Evenly combine the prepared wild rice, Gewürztraminer turkey breast, garlic, grill seasoning, dried cherries, scallions, and poultry seasoning, handling the meat as little as possible. Score the meat into six equal sections. Taking one section at a time, form each burger patty in your hands, pressing it together well and dimpling the center of the patty, so when it cooks, it will swell up, and the patty will be evenly flat across the entire patty.

To grill the patties, brush the heated rack with the canola oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, for 6 minutes on each side, or until the meat is cooked all the way through. When 2 minutes remain, place one ounce of brie on the top of each burger.

While the burgers are cooking, split the buns and place open-faced over indirect heat for two minutes, flipping after one minute. Remove from grill.

To assemble the burgers, spread one tablespoon of cherry preserves onto each cut side of the bottom and top of each bun. Remove the burgers from the grill and place each patty, cheese side up, onto the bottom of each bun. Crown each burger with the top half of each bun and serve.

Makes 6 burgers.