Pimento Cheese Burger
Today I’m participating in my second virtual baby shower of the week. Today’s baby shower is for Erin from Erin’s Food Files, which is being hosted by Jessica from The Novice Chef. Erin is also due in a few weeks and since she lives Nashville, the theme for the shower is Southern food.
I’ll be the first to admit, I know very little about Southern food. I had no idea where to start. Erin was the first one to introduce me to cheesecake cakes (it all started with Lincoln’s Cake, which I also made. Since then she’s made a peanut butter-chocolate, and Oreo version and I’ve made a carrot cake and Neapolitan version), so I was originally thinking I’d do a cheesecake cake…
Then Erin posted these Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs last week. For whatever reason, I just could not get them out of my head. You all know I grew up in the Midwest and live in Boston. I’ve never had pimento cheese. I’m not even sure if I’ve ever seen it. Thanks to Google, I found out that pimento cheese is a mixture of mayo, cheddar cheese, sometimes cream cheese, and pimentos.
As I kept trying to force myself to come up with a Southern dessert to make for the shower, my curiosity kept bringing me back to the idea of pimento cheese. There was another detail that stuck out from Erin’s post last week. She mentioned pimento goat cheese. Everything fell in to place the other night when Hubby requested turkey burgers for dinner. We regularly put goat cheese and spinach on our turkey burgers, so at that moment this Pimento Cheese Burger idea was born!
I have no idea how authentic this pimento goat cheese is, but I do know it’s delicious. The tangy goat cheese pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the pimentos. I decided to add a couple thin slices of a tart green apple to cut the salty creaminess from the cheese mixture. This burger was a home run and I’ll definitely be making some more of the pimento goat cheese in the future. I really enjoyed snacking on extra apple slices dipped in the cheese mixture. It would make a perfect appetizer!
Congrats to Erin on the upcoming bundle of joy! To see the other items made for Erin’s virtual shower, be sure to check out the roundup on The Novice Chef.
Pimento Cheese Burger
Pimento goat cheese adds a great deal of flavor to these turkey burgers
Yield: 5 Burgers
Ingredients:
For the Pimento Goat Cheese
2 oz goat cheese, at room temp
2 oz chopped pimentos (drained if using canned pimentos)
2 oz colby jack cheese, shredded (~1/2 cup)
For the Turkey Burgers
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 half large red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
For Serving
5 Hamburger buns
spinach leaves (optional)
1 Granny Smith apple, thiny sliced
Directions:
For the Pimento Goat Cheese
In the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Mix on medium until well combined. Set aside or make ahead of time and store in the fridge.
For the Turkey Burgers
Combine the onion, ground turkey, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Combine thoroughly without over handling.
Shape into 5 patties.
Heat up grill pan or grill. Add oil to lubricate grill pan/grill.
Cook until juices run clear.
For Serving
Toast buns on the grill or under the broiler.
If using a grill, spoon ~1.5 to 2 Tbsp of the Pimento Goat Cheese onto each burger during the last few minutes of cooking so the cheese melts.
If cooking indoors, spoon ~1.5 to 2 Tbsp of the Pimento Goat Cheese onto each burger and place grill pan under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese melts.
Place a few spinach leaves on the bottom bun then top with turkey burger with melted cheese. Add 2-3 thin slices of apple and the top bun.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I think I use my apple corer once a month but the time it saves me is so worth storing it!
The pie looks beyond delicious. I haven’t been feeling apple desserts this year but this is one I could get into.
I am making Thanksgiving dinner for the first time this year and I think this pie is definitely going to make it to my table!
This pie would def be great for Thanksgiving dinner Sarah!
This pie looks incredible! My husband loves apple pie and I am planning on making this for him!
Um seriously-this looks ridiculous! I always think that my moms apple pie is the best but…
I’m not a huge fan of apple pie (I make it for a certain someone I live with), but an apple pie with a crisp-like topping and spiced filling is one I could definitely get behind.
And I seriously want one of theose peeler/corer/slicer things. Every year I go to Freeport and inevitably someone in LL Bean is demo-ing one.
Now that’s a delicious apple pie!I saw your blog from the foodie blog roll and I like what you have here.if you won’t mind I’d love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget at the end of this post and it’s all set, Thanks!
Looks delcious! I love my apple peeler/corer/slicer machine. I use it for crisps, apple cakes, applesauce, etc. My husband packs my lunch too…it is nice to be spoiled!
We LOVE apple desserts in our house…I’ve bookmarked this delicious looking pie and will try it soon! : )
Beautiful treat. Look so yummy.
Ok it’s been decided….I’m making this for Thanksgiving! Amazing!!!
What an awesome twist on apple pie! It looks stellar Jen. Bravo!