Coffee Chipotle Crusted Turkey Burger

Lame.

That's how I feel turkey burgers have become. Now, don't get me wrong, they have potential. A majority of patties that you get served in a restaurant, or order because you want a lower fat option for your meal however, have lost all hope. In my opinion, processed veggie burgers have more outright flavor. Which, for me to say that...  is a cry for help.

What do we do though? This is still a viable option for tasty foodstuffs. When done right, ground turkey really can be a good option for lightening things up a bit. So, we go to the promised land of flavor; the pantry, to create this: Chipotle and Coffee Turkey Burger. I have seen the delicious light.

 The 5 elements of a naked burger. Cheese wasn't invited. 

Here, we pull out the big guns of

Color: Guajillo and Tequila Aioli

Color.

A recurring and important theme in cooking, the visual is the initial draw to the plate or dish. Let's face it, something like bourbon pulled BBQ pork with fried onion straws might be delicious, but burgundy color with some brown crispies on it just doesn't bring the color game to where it needs to be. Now, take some chives, maybe some chipotle ranch dressing, do some decorating, and take the color up a couple notches.

So in this series of posts, I will be providing a recipe (which of course will be fantastic), but the main concentration will be on the color of the finished product. We are going for vivid, vibrant bright colors, that might not be the main course, but the accent will provide that amazing visual flair you will need to make your food pop that much more.

Just begging to be dipped in.

Pan-Roasted Salmon with Plum, Sage, and Lemon Compote

Well, it's that time of year, summer's in full swing. Stone fruits are a plenty,a plethora of herbs are out, and you can combine them into all sorts of fantastically tasty combinations. It can be a little bit random if you really want, I just saw some plums and lemons at the store, and snapped them up, figuring on making something good.

I decided to completely jump on the random feeling and make something super tasty, very simple, but extremely delicious, as well as a smidge healthy. Now, I'll admit, I'm not the biggest salmon fan. Not even like the mid-way salmon, kinda likes it sometimes guy. However,when it's good quality, done just right, and the flavors are matched delightfully with the texture and nuances of salmon, then I can be bribed into eating some. That usually involves some fat, some sweetness, and a bit of acid for it to be Jake-worthy as far as salmon goes.

Pan-roasting is a simple, yet effective way to get a good sear on something, yet not over cook it, or burn it on the stove. You can pretty much do this with almost any protein, but when you really don't want to overcook something, or make sure that it hits perfect temperature. Ovens are much easier to monitor than regulating direct heat under a pan.

Seasoned and ready to sear.