My burger went to Hawaii, and all I got was this T-shirt...

Racheal of Coconut Lime had a darn good idea with the Hawaiian Burger idea. Even still, I couldn't help but think of what I'd do differently. And all that thinking led to my mouth watering, my grill getting all fired up and a dinner devoured at dusk... (The only bad thing about that is the light isn't great at dusk, but the food is good!)

Hawaiian Turkey Burgers



1 lb. ground turkey breast
4 oz. canned water chestnuts, drained and chopped fine
2 Tbsp minced fresh pineapple
1 tsp pineapple juice
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp barbeque sauce
1 tsp ham soup base (I like Better then Bouillon brand)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp hickory smoked salt
3/4 cup panko

4 slices fresh cored pineapple
4 slices Maui Sweets (similar to Vidalia onions)
Teriyaki sauce for basting - Soy Vay's Island Teriyaki is recommended - it's made with pineapple juice
Hoisin sauce for condiment

4 hawaiian sweet rolls, recipe follows

Combine turkey, water chestnuts, minced pineapple, juice, sauces, seasonings and panko. Use your fingers (yes...it's squishy and eww and all that....get over it!) to thoroughly mix them together. You may have to use slightly more or less panko to absorb the amount of moisture in your burgers. Form into 4 patties, fairly flat and wide so that the insides will cook completely. Brush with vegetable oil before grilling.

Grill burgers over direct heat. Use a grilling wok for pineapple and onions, since they have a tendency to soften and fall apart as they cook. Baste everything several times with teriyaki as it cooks, letting it get dark and caramelized. Serve burgers on sliced, grilled buns with onions and pineapple, and hoisin sauce if desired. We had baked beans and steamed carrots tossed in teriyaki and orange blossom honey as sides.



Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Adapted from a recipe in the Bread Baker's Apprentice



These are beautifully light and fluffy, rich and just sweet enough. They're the closest I've been able to come to the Portuguese sweet rolls I loved so much living near New Bedford. Unfortunately, even though they taste the same, they just don't have that croissant-like texture. It must be a laminated dough. I'll have to try this same dough, but rolling a butter block into it like the danish braid.

Sponge
1/2 cup orange pineapple juice, warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave
1 Tbsp sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup unbleached bread flour

Whisk ingredients together and let ferment at room temp at least one hour, up to three hours.

Dough
6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
4 Tbsp butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups bread flour
water (or pineapple orange juice)

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water for egg wash

In a stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar, salt and dry milk. Add eggs, rum and extract, mix well, then add sponge and mix. Working with a dough hook, add all of the flour. Add water, 1 tsp at a time, until the dough is soft and supple, not sticky or wet. Knead for 8-10 minutes on medium low speed. Transfer to an oiled bowl and roll dough to coat it. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 2 hours.



Divide the dough into 6-8 balls, depending on what size you like your hamburgers. Arrange them in a greased 9" x 13" pyrex baking dish, coat with nonstick spray and loosely plastic wrap the dish. If desired, cut X's in the top with kitchen shears. Let rise another 2 hours (they will touch each other and should double in size.

With 30 minutes left on the rise, preheat the oven to 350.

Brush the rolls gently with egg wash. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until tops are golden and interior reads 190 degrees on an instant read thermometer (this will insure they are still soft and fluffy inside).