Host an outdoor patio party this summer and sip on the light, refreshing Thorny Rose Pinot Grigio from the Columbia Valley!
Outdoor cooking and entertaining is my favorite way to spend the summer evenings with friends or just staying cool on our patio with my husband. I get to prepare my favorite summer recipes that require little kitchen time or simply cook on the grill.
Summer time wines should be refreshing and should pair with warm weather recipes and be easy drinking for casual outdoor gatherings.
Thorny Rose Pinot Grigio is the perfect dry white wine for summer. Pleasantly refreshing with ripe flavors of melons,pears, juicy pineapple and fragrant lemon. The vibrant aromas and flavors of fresh fruit are perfectly balanced with fresh acidity making this one of the summer’s best pairing wines. Columbia Valley wines of Washington State are known for bold and ripe flavors of fresh juicy fruit and balanced acidity and this one is no exception!
One of my favorite recipes to cook on the grill are sliders. It’s fun to cook up a batch of mini chicken burgers and pair with all different kinds of toppings. This recipes pairs particularly well with Thorny Rose Pinot Grigio. Flavorful and juicy grilled chicken burgers are topped with fresh basil and lemon mayo and a slice of juicy grilled pineapple is the perfect finish to this slider. Grilling the pineapple intensifies the sweetness of the pineapple. The fresh basil,lemon zest and juicy grilled pineapple complements the fresh aromas and flavors of this wine.
The sliders may be small but they are packed with lots of big summertime flavors! The chicken burgers are juicy and flavorful and not dry. The trick is adding a bit of greek yogurt or (light) sour cream while mixing up the ground meat before forming into patties. I added some smoky and peppery bacon and they were a hit! We couldn’t get enough of them!
- 2 pounds Ground Chicken
- 1/2 cup sliced Green Onions
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt (keeps burgers moist!)
- Several Dashes of Garlic Pepper Seasoning ( I use Crazy Salt)
- Sliced Rings of Fresh Pineapple,core removed
- 1 purple onion sliced into rings
- 6 to 8 slices of Thick Peppered & Smoked Bacon: cooked crisp and cut in half
- Fresh Basil Leaves-one bunch or package
- Extra leaves for burgers. Chiffonade or whole leaves depending on leaf size.
- 1-1/2 cups Hellman’s Mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves
- Lemon, zested
- 1 Tablespoonful of Lemon juice
- 1 package King’s Hawaiian Rolls or any small rolls for slider buns
- Burgers:
- Mix ground chicken with sliced green onions,sour cream or yogurt and season salt.
- Form 12- 2 inch meatballs and flatten our for burgers.
- Keep chilled until ready to grill.
- Mayo:
- In a food processor,briefly chop the garlic cloves and then add a handful of fresh basil leaves and chop briefly too.
- Add mayonnaise,lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Blend until mixed.
- Place in bowl.
- Heat grill to medium and begin grilling pineapple slices and red onion slices.
- Flip pineapple and onions when grill marks appear on bottom.
- Sliders are smaller burgers so slice the pineapple to fit each burger.
- Remove from grill and set aside.
- Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes or so per side.
- Please take into consideration the heat variations in grills.
- Assemble burgers starting with,basil leaf, bacon,grilled pineapple,burger,mayo,grilled onion.
- Serve and enjoy!