Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Lately at Haymarket, the jalapeno peppers have been beautiful. So beautiful that even I think about taking home the requisite pound; they just look THAT good. Two weeks ago, we finally caved in for the $1/pound and bought a whole pound of jalapenos.John was in heaven, eating them right out of the washbowl. Yes, he does that; and yes, I think it is kind of gross. Anyway, I knew a recipe we had to try with them (you’ll get that next week), and John requested Jalapeno Poppers.

I wasn’t about to bread and fry jalapenos (something neither of us need), so I searched around for some baked ones but in the end, did my own thing (so typical). This is the perfect appetizer on the grill, too! If you grill them up, they taste great (we tried them when we were home last weekend, and it is true!). I like that you really can put in whatever flavors you want. We tried to keep them mostly traditional.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers
Serves: 5 (7 jalapenos; 14 poppers)
7 jalapenos
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded mexican cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F OR the grill to medium-high heat. Split the jalapenos in half, removing the top and deseeding them. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, cream, garlic salt and black pepper. Fold in shredded cheese. Place the filling in the jalapeno halves, stuffing them until full. Sprinkle parmesan over the tops and bake for 15 minutes (or grill about 10) until the cheese is golden brown. Serve immediately.

You could also put a little bit of breadcrumb on there for a “crunch”, the kind you would get if the jalapenos were fried. I found that they cooked a lot faster on the grill with the cover down, than the oven. They are a perfect appetizer for any barbeque or cook-out. And, especially, for tailgating.

Until the next time my oven is on…