Jalapeño Poppers!

Baked Jalapeño Poppers!

This recipe is from the same night as the peach salsa tostadas, so sorry for the delay!

I knew that the peach salsa tostadas wouldn't be enough to satisfy Riley's hunger, so we knew we had to make some kind of side dish. Since we already had beans on the tostadas, that wouldn't do. We weren't making rice, so that was out... then I thought that some kind of stuffed Poblano pepper might be good. This led me to to Jalapeño poppers. The last time I made these was in college, with my friends Nicole, Niko, and Emily. I remember them being really good, and not that spicy. When you take the seeds out, they lose a lot of their kick, and I think smothering them in cream cheese helps, too. If you have never had one, I suggest you try this recipe, or go find your local Chilis restaurant immediately. I don't even know if Chilis has them, I just assume that they have something along the same lines. They aren't the easiest thing to make, I admit, but the work is worth it.

I started off with two, and by the end of the night I think I had eaten six. These bad boys are addicting. Beware. Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
8 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1 cup panko crumbs, or fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne.

3. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence.

4. In a shallow dish, combine the panko crumbs and remaining 4 teaspoons of Essence. 

5. In a third dish, combine the flour and remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process.

6. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer (this is actually in the recipe, I swear).

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning) Recipe:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme