The Little Gated Kitchen: Baked Jalapeño Poppers

Hello Foodies!

Do you ever have unexpected guests turn up wanting to settle in to watch TV, a movie or just have a few quiet drinks? If you are ever in this situation there is a little something you can have prepared ahead of time ready to go.

Jalapeño Poppers are a fantastic little cheese filled bundle of goodness that you can prepared ahead of time, keep in the freezer and bake at a moments notice. You can even deep fry them if you are that way inclined.

In terms of heat, you have complete control over how hot you want these suckers. Deseed and soak in some hot water for about an hour, rinse under cold water and you have a mild pepper. Me, I prefer them with a bit of a bite so I just scrape the majority of seeds and away I got. The cream cheese mix eases the burn for a while but it comes back to bite you pretty quickly....so tasty.

I feel there is nothing better than eating a chilli and getting that warm feeling run through your body as your nose starts running. Ultimate foodie bliss.

Now I have made these Poppers a few times before (and almost burnt my kitchen down in the process) and the secret to getting a good thick crumb is letting them chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes in between each coating. It chills the milk and crumb mix and holds the crumb while you put a second coat on. Remember if you are going to deep fry use a purpose built deep fryer or a large saucepan...Trust me I know that a small saucepan can result in an oil fire that makes you soil yourself. It could be hard to explain to an insurance company.

Baked Jalapeño Poppers

Yield 12

Ingredients

6 x Jalapeño Peppers
250g Cream Cheese, softened
1 Cup Grated Cheese
2 Tsps Smoked Paprika
½ Cup Diced Bacon, fryed
Flour
Milk
Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 180℃ and line a baking tray. Cut Jalapeños lengthways and deseed. If you want a milder bite, soak peppers for 1 hour in hot water, rinse and drain.

Mix Cream cheese, Grated Cheese, Bacon, and Paprika in a bowl until well combined. Spoon mixture into Jalapeño halves and set aside on a plate. Now dip each half in milk, then into the flour until well coated. Once you have coated all, place in freezer for about 10 minutes to chill.

Next, dip halves in Milk again and roll in Breadcrumbs. Once this is done, place back in freezer for 10 minutes to chill. Repeat this step again to give a double coating.