Our neighbourly South-Western- themed progressive dinner party was scheduled two days after we returned home from Arizona, I didn’t think it would be a problem because we were only responsible for hors d’œuvres and appetizers, easy-peasy! HA! Had I read more than the heading of the organizer’s email, I would have realized that things would get a bit more complicated since one person decided to go vegetarian, gluten and dairy free (for health reasons). But, you know me, I do love a challenge and as luck would have it, my experiments turned out even better than I expected! So much so, that JT has asked for it several times since, so I documented the recipe for the future use.
This recipe originated from Emeril Lagasse but I tweaked it a little bit. What attracted me to this recipe was, of course, that it was baked an not deep fried, and although deep fried would be awesome, it’s always nice to lower calories whenever possible particularly if you need not sacrifice flavour or texture! I think you will be very happy with the baked version (our group could not get enough of them)! I’ll speak to the vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy- free version in my notes below (no pics, sorry).
Baked Jalapeño Poppers
Makes about 24 jalapeño poppers
For the original recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
- 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
- 170 g (6 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 140 g (1 1/2 cups) grated sharp or old cheddar
- 3 g (1/2 tsp) ground cumin
- pinch of cayenne, or less, to taste
- 2 large eggs
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) milk
- 8 tsp Essence, divided
- 1 cup panko crumbs
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- non-stick spray
Directions:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and grated cheddar and mix well.
- Toast the cumin until you can smell the aroma, allow to cool and add to the cream cheese mixture and stir well. Set aside.
- Prepare your breading station by whisking 2 large eggs with 2 tsp of the Essence and the milk in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, mix 4 tsp of the Essence with the coconut flour. In the third shallow bowl, add 2 tsp of the Essence to the panko and mix well. Reserve remaining essence for the next time (and believe me, there will be a next time!)
- Fill each jalapeño densely with the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to mound it too high; continue filling until you have filled all of the jalapeño halves.
- Dredge each jalapeño half in the coconut flour, then dip into the egg mixture and repeat once more. Finally, dip each pepper into the panko and press panko into the jalapeño to coat well. Repeat until all are coated.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375° F. Place jalapeño cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Give each jalapeño a light coating with the non-stick spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until panko is golden and crisp.
- Serve warm with sour cream and salsa.
Notes:
- For the vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free version, I simply replaced the cheeses with creamed lentils (about 1/4 cup cooked in vegetable broth and puréed with a stick blender) and the panko with shredded unsweetened coconut. Even the non-vegetarians loved them! (Sorry, no pics).
- I use coconut flour for baked “fried” foods because the coconut has an unbelievable absorption property which makes the batter so much crispier than all-purpose flour.
- I used gloves to protect my hands from the jalapeños as I cleaned them, you might consider doing this too.
- Leftovers? Freeze unbaked jalapeños on a parchment-lined baking sheet and when frozen, pop them into a ziplock bag.To bake frozen jalapeños, no need to defrost, just bake for a little longer to crisp up.
Hi Eva, all your food looks amazing and well styled. It clearly shows you are a food stylist. I think your food would look even better with better lighting, most of your photos look kind of dark. I have installed some powerful LED daylight lamps in my kitchen, so it is very easy to take photos with good lighting for my blog. I don’t have the patience to do a lot of styling though.
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Thank you for your comment Stefan. Indeed, lighting is a struggle particularly during our dreary, grey winters. I have considered getting specific lighting for the blog’s photos but I haven’t done it yet.
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Let me know when you decide to go for it — I have gathered some experience (i.e. learned from my mistakes) that may be useful when deciding what to get.
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These look amazing, Eva! Now I know where to come back next time I buy huge jalapeños (even though I grew jalapeños this year, mine were not of the bigger variety… but I started to buy beautiful plump huge jalapeños in a shop nearby and made tons of Indian pickles with them, wondering what else to do….
I also appreciate whenever something can be baked instead of deep-frying of course (Japanese korokke (croquettes) are practically equally delicious baked, but sadly most dishes lose lots of juiciness or crispness…I keep on experimenting though! the calorie difference is worth it).
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These Jalopeños were not huge, I tried to get them about two-bite-sized as I thought three bites might be a bit messy. Thank you for your comment.
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Not only did you contribute a delicious appetizer but you made them look so festive. Great job. Merry Christmas to you both.
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Thank you kindly Karen, I hope you had a very happy Christmas too.
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You are such a trooper. I have a feeling I would have found a whole new appetizer! Your baked version is exactly what I’d want to eat. Thanks for your notes, too—I’ll need to pick up some coconut flour (may wait a few months as I’m purging the kitchen now!).
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!!! xoxo
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Thank you so much Liz, I love a good cooking challenge for sure! I hope your kitchen reno is going well.
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Who knew a Jalapeño could look like Christmas! I hope you have a Merry Holiday. GREG
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Thank you kindly Greg, they were rather festive. Hope you had a lovely Christmas too.
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Yum! How spicy were these? I’m coincidentally having a southwest-themed party, and would love to include these. I don’t do a lot of gluten-free, but this one is going to be.
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Hi Jeff, they were not very spicy, particularly if you carefully remove the membrane and seeds. I decorated them with Icelandic yogurt (think super thick greek yogurt) and a spot of sriracha which adds a bit of heat but not overwhelming.
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Nice. Yogurt is a nice balance for that heat.
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Jalapeño anything is wonderful! Love those spicy little peppers. I’ve never made a baked version of this, only fried. This is much more sensible. These look very nice — thanks.
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Hi John, sadly I cannot consume the heat like I used to so I cut the membranes out which made these peppers perfectly heated! I hope you try the baked version.
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They look so pretty! Great tip about the coconut flour – I’m going to try that next time I have my gluten-free friends over!
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Thank you kindly Michela, I use coconut flour more and more these days, trying to keep the gluten down in cooking. Plus it really does crisp up the coating very well.
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They look fingerlickingly delicious and I really love that they are baked instead of fried….healthier, but still very crunchy.
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Thank you kindly Angie, they were great during the holidays, I kept a bag of them in the freezer to have with friends who drop in!
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