Cookaholics Bulletin Board

As much as I love peppers, I have never made these (except some baked ones) - I just let restaurants make them for me (which means I rarely eat them!). For one thing, I very rarely deep fry anything, and for another, jalapeños from supermarkets are unpredictable, and can be mild or hot. The.peppers used commercially for poppers are mild varieties, as normal varieties would be too hot for most people, esp. eaten at very hot temperatures. You can get the seeds and most of the veins out, but while doing this, the veins smear inside - be forewarned! Those baked ones I made were incredibly hot, but then, they were from my garden.

I personally think that the reason many of the jalapeños available in recent years are mild is due to the fact that so many commercial growers started growing those varieties for the production of poppers and mild salsas (a lot of those out there!). So you may be able to get those milder peppers in your supermarket. If you see very large peppers, however, they may be the hot ones, but they really aren't the size you want for poppers, anyway.

I think the cream-y texture of the filling is integral to the dish. Too much 'regular' cheese would make a firmer, or gummier, texture that I think would likely harm the experience. Plus, less squirting Personally, I'd only go for deep fried ones with cream cheese.

And yah, Jalapeno's are wildly all over the place, heat wise. It never ceases to amaze me that on batch you can barely notice, and the next one I have to wash my hands 3 times just to avoid injuring my eyes or, um, other places.

(or, if not cream cheese, then some concoction that achieved a similar texture, probably would need to be something 'modernist')

Cream Cheese!

As much as I like Saveur, jalapeno poppers need cream cheese in them. And I think they should be deep fried. I've never made them homemade.

Though I haven't gotten around to it, I have considered doing them open faced...halve the jalapenos, pipe in cream cheese filling, top with seasoned panko, and broil. Easier to make, serve and eat.

Ditto on the cream cheese!

My old boyfriend loved poppers and he always said that unpredictability was part of the charm. He liked that you could eat 2 mild ones and then get your face burned off by the third.

Well, my prerogative as a woman is to change my mind...

After Jim mentioned Queso Fundido I just couldn't get that out of my brain. So, I'm making Bobby Flay's Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette from his book Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen. I showed Andy the recipe and he gave it a big thumbs up.

That and the Buffalo chicken meatballs should ensure my arteries are quite hard by tomorrow night.

Amy

Just prepped Emeril's baked jalapeno poppers with cream cheese and jack cheese. I've had them before and they are actually quite good. Went into a coughing fit when rinsing the halved peppers in the sink. I'm sure Dave and others could have given me pointers about avoiding the cloud of pepper fumes...
Nancy

While I typically stay away from any pre made or processed frozen foods, I must admit that COSTCO's poppers are really good. A friend served them and I was addicted.