Jalapeo Poppers With Smoked Gouda Recipes

SMOKED GOUDA-CHORIZO JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brown the chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add the gouda, cream cheese, sour cream, red onion, hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg.
• Press the mixture into the jalapeños and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and bubbling, 20 minutes.

GRILLED JALAPEñO POPPERS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Cook the bacon to the level of doneness you prefer. It will not cook any more once you stuff the jalapeños with the cheese. Let it cool and chop it into bits.
• Prepare the Home-made Boursin-style Cheese Spread and mix in the bacon, cheddar, and pineapple.
• Put on rubber gloves to work on the peppers. If you are going to halve them, use a thin sharp filleting or paring knife to cut off the stems and discard them. Then cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Run the blade along the inside wall of the pepper removing the seeds and the white ribs. If you like hot stuff, leave the ribs in. If you are going to leave them whole and cook them in a rack, slice off the stem and cap and use a potato peeler or narrow knife to remove the seed pod inside. It will be hard to remove the ribs this way, so they will be hotter than the sliced peppers.
• You can cut them in half, remove the seeds, and stuff them as shown at the top of the recipe. The stem is woody and not very good to eat, so you use it as a handle and bite it off just below the cap. Or, you can cut them in half, remove the inedible cap, and keep the cheese from oozing out with an olive as a plug. Hence the name "One-Eyed Jalapeño Poppers". For this option, the olive is not only functional, it tastes great.
• If you have a jalapeño grilling rack like the King Kooker Stainless-Steel 36-Hole Jalapeño Rack with Corer shown here, you can just chop off the top, cut out the seeds, and stuff them.
• You can also cut a small hole in the side and using a pastry bag pipe the cheese in.
• Spread the cheese mix into the peppers, but not so much that it will overflow when cooking. To make them one-eyed, put an olive at the stem end. Sprinkle the paprika on top.
• Fire up. Get the smoker or grill going with a 2-zone setup and aim for 225°F (107°C) on the indirect side.
• Cook. Grill the poppers at about 225°F (107°C) over indirect heat until the cheese melts and the pepper gets a little soft. Try not to let the peppers go limp-they're better with a little crunch.
• Serve. Remove gently with a spatula and let them cool a bit before serving. They are also fine at room temp or right out of the fridge. Make sure you have plenty of cold beer on hand.

JALAPEñO POPPERS WITH SMOKED GOUDA

Steps:

• Start the coals or heat a gas grill for medium direct cooking. Make sure the grates are clean.
• Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise but leave the halves connected at the stem. With your finger or a pointed spoon (like a grapefruit spoon), remove the seeds and white ribs from the halves. (Wear rubber gloves, or be careful not to touch your skin after handling the chiles.)
• Put the cream cheese and Gouda in a medium bowl with a little salt; mash until combined. Fill the jalapeño halves evenly with a small spoon and press the halves back together to close. (You can fill and refrigerate the jalapeños up to a day ahead.)
• Put the jalapeños on the grill directly over the fire. Close the lid and cook, carefully turning once, until the peppers have softened and browned (it's okay if they char in spots) and the cheese has melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.
• Variations:
• Honey-Orange Jalapeño Poppers: In Step 3, fill the jalapeños with a mixture of 1 1/2 cups crumbled fresh goat cheese (6 ounces), 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, and salt to taste.
• Jalapeño Poppers with Pimento Cheese and Pepper Jelly: In Step 3, fill the jalapeños with with a mixture of 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces), 1/4 cup each chopped drained pimentos and mayonnaise, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Serve topped with a dab of pepper jelly.
• Pesto Jalapeño Poppers with Mozzarella: In Step 3, fill the jalapeños with a mixture of 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (6ounces) and 1/4 cup basil pesto. Serve the poppers topped with fresh basil leaves if you like.

STUFFED JALAPENOS WITH SMOKED GOUDA AND PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut a slice off the stem end of each pepper, and use a sharp paring knife or pepper corer to scoop out the veins and seeds from the peppers (wear rubber gloves and avoid touching your eyes or nose).
• Mix together the cream cheese, Gouda cheese, bacon bits, pineapple, and about 1 teaspoon of reserved pineapple juice, or as needed to make a workable filling, in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Using a small spoon, stuff the hollow peppers with the cheese mixture.
• Place a rack or several disposable foil bread pans upside down onto a baking sheet. (See notes for how to make a pepper rack from a foil pan.) Stand the peppers, stem sides up, into the rack, and bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are softened and the filling is hot and bubbly, 30 to 45 minutes.

SMOKED GOUDA CHORIZO JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Special Equipment: parchment paper
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brown chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the cheese, red onion, egg, cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Press into jalapeno halves and assemble on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

SMOKED GOUDA-CHORIZO JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Special Equipment: parchment paper
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brown chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place into a large mixing bowl. Add the cheese, red onion, egg, cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Press into jalapeno halves and assemble on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.