Jalapeño Poppers

A perfect appetizer for those who like a little heat — jalapeño peppers stuffed with a creamy cheese filling and coated in a crispy crust. Jalapeños are a type of chili pepper, but they’re not as intensely spicy as many people think. The key is knowing how to control their heat — and that’s exactly what this recipe is about 

• Fresh jalapeños should be bright green. If left on the plant too long, they turn red and are typically used for making spices.

• When working with jalapeños, it’s best to wear gloves, as their heat can irritate the skin. Most of the spiciness is concentrated in the white membrane that holds the seeds inside the pepper. If you remove it completely, the pepper will be quite mild. So you can easily control the heat level by deciding how much of that membrane to leave

• This recipe uses a triple coating method, which gives the peppers an extra crispy and sturdy crust

Ingredients

• 12 jalapeño peppers

For the filling

• 200 g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)

• 200 g grated cheese (I used marble cheese — a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)

For the coating

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup flour

• 1.5 cups breadcrumbs

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• vegetable oil for frying

Steps

1. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise

2. Partially remove the white membrane and seeds, then fill with the cheese mixture

Filling

3. Mix both cheeses together using a fork

Coating

4. Add salt and garlic powder to the breadcrumbs

5. Divide ingredients into 3 bowls:
   -milk
   -flour
   -breadcrumbs

6. Dip each pepper in milk, then coat in flour and place on a rack

7. Dip again in milk and coat in breadcrumbs

8. Repeat once more: dip in milk and coat in breadcrumbs

9. Fry in well-heated vegetable oil for a few minutes on each side

10. Transfer to a paper towel

Serve warm

Serve with a spicy sauce made from mayonnaise and sriracha, or any hot sauce of your choice