Crispy, Gooey Homemade Jalapeño Poppers

• 份量: 4–8 servings
• 总时间: 2 hr

配料

1 recipe Homemade Hidden-Valley-Style Ranch Dressing, optional, for dipping

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Sriracha, optional, for dipping, as needed

624 g Pickled jalapeños, or 2 eleven-ounce cans (we use Goya)

226 g Cream cheese, or 1 eight-ounce package (we use Philadelphia Original)

180 g Pepper jack, grated

4 g Salt, plus more to taste

2.3 g Black pepper, optional

3 l Canola oil

250 g Bread flour, or all-purpose flour

300 g Egg(s), about 6 large

150 g Panko breadcrumbs

150 g Breadcrumbs, preseasoned store-bought

步骤

WAIT! A WORD OF WARNING.

Whenever you are frying in ripping hot oil, you need to be very careful to avoid burns. But the oil is not the only thing that is Hades-hot here. DO NOT SAMPLE THE POPPERS DIRECTLY AFTER REMOVING FROM THE FRYING OIL. You will have molten-hot cheese all over your face, and you will scorch the life out of your mouth. Let ’em cool some.

Recipe :

Position your knife just under the stem of the pepper, and slice through the top of it, stopping when you are about halfway through. Next, slice down the length of the pepper, stopping at the base. The two lines form a T shape, exposing the seeds.

With the back of a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Be careful not to ding up or rip your pepper as you scrape. Rinse each pepper lightly to remove any stubborn seeds.

Set aside.

In a food processor, combine cream cheese, grated pepper jack cheese, salt, and pepper. Blitz the living hell out of it until it’s smooth. It helps to stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.

Transfer filling to a piping bag.

Gently squeeze the top and bottom of the pepper to open it in up. Pipe in filling, adding as much as you can while still being able to pinch the pepper shut. You might need to practice on a few before you nail it. That is okay; that is just how it goes with cooking. You got this.

The filling has a tendency to ooze out of the pepper. Don’t stress it; just pinch the pepper shut and scrape off the extra filling with a knife.

Start by pouring oil into a large pot and placing on the stove. Begin heating, monitoring the temperature with a thermometer. We’ll be frying at 400 °F / 204 °C. That is very hot—so proceed carefully!

While the oil heats up, set up your frying station.

Grab three medium-sized bowls and line them up. You’ll also need three trays or large plates.

Sift your flour into a bowl. Congratulations! You’re 33.333333% done with Step 6.

Crack all the eggs into another bowl and whisk the dickens out of them.

Add crumbs to the third bowl and whisk to combine.

Grab a tray and place it between the flour bowl and the crumb one. We are about to coat these peppers, people.

Transfer as many peppers as you can to the first bowl of flour. Start slow; there is no rush here. Lightly toss them around so that all sides are evenly coated in flour. Set those aside on the tray, and continue tossing the rest. Once they are all coated, set up a clean tray next to your breading station and move on to the egg and bread crumbs.

One note before we move on: When you are preparing a breading to fry, it works best to use one (clean) hand to dip the peppers in egg, and the other (clean) hand to dip them in bread crumbs. So pick which appendage is going to do which task, and stick to it.

Transfer several coated peppers to the egg bowl, making sure they get an even layer of egg. Use the same hand to drop them into the bread crumb bowl. Coat each pepper in crumbs, and use your other hand to move them onto the clean tray. Repeat the process until all of your peppers have been coated.

Yup, we are double-breading these babies. Trust us, it is worth the effort to get that awesome layer of golden-brown crunch.

Clean up your flour, eggs, and crumbs as needed before you start on the second coating.

Transfer peppers to a tray. Remember, at this point, you can stop and store the peppers if you are making them in advance. See instructions in the Before We Begin section.

Once your oil has heated to 400 °F / 204 °C, you can begin frying.

Line a clean tray with paper towels.

Now, drop two or three peppers into the oil, then time how long it takes to get them golden brown—it should be about 45–60 seconds. Remove when they look good, and cut them open to make sure the filling is warm. (Be careful—the insides of these bad boys should be molten. Allow the pepper to cool before you sample.) You can keep testing one or two at a time until you have fully dialed in your process.

Once you’ve got the process down, use tongs to drop peppers into the oil, about 8–10 pieces at a time. Fry for 45–60 seconds, or until they turn golden brown. With your tongs, transfer the peppers to the towel-lined tray. Then get ready to eat!

NOTE: The oil temperature will drop to about 375 °F / 191 °C once you add your food.

备注

Do I need to use the exact amounts of salt and pepper you list above?

You do not. The pepper is totally optional—it will give your poppers added kick, so only use it if you are feeling, you know, kicky. We suggest starting with around 4 g of salt and adjusting from there. Fried food always needs ample salt, but if you are planning on a salty dip, you might want to hold back a bit.

I hate / cannot find / just like to ask questions about pickled peppers. Can I use another kind?

In developing this recipe, the kitchen team surprised itself by preferring poppers made with canned pickled peppers over fresh ones. The crunch of fresh peppers, coupled with the crunch from the bread crumbs, proved a little much, as it turned out. Plus, pickled peppers provide a nice acidic contrast to the cheese, breading, and dipping sauce. But, you know, do as you like.

Can I prep these in advance?

Yes! First, skip the oil-heating step and move directly on to the breading one. Once you have double-breaded your peppers and transferred them to a tray or trays, wrap trays tightly in plastic and store in the fridge for up to two days. Heat oil 30 minutes to an hour before fry time.

Why do you scrape out the pepper seeds?

Scraping out the seeds mellows out the heat from the peppers and will give you more space for cheese.

What if I don’t have a food processor?

You can mix the cheese together by hand, but it may be tricky to get it super smooth.

What if I don’t have a piping bag?

You can fill your peppers using a small spoon or other tool. Using a piping bag keeps things clean and helps disperse the filling evenly.