Want a fiery addition to an already appetizing buffet? This recipe unites the creamy tang of a cilantro-lime cream cheese filling with the zesty flavour of perfectly matured jalapeno peppers, all cocooned in streaky bacon. This savoury snack is the perfect indulgence at any office meeting and will be the talk of the town at your next exclusive soirée.
When preparing this recipe, there are a couple of things that should be kept in mind. Firstly, jalapeno peppers vary when it comes to their spiciness. If you desire a milder appetizer, then opt for younger peppers that have unblemished skins. If vibrant, scorching jalapenos are more up your alley, then settle for matured peppers. As far as size goes, smaller is better. Your peppers shouldn’t be longer than 10cm as it will simplify the preparation stage.
INGREDIENTS
- 10 small to medium jalapeno peppers
- 20 slices of streaky bacon
- 4 teaspoons lime juice
- Zest of one lime
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tub cream cheese (200g), softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by preheating the oven to 200°C. Line a large non-stick baking tray with foil and fit an oven-safe baking rack on top of it.
- Slice the stems off the jalapenos and slice each pepper in half lengthwise. If you want your peppers to be on the hotter side leave some of the ribs and seeds inside the pepper. If not, clean out all the ribs and seeds and rinse the peppers in water.
- Combine the honey with the lime juice and add the cream cheese, cilantro and salt to the cheese mixture. Combine with an electric mixer.
- Stuff all your peppers with approximately 1 tablespoon of cheese filling. The amount of filling required will depend on the size of the peppers, so you might want to steal some filling from one pepper and add it to another.
- Take each cheese-stuffed pepper and wrap it in a slice of bacon. If you want, you can secure the bacon with toothpicks.
- Place each bacon-wrapped pepper on the baking rack and allow the poppers to bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.
- Poke the bacon with a toothpick to determine if it is crispy and cooked through.
