Jim’s Baked Jalapeño Poppers by Lucy Burdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: last year as part of our Friends of the Key West Library season, we threw a benefactor party that featured New York Times food critic, Sam Sifton. 

He made ceviche for the audience which we all got to taste. Other board members brought hors d’oeuvres. A new member, Sharon, offered her husband‘s jalapeño poppers. I adore poppers, and these were so good, that I probably ate six of them. (Don’t tell the others!)

Sharon's husband Jim was good enough to share the recipe which I made recently. It’s terrific because it does not involve any frying. He used low-fat versions of the cheese, the mayonnaise, and the cream cheese. I did not! I meant to spray the tops of the peppers as suggested, but I was in a hurry to get to a party and I forgot. They turned out amazing anyway.

Just be careful while seeding the peppers—don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. If you’re very sensitive, wear gloves. Otherwise, wash your hands after you work on the peppers! Don’t worry about them being too hot to eat as they mellow while baked.

For my party, I made 17 large jalapeños and doubled the ingredients. This was the perfect amount for a group of 12. We have one gluten-free friend, and for him I skipped the step of dipping the peppers in Panko crumbs. Those turned out fine as well.

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray, divided

1 cup shredded Mexican style blend cheese

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese spread

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 C minced green onion

10 Jalapeño pepper(s)

Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, green onion and mayonnaise; mix well and set aside. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Fill the peppers with the cheese mixture. 

3. Dip each pepper into bread crumbs

4. Transfer the peppers to the prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the outside begins to brown, about 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, but room temperature works as well!

Note: If you’re making these for a party, you can make the filling ahead of time, then fill, dredge, and bake the peppers the day of your gathering. (Top three photos courtesy of Nick Doll Photography.)

What's your favorite hors d'oeuvre to bring to a party?

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A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Easy Overnight Focaccia courtesy of Lucy Burdette

Lucy with Ruth Reichl, Elise Hart Kipness, and Judy Blume

LUCY BURDETTE: You might have seen in Facebook and in my newsletter (hey, please subscribe if you don't want to miss anything!) that Ruth Reichl was our Friends of the Key West library honored gala guest this year. John and I had the honor of hosting her, which brought up the fraught question of what to make for dinner!! I decided on my spaghetti Bolognese, a green salad, and homemade focaccia for something special. (Our friend Pat made a wonderful blueberry pie for dessert.)

This foccacia recipe comes from Alexandra's Kitchen, and I knew immediately that it would scratch an itch for me. When I saw how simple the process was, I could hardly not try it. You do have to remember to start the bread a day ahead, but it could be longer. You can adjust the toppings to suit your taste – in my case I wanted to use the fresh rosemary from John’s deck garden, sea salt, and some new hot pepper flakes from burlap and barrel. You’ll see from the following instructions that I did have success, but I still recommend going to Alexandra’s website and reading through her more detailed suggestions.

Ingredients.

4 cups bread flour

2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt.

2 teaspoons instant yeast such as SAF

2 cups, lukewarm water.

Butter for greasing the pan

For or more tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt.

Rosemary leaves.

Whisk together the flower salt and yeast. Stir in the water and mix until the liquid is absorbed.

After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, set up a small bowl of water next to the big bowl of dough. Dip your fingers in the water and pull around the edges of the dough. Cover the dough with a slick of olive oil. Place the bowl in the refrigerator, preferably with a hard cover. Leave it alone for 12 to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and pull the edges in using two forks.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan with butter. Pour about 2 tablespoons of good olive oil in the center. Place the deflated dough onto the olive oil and turn until all the sides are covered. Let this sit another 2 to 4 hours until it fills the pan.

Preheat the oven to 425. Coat your rosemary leaves with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle them on top of the dough, and then using oiled fingers make dimples. Add a little bit more oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper flakes.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden. Let the bread rest and cool for 10 minutes and then dig in!

We had a wonderful visit with Ruth and the library supporters adored her! I think her favorite meal in Key West was this fried conch with hot peppers, cole slaw, and onion rings, courtesy of DJ's Clam Shack:)

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Coming July 14--isn't it gorgeous?

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

The trade paperback edition of A POISONOUS PALATE is out now! 

And the trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!

Michael Ruhlman's Sour Orange Daiquiri

 

Ann Hood with Lucy and Elise Hart Kipness

LUCY BURDETTE: I am reading Ann Hood‘s memoir called Fly Girl this week, which is the story of her time as a flight attendant. She’s such a good writer she can make any subject interesting! But that’s a side note to say, we had Ann and her lovely husband, the food writer, Michael Ruhlman visiting Key West last February as part of our Friends of the Key West library speaker series. We also asked him if he would prepare a special cocktail for our major donor party. This is what he made! It was delicious and went down oh so easily. (Which will explain my dirth of photos...)

Michal Ruhlman's Sour Orange Daiquiri

2 ounces white rum

1/2 ounce lime juice

1/4 ounce orange juice 3⁄4 ounce

3/4 ounce simple syrup

1 orange twist

Combine the rum, lime juice, orange juice, and simple syrup in a mixing glass, add ice, and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or an old-fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with the orange twist.

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Coming July 14--isn't it gorgeous?

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

The trade paperback edition of A POISONOUS PALATE is out now! 

And the trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!