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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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.

Dinner for a Food Critic @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Down here in Key West, I've been super-busy with our Friends of the Key West library speaker series, which has been absolutely splendid. A couple of weeks ago, our special guest was Sam Sifton. (In case you don’t recognize the name, he is a former New York Times restaurant critic, the founder of New York Times Cooking, and now an assistant editor of the Times.) Anyway, we were able to talk him into being our speaker that night as well as appear as the star guest at a special fundraising gala.

Sam Sifton with the greeting committee aka Lottie

I told my friend who persuaded him to come that John and I would love to take them to dinner the night before. She chose coming to our house for supper instead. That’s all I could think about for the next three weeks: Sam Sifton, the food critic, was coming to my house for dinner. What in the hell do you cook for Sam Sifton?? John thought I was out of my mind, but as always, he was a good sport. I told a few cooking friends, but the suggestions began to make me anxious.

I confess I was nervous, but I decided to go with comfort food that I knew would turn out well. 

Once Upon a Chef's mac n cheese

Alison Roman's roast chicken

A salad like our fave at Clemente's Trolley Pizza

I had made the caramel cake from Southern Cakes many times, but it's always a little nerve-wracking. The kitchen gods were with me. This was my best version ever--the cake came out tall and light, the icing was to die for.

caramel cake from Southern Cakes

Sam and his friends were lovely and the night was a lot of fun. 

Sam and friends Paul, Ellen, Brendan, in terrible lighting

The Friends event was fabulous--Sam was smart and charming and personable. And we made a chunk of money for the library. Phew!

Ellen T. White grilling our guest

photo by Brendan McCarthy

Once Upon a Chef’s Macaroni and Cheese

This is very similar to other mac n cheese recipes I've made, except that the toasted panko crumbs really does kick it up a notch!

Ingredients

1/2 pound good quality short pasta

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for greasing the pan

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups whole milk

4 ounces Gruyere, grated 

6 ounces extra sharp Cheddar, grated

1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter a 2-qt baking dish.

Add the pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook until slightly underdone. Drain and rinse.

In a medium pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes. Slowly add the milk and continue to whisk, until thick and smooth. Whisk in the cheeses, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and stir well. Pour into the prepared baking dish and set aside.

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the panko and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Top the mac n cheese with the toasted panko. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

What would you make for a food critic??

Lucy Burdette writes the popular Key West food critic mysteries, including the latest, A SCONE OF CONTENTION. Her first thriller, Unsafe Haven, was published in December.

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