Baked Jalapeño Poppers
From Cook's Country | June/July 2014

"With all due respect to stuffed, breaded, and fried jalapeño poppers, we wanted an easier option to bring this bar snack to the home kitchen. But perfecting baked jalapeño poppers took a few tricks. First, roasting the halved chiles cut side down lets us control the texture of the peppers and drives off excess moisture. For a flavorful filling that isn’t chalky, equal parts cream cheese, cheddar, and Monterey Jack are our cheeses of choice, while panko bread crumbs and an egg yolk help it stay put. Finally, for a filling that stands up to the fiery jalapeños, we add scallions, cilantro, cumin, lime, and bacon.

Use a teaspoon to scrape the seeds and ribs from the halved chilis."

Brian made these and they were very good - much easier to make, too, than frying them. He did not add the bacon and we did not miss it. One of my collegues at work loves these and asks me to make them when we have a pot-luck lunch. Also see recipe for Fried Jalapeño Poppers.

6 slices bacon [we don't use bacon in ours]
12 jalapeño chiles, halved lengthwise with stems left in tact, seed and ribs removed
Salt
4 oz. mild cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 scallions, sliced thin
3 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. panko bread crumbs
1 large egg yolk [we use the whole egg]
2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. ground cumin

Skip Step: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees [I thought this a bit high. Brian and I set the oven to 450 degrees]. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 7 to 9 minutes.Transfer to paper towel-lined plate. When bacon is cool enough to handle, chop fine and set aside.

Season jalapeños with salt and place cut side down on wire rack. Bake until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove jalapeños from oven and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees. When cool enough to handle, flip jalapeños cut side up.

Mix cheddar, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, scallions, cilantro, panko, egg yolk, lime juice, cumin , and bacon together in bowl until thoroughly combined. Divide cheese among jalapeños, pressing into cavities. Bake on the rack until jalapeños are tender and filling is lightly brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

Makes 24 poppers

To Make Ahead: The filled and unbaked jalapeños can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Add 3 minutes to the baking time.