Pimento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers for Food52 Facebook Live!!!
Every year for Christmas Eve, I make these dreamy little delicious poppers wrapped in bacon! This year, I thought, let’s really up the game and stuff them with pimento cheese. Today, on Food52’s Facebook page, I made this dish live!
Prep time: 15 min
Bake time: 20 min
Makes 30 poppers
15 medium-sized jalapeño peppers
15 thick cut slices of bacon
8 oz. softened cream cheese
3/4 cup great mayo
1/4 cup diced green onion
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup diced fire roasted red peppers
1 clove garlic, smashed
salt + pepper to taste
Harrissa & Lemon Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 sour cream
4 tbsp. Meyer lemon or lime juice
2 tbsp. harrisa paste
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 cup diced green onion
salt + pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Slice jalapeños in half, lengthwise, then remove the ribs and seeds and set aside. Slice the bacon in half, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the rest of the ingredients. Mix on low speed until everything is combined. Set up an assembly line, and begin to fill each jalapeño half with the cheese mixture. Once all the your peppers are filled, wrap each half in bacon. Use toothpicks to secure bacon if necessary. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the bacon is crisp and cooked through.
For the sauce, whisk all ingredients and serve alongside roasted poppers!
Just before Christmas, I watched your video about Jalapeno poppers with Harissa sauce. I was inspired! I had family coming for Christmas Eve. They are ALL foodies, even the kids. So, this would be a great appetiser. As I had never even heard of Harissa, I went out and found some at my local supermarket. In the mad rush, I neglected to read the entire recipe. I mistakenly made the cream cheese filling WITH the Harissa and grated lemon rind and the juice. I had made a double batch. The Poppers were an amazing hit. But, the other half of the cream cheese with Harissa, was gobbled up as well. I heated it to just bubbly and had fresh veggies and used it as a dip. So, one of my better OOPS. Thanks so much for using uncommon ingredients. I love to experiment and this was a 100% hit. Keep up the great recipes! I love them all.!