Michael's Spin on Emeril's Jalapeno Poppers

We have quite a few jalapeno plants. Michael is most proud of these. The one at the bottom is the original plant that he started last summer and he has several "babies" that he started from the seeds this summer, which have blooms all over them now. Michael got it in his head to make poppers, since we had such an abundance of jalapenos. He didn't want deep fried poppers either (my waistline thanked him for that). So after a quick search he found this recipe for Baked Jalapeno Poppers at Food Network. Here's how he made them.

Assembled Ingredients

 

Assembly line of bowls. First is cream cheese mixed with cooked ground sausage, cheddar cheese, cumin, and cayenne. Next is panko and essence, then eggs beaten with milk and essence, and lastly is the flour and essence. Also the jalapenos, cleaned and halved.

 

Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese mixture, then dredge in flour, then dip into egg mixture, and then roll in the panko bread crumbs.

 

Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes.

The daddy.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed

1/2 pound fresh ground sausage, cooked until golden brown

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
8 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1 cup panko crumbs, or fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, cooked sausage, cumin, and cayenne.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence. In a shallow dish, combine the panko crumbs and remaining 4 teaspoons of Essence. In a third dish, combine the flour and remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Yields 2 dozen

This I make all the time and keep in a small jar!
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):


2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

These were ridiculously delicious. Definately not figure friendly. Scruptious non the less. We almost made them dinner and not an appetizer. I think Michael must have had 7 or 8 of them. I know I ate at least 6 myself. I loved his addition of the sausage. A far cry from the ones at bars and restaurants. Try these and I know you'll agree.

 

Carla and Michael

Oven "Grilled" Bar-B-Que Spareribs a la Mark Bittman

 

It's time for IHCC's Potluck with Mark Bittman. Unfortunately we missed the last 2 weeks due to the move. We are happy to be participating this week with these lovely  Oven "Grilled" Spareribs found in his How to Cook Everything Cookbook on pages 759-761. I must first tell you that when I opened the package of ribs and laid them out, I thought; "Oh my, brontosaurus ribs like on the Flinstones. How in the world will these ever be tender?" 

  OVEN BRAISED! Then I remembered the IHCC Potluck and I found this recipe. Next I must tell you that they were not only tender, they were delicious as well. We were quite surprised. I did finish them off with some Carolina Treet Original Cooking Barbeque Sauce which I bought on a whim since it's made here in North Carolina, and am loving it.

The ingredients for the spice rub are simple; salt, sugar, fresh ground pepper, cumin, mild dried ground chile, and paprila, mixed together in a small bowl and rubbed into 5 pounds of pork spareribs. Do make certain to peel off the membrane across the underside of your ribs to ensure that they will be much more tender and your spice rub gets infused into the meat there as well. This is easily done with a tomato shark or simply use a fork to get it started peeling.. Then using a paper towel to hold on to it, gently peel it back from the ribs.

Baked/braised in the oven at 275 degrees for at least 2 hours. Pouring of excess grease about every half hour to hour. Mine were cooked for a total of three hours to ensure that they would be tender. Then basted in the sauce on 500 degrees for an extra 10-15 minutes.

BUY IT NOW

Oven "Grilled Spareribs
Adapted from Mark Bittmans How to Cook Everything

Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons mild ground dried chili powder, (I used half Arbol Chili Powder and half  McCormicks Chili Powder)
1 tablespoon paprika
About 4-5 pounds spareribs

Directions
Mix the salt, sugar, cumin, pepper, chili powder, and paprika together and rub well into the spareribs.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and place in a roasting pan in one layer. Bake, pouring off accumulated fat every 30 minutes or so, for about 2 hours, or until the ribs are cooked (if you are in a hurry, cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil). When you are ready to eat, roast the ribs at 500 degrees F. for about 10 minutes, or run them under the broiler, watching carefully, until nicely browned.

These were accompanied by brown rice and fresh stewed kale. We did truly enjoy these ribs. Michael was equally impressed with them, and he is usually the rib master by cooking them on the grill.

This is our submission to this weeks IHCC's Potluck. What will you bring?

Carla and Michael

New Chicken Pot Pie Recipe in the Old House

  Yes, before you go wondering, we are in our new home. I am in seventh heaven. There is room to move about without bumping into (running over) each other. We are still setting up house though. There is still alot to be done. We are back online (service transfer) and ready to start posting again. To everyone out there reading this, we've missed you. We'll be getting around to see what you've all been up to lately, reading your posts a little each day. There's still so much to unpack and sort, it'll take us a while to get the house in living "order".

  For this post,I am giving you our "last meal" from "last week" in the "old house". I will be making this version of Bon Appetit's Chicken Pot Pie from now on. This was absolutely the best chicken pot pie I have ever had. It will be my go to recipe until I find one that can top it. The next time I make this I hope to be able to find chanterelle mushrooms at my grocery store.

My shortcuts. Pre-cooked leftover chicken and boxed phyllo dough.

Impressively delicious.

Chicken Pot Pie with Chanterelles

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine September 2009

Ingredients

CHICKEN
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
16 cups water, divided
1/2 cup coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups ice cubes
1 5- to 5 1/2-pound whole chicken (preferably organic), rinsed, patted dry

POT PIE FILLING
1/3 cup milk
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 pounds chanterelles or other wild mushrooms, coarsely chopped (didn't have-used porcini)
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled carrots
3 cups 1/2-inch pieces leeks (about 3; white and pale green parts only)
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled white-skinned potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 1/2 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth (I used homemade)
1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon white truffle oil (optional)
Chicken-Fat Puff Pastry (used the boxed phyllo dough)


SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
6 2-cup ramekins or soufflé dishes


CHICKEN
Heat oil in large deep pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; sauté until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns; stir 2 minutes. Add 8 cups water, 1/2 cup coarse salt, and sugar; bring to simmer, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat. Add remaining 8 cups water and 4 cups ice cubes. Let stand until brine is cooled completely. Submerge chicken in brine; cover and chill at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove chicken from brine. Rinse chicken and pat dry; place in roasting pan. Sprinkle chicken with pepper; roast until cooked through and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Transfer chicken to platter; cool slightly. Spoon fat from roasting pan into small container. Cover; freeze fat until firm; reserve for puff pastry. Discard skin and bones. Tear chicken meat into large bite-size pieces; reserve for filling. DO AHEAD Chicken fat and chicken pieces can be made 1 day ahead. Keep fat frozen. Cover and chill chicken.

POT PIE FILLING
Combine milk and garlic in small saucepan; simmer 2 minutes. Remove garlic from milk and chop finely; discard milk. Whisk 1/3 cup water and cornstarch in small bowl to blend; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender and brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same pot; add carrots, leeks, and potatoes and sauté until beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chopped garlic and thyme; stir 2 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Rewhisk cornstarch mixture and add to vegetable mixture; stir until broth boils and thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, mushrooms, peas, and cream; simmer uncovered until heated through and mixture has consistency of stew, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is too thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and hot pepper sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in truffle oil, if desired. Divide pot pie filling among six 2-cup ramekins or soufflé dishes. DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Top each pot pie with 1 baked puff pastry round. Bake pot pies until filling is heated through, about 15 minutes if warm or at room temperature and 25 minutes if chilled.

Notes/Results: I must be honest here. I used some leftover herb roasted chicken and this was still magnificent. I also reduced the recipe to half and that filled 2 of the 2 cup ramekins alone.

*Also the lemon juice is not in the photo, though I can follow directions and did use it in the recipe as required. 

I am submitting this to Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice for Magazine Mondays .

 

Well folks, I'm off to go do some more unpacking and sorting. Until next time, have some fun in the kitchen.

Carla and Michael