Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Paul has been out of town a couple times for work lately.  I miss him when he is gone, but I often make it a special time for me. Time to watch a chick flick, to get things done at my own, slower pace, and especially, to eat something special.  I eat something that either he doesn't like, or something he can't eat with his allergies. And well, he doesn't like jalapeños... Crazy, I know.  I love jalapeños!  More than just jalapeños I love jalapeño poppers! I like that crispy outside, with the creamy cheesy inside, and that really spicy kick. They just might encompass everything about a perfect food!


Here's my problem with jalapeño poppers. One, I don't really deep fry foods. Once every couple of years for a special occasion, but it's a lot of work, mess, and hot oil, not to mention not the most figure friendly. There are so many good foods that don't require frying, I just stick to eating to occasional fried food at a restaurant. Two ( that was a long one) you can't really make a meal out of just the poppers. I have found the solution!  Jalapeño popper GRILLED CHEESE!

Ok, so I cannot take credit for this recipe, I got the idea watching Jeff Mauro on Best Thing I Ever Made on Food Network. He made this sandwich, but with mascarpone cheese. I love mascarpone, but I didn't want to buy a whole tub just for a sandwich, and it is pretty rich, not an everyday food for me.   My solution, goat cheese! So here it is. You can easily make this gluten free by using gluten free bread.   Paul likes Udi's.


Jalapeño Popper grilled cheese 
Quantity per sandwich

2 slices good hearty bread, your choice 
1/2-1 roasted jalapeño seeds removed, chopped 
About 1 oz goat cheese 
Small handful grated cheddar cheese 
Butter 
Olive oil 
Salt 

Toss peppers with olive and salt and roast in 450 oven for 5-10 minutes until charred and softened.  Let cool.  When cool enough to handle, peel off some of the skin (you don't need to get all of it, some left on is fine.)  If you want to make it easier to take off the jalapeño skin, you can put it in a ziptop bag, or in a sealed bowl while it is cooling.  It does make it easier, personally, I think it created more dishes/mess than it helps out.  Take out seeds and chop.  Be careful of the heat from the oils on your hands, wear food grade plastic gloves, or just make sure not to touch your eyes for a while afterwards.  Use 1/2 to one whole pepper per sandwich depending on the heat of the pepper, and your preference.  After prepping the jalapeño, it goes together just like any other grilled cheese.

Spread the goat cheese on one side of the bread, top that with the jalapeño pieces, a handful of cheddar cheese, and you top slice of bread.  You can butter the bread before putting it in the skillet, or sometimes I just butter the skillet, then put the bread down right away.  It's my I'm feeling lazy version...  I've also found I can use less butter that way, if I put just enough down so the bread doesn't stick to the pan.

The finished product will get you wanting to make another sandwich right away.  It did for me, and a second sandwich is what I had.  The goat cheese makes a really creamy rich texture to contrast the spicy charred jalapeño.  The buttery toasted bread adds that crunch, and everything together really does taste like a jalapeño popper.  Enjoy!

Alison 


For those like me watching what and how much they eat, I'm working on calculating calories per serving for my dishes.  The calories will depend on the amount of cheese and butter used, but mine calculated out to 405 calories per sandwich.