Stuffed Jalapeno Recipe from 'The Best Mexican Recipes'

From Yahoo Food’s The Best Mexican Recipes by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen

Stuffed Jalapeños
Serves 6 to 8

A cousin of traditional Mexican chiles rellenos (stuffed green chiles), these Tex-Mex appetizers are a party favorite. The heat of the jalapeños is perfectly tempered by the cream cheese filling, and a fried coating gives them appealing crunch. But the process of making these two-bite treats at home is labor-intensive, and many recipes turn out unremarkable results. We wanted a recipe for stuffed jalapeños that would eliminate the fuss and play up the flavor. We decided to skip the breading and deep-frying, since this technique was time-consuming and messy. To adjust our stuffed jalapeño recipe to work in the oven, we cut the chiles in half, scooped out the ribs and seeds, and parcooked them in a hot oven. This slightly softened their flesh and drove off extra moisture. For our filling, we combined cream cheese with mild cheddar, Monterey Jack, bread crumbs, and an egg yolk for a creamy yet stable texture. Bacon, cilantro, scallions, lime juice, and cumin rounded out the flavor of the filling. Once stuffed, the jalapeños needed only about 10 more minutes in the oven to become perfectly browned and tender.

6 slices bacon
12 jalapeño chiles, halved lengthwise with stems left intact, seeds and ribs removed
Salt
4 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Cook bacon in 12?inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon 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 prepared 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 mixture among jalapeños, pressing into cavities. (Filled jalapeños can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Bake jalapeños until tender and filling is lightly browned, 9 to 14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

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