Red robin no-fire peppers

2 To 4

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 larges Fresh jalapeño peppers
¼ pounds Cream cheese
2 Eggs
¾ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
⅔ cup Self-rising flour
⅛ teaspoon Garlic powder
1 dash Paprika
1 dash Onion powdere
½ cup Cornflake crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Hot pepper jelly
Sour cream

Directions

ON THE SIDE

Menu Description: "Full-flavored jalapeños stuffed with cool cream cheese and deep-fried in a cracker-crumb coating. Served with sweet jalapeño jelly and sour cream."

Red Robin was one of the first restaurant chains to serve No-Fire Peppers, an item which can be found on many restaurant menus today under a variety of different names. The cream cheese-filled, battered and fried jalapeño peppers are actually called Poppers by their creators, Anchor Foods, a restaurant food supply company which manufactures Poppers and a variety of other appetizers for sale to restaurant chains everywhere. According to Restaurant and Institutions magazine, Poppers were the #1 food item added to restaurant menus in 1995, with restaurants purchasing over 70 million of the little suckers.

It's important when you make these that you allow time for them to freeze.

The freezing stage ensures that the coating stays on when the peppers are fried and prevens the cream cheese from squirting out as it heats up.

1. Remove the stems from the jalapeños, then slice each one down the middle lengthwise and remove the seeds and inner membranes. Be careful to wash your hands afterwards.

2. Poach the jalapeño halves in a saucepan half-filled with boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.

3. Blot with a cloth or paper towel to dry the inside of each jalapeño slice, then use a teaspoon to spread about ½ ounce of cream cheese into each jalapeño half.

4. Beat the eggs in a small, shallow bowl, then add ¼ teaspoon salt and the oil and combine with a whisk.

5. In another shallow bowl, combine the floour, ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder.

6. Add the cornflake crumbs to a third shallow bowl.

7. Working one at a time, dip each stuffed jalapeño into the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture. Repeat, by again dipping the jalapeño into the egg and then back into the flour. Finally, dip the jalapeño back into the egg, then into the cornflake crumbs.

8. Put the coated peppers side by side on a plate and into the freezer for at least 2 hours. This way, when the peppers are fried, the breading won't fall off and the cheese in the center won't ooze out.

9. When the peppers are frozen, heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or deep saucepan to about 350 degrees F. Use enough oil to cover the jalapeños when frying. Fry the peppers for 3½ to 4 minutes or until the outside is a golden brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve hot with pepper jelly and sour cream on the side.

Tidbits

You can also make these ahead of time by frying them for only 1 ½ minutes and then refreezing them until you are ready to serve them. Then cook the frozen jalapeños in hot oil for 3 ½ minutes or until they are hot all the way through. You may also bake the frozen jalapeños in a 450 degree F oven on a greased baking pan for 10 to 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through the heating time.

source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur ISBN 0-452-27587-3 Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST by The Old Bear <oldbear@...> on Jan 09, 1999, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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