Meet your new favorite grilled cheese sandwich: jalapeno popper grilled cheese with crispy bacon and plenty of cheddar inside toasted brioche.
I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Cabot Cheese and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
I know, I know… I posted a jalapeno popper dip recipe like 5 minutes ago, but let me explain. I used to plant lots of vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and more. But when we moved to our current house, the critters in our wooded yard won the war. They come right onto the deck and eat anything I try to grow, so now, the only thing I’ll plant are hot chilis. I figure if an animal takes a bite out of one, they’ll learn a lesson. This year, my jalapeno plant is particularly fruitful, so I’m using LOTS of them in my cooking (And I got some in my CSA this week too…). As if a jalapeno popper grilled cheese needed any explanation anyway…
We are big fans of grilled cheese sandwiches in my house. My husband likes to dip an old-fashioned grilled American on white into chili. But usually we up our grilled cheese came and make things like grilled bacon, apple and cheddar; grilled chorizo and manchego; mozzarella, tomato and pesto… you get the idea. So a jalapeno popper grilled cheese just fits right in. You might think these will be too hot for the kids, but if you remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapenos, they aren’t very hot. I also cooked them in a grill pan which mellows them even more, but still leaves a little crunch. My 10-year old (who doesn’t like peppers) loved this sandwich.
As for the cheese, I mixed Cabot Seriously Sharp Vermont Cheddar with a little cream cheese. I like the how the sharpness of the cheese contrasts the peppers and bacon. It’s probably my favorite Cabot cheese, though most of the time it doesn’t last long enough to find it’s way into a sandwich.
Love sandwiches? Here are my favorites:
- Best ever Cuban sandwich (the MOST popular recipe on my blog!)
- Pork meatball banh mi
- Ultimate eggplant sandwich
- Lobster rolls
- 8 jalapeno peppers
- 4 ounces Cabot Seriously Sharp Vermont cheddar, shredded
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 8 slices of bacon, cooked and cut in half
- 8 slices brioche
- Butter, for toasting the sandwiches
- Trim the tops off of the jalapenos and cut each in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the ribs. (I wear gloves for this.)
- Heat a grill pan over high heat. When hot, grill the peppers on both sides until blistered. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and cheddar with a fork.
- Spread ¼ of the cheese mixture on each of 4 slices of the brioche. Top with 4 jalapeno halves and ¼ of the bacon. Top with another slice of bread.
- Heat a griddle to 350F or heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Butter the outside of the sandwiches on both sides.
- When griddle or pan is hot, toast the sandwiches until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Cut in half and serve immediately.
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