24 large fresh jalapenos
24 slices of bacon
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
24 toothpicks (soak in water to prevent burning)
Mix the cream cheese, shredded cheese and garlic together and place in a zip seal freezer bag. Cut a slit in the side of each jalapeno pepper from the top of the pepper down to the tip. Squeeze the pepper from the top and tip so that the slit opens. Use the end of a potato peeler to scrape out the seeds and membrane (you can leave these if you want extra heat). Cut one corner off the bottom of the freezer bag with the cream cheese mixture to create a disposable piping bag. Squeeze the cheese mixture into each pepper until it is full. Wrap each pepper in one slice of bacon, making sure to cover the slit completely so you don’t loose the cheese while grilling. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Grill the stuffed jalapenos with indirect heat until the peppers have become soft, and the bacon is crispy.
KATY DAUME LOPEZ is a chef consultant for edible Dallas & Fort Worth. She earned her BBA in Marketing at Texas Christian University and shortly after graduating attended culinary school in Fort Worth to follow her true passion, food. She works in a variety of aspects of the culinary industry including recipe development, management, product development and catering. Katy loves bringing people together to eat great meals made from fresh, locally grown ingredients.
