Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Whilst strolling through Pinterest a couple of weeks back, I stumbled upon a luscious picture that took my breath away. The caption read: Jalapeno Popper French Toast. Since I didn't have time right then to investigate further, I pinned it so I could return later. "Later" turned out to be earlier this week, and much to my dismay the link from the picture would not connect. And it was such a deliciously melty picture, too!  So I did a little searching, found a couple that looked promising: Mrs. Happy Homemaker and Basil. They weren't exactly what I was looking for, so I struck out to create my own recipe.

For starters, I'm a bit lazy for roasting and peeling jalapenos, so I decided a fine chop was the way to go. Next, I thought about what my dad told me about grilled cheese who-knows-how-long-ago - use a blend of cheeses. Since I had some bacon from my last trip to the butcher, fresh sourdough bread from our trip to Ruidoso, and an array of cheese, a stop for jalapenos was all that stood between me and my own melty deliciousness.

For my creation, I started off by cooking up the bacon and softening some cream cheese. 

Then I finely grated the three other cheeses I selected: sharp cheddar, Jarlsberg, and Gruyere. 

 And I mixed the softened cream cheese with the shredded cheeses.

 

And I finely diced the jalapeno, which I had first prepared by removing the stem, seeds and ribs inside.

   And then I added this to the cheese mixture and made sure it was mixed well.

Doesn't that look delicious! If you are freaked out by the amount of jalapeno, keep in mind that the cheese will really temper the heat a lot. This was a spicy jalapeno, and the sandwich had a nice bite to it without being too spicy.

Since by this time the bacon was cooked and draining, I was ready to start assembling. I (gently) grabbed my loaf of sourdough and sliced it slightly thicker than traditional sandwich bread. (I never have them slice it at the bakery, as sometimes we want it thinner for sandwiches and sometimes thicker for French toast.)

Then I divied up the cheese mixture and spread a fourth on each of four slices of bread. 

Next I added two slices of bacon to two of the sandwich halves so they were nestled between the cheese layers.

Now they were ready to grill up - and my cast iron skillet was nice and hot, so that worked out really well!

Add some nice tomatoes, fresh out of our garden, and lunch is ready!

BTW, this is how you know I'm not a true food blogger - very few pictures of the finished product. You see, I was hungry, and it looked and smelled so good, I just snapped a couple quick ones and chowed down.

Jalpeno Popper Grilled Cheese

4 slices sourdough (or bread of choice...see bread note below)

4 oz softened cream cheese

6 Tablespoons finely grated cheese - I used 2 of each of Gruyere, Jarlsberg & sharp cheddar

1 jalapeno

4 slices bacon

butter for grilling

Cook bacon in medium skillet to desired done-ness. Drain on paper towel.

Remove stem from jalapeno, cut into quarters, and remove seeds and ribs. Finely chop the jalapeno. (Note: I suggest using food service gloves when working with jalapenos. If you don't and later rub your eyes, you will understand the suggestion.)

Mix softened cream cheese and grated cheeses. Stir in jalapeno.

Divide mixture into fourths and spread 1/4 on each slice of bread. Top two sections of bread with 2 strips of bacon each, then assemble into two sandwiches, each with bacon nestled between the cheese layers.

Grill in medium hot skillet until nice and golden brown. Slice in half and enjoy!

Note about sourdough bread - Some may be reading this and thinking "I thought you couldn't eat wheat?" Well, I am sensitive to wheat, but some research this summer led to the discovery that I can eat traditional sourdough without any gastric upset. I don't recommend this for people who are allergic or have celiac, but for folks like me who are "just" sensitive to it, it is a possible option. Please do your own research and take it slow when you try introducing it.