Steemit Culinary Challenge #23 Otsumami: A Hot Date With Jalapeno, Goat Cheese and Cranberries

Today, I am presenting 2 fantastic little appetizers that you can pick-up with your hands and enjoy.

The are:

• stuffed jalapeno peppers;
• and stuffed Sayer dates.

I have paired both with a wine that has been fermented using a rare white cranberry. The white cranberries used to make the wine, were grown just outside of a little town called Bala, (about a 3 hour drive from where I live) in Ontario, Canada. They have been grown on the same farm and by the same family (the Johnstons) since 1950.

Cranberries typically are little red juicy berries that grow in marshy bogs. They are a small hard berry which, is a little bigger than a blueberry but a little smaller than a red grape. They are often called marsh apples because they are hard and have a red skin with white flesh, once you cut into them.

Cranberries are commonly grown from April to November and are a berry that is produced by an evergreen vine. The harvest typically occurs in earl to mid autumn and many farmers use special machinery to pick the berries from the vines dry and also employ a flooding technique to float the berries out of the bogs. 

The country of Canada is the second largest producer of cranberries globally with the United States being the world leader in production.

The white cranberries make for a slightly sweeter, less tangy wine that pairs beautifully with soft cheeses.

The colour of the white cranberry wine can vary greatly from year to year, but it does resemble a rose.

I've also used red dried cranberries in my goat cheese filling, so that I can complement the flavour of the wine.

(In this photo, the red dried cranberries are beside the dates. They do resemble a raisin when they are dried.)

Let's have a look at the ingredients:

1. a dozen whole jalapeno peppers cut in half lengthwise, seeded with the pith removed (The cheese filling will stuff 2 dozen peppers which will make 48 pieces. If you don't need that many, you can freeze the mixture, for use at a later date.);
2. 1/3 + 1/3 cup grated, aged smoked cheddar cheese (The one I used was 2 years old, was wood smoked and had caramelized onions it it, but any "old", sharp cheddar will work.);
3. 2/3 + 1/3 cup of thick bacon, fried, cooled and cut in small pieces;
4. 8 ounces of full fat cream cheese;
5. 4 ounces of goat cheese (The goat cheese filling will stuff approximately 60 small dates, any left-over filling can also be frozen, if you don't need that many.);
6. 1/3 cup of dried cranberries;
7. 1.5 tsp of shredded fresh basil leaves;
8. 1/2 tsp of shredded fresh thyme leaves;
9. and ground walnuts, (optional and used as a garnish).

The tools needed are:

1. a food processor, hand blender or a medium size mixing bowl (to blend cheese fillings in);
2. a parring knife;
3. a small spoon (to fill peppers and dates with the cheese mixtures);
4. and 2 lined baking sheets.

Directions:

• Cut each pepper lengthwise. Seed and remove the pith from each pepper half. (Be mindful not to wipe your eyes or touch your mouth. Jalapeno pepper juice is hot stuff.)

• Harvest and finely chop the fresh basil and thyme.

(This is my kitchen herb garden. It's mid-April currently and we won't be able to garden outside for another month yet, due to frost which can occur up and until the end of May.)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add 8 oz of cream cheese, 2/3 cup of chopped bacon pieces, 1/3 cup of grated cheddar cheese and 1/2 tsp of fresh thyme leaves to a food processor or bowl. (It is easier to meld the flavours and blend the cheeses if you let the cream cheese warm to room temperature before you mix it.)

• Blend well.

• Arrange jalapeno pepper halves on a lined baking sheet and fill with the cream cheese mixture.

• Bake for 25 minutes. The peppers will cook and the cheese will melt and become golden brown.

While the peppers are cooking, mix the goat cheese filling and stuff the dates.

• Add 4 oz of goat cheese to the food processor or blending bowl, along with 1/3 cup of cooked diced bacon, 1/3 cup of  grated cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup of cranberries and 1.5 tsp of fresh basil. (Again, it is easier to blend the cheeses if you let the goat cheese warm-up to room temperature before you mix it.)

• Blend well.

• Stuff the dates with the goat cheese and cranberry mixture and place on a lined baking sheet.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F or until the cheese mixture has melted and turned to a golden brown. (Be mindful, dates contain a lot of natural sugar and can burn fairly quickly if they are left in the oven too long.)

• Present on a nice serving platter and serve with chilled white cranberry wine.

Enjoy with good company! The baked jalapeno peppers lose a little bit of their heat, once they're cooked and they complement the sharpness of the cheddar. The dates get a crispy shell on the outside and become caramelized and chewy on the inside. The cranberries offer a tangy flavour that pairs beautifully with the wine and the goat cheese.

Thanks to @boxcarblue for being our guest judge, this week.

I'd also like to thank @woman-onthe-wing, @oaldamster, @vegascomic, @smooth and @sirwinchester.

I welcome your comments and invite you to join me at my table...there is always room for one more. ;)

~ Rebecca Ryan