Stuffed Jalapenos

By Sam Sifton for NY Times Recipes-Stuffed jalapeños, filled with Cheddar and cream cheese and run through with cilantro, are roasted to sweet intensity in the oven and finished in the dying light of the grill fire.

 

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Ingredients

 

    ¼ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

    ¼ pound cream cheese

    2 tablespoons sour cream

    3 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped fine

    kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    12 jalapeño peppers, halved

    1-2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Preparation

 

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, combine the grated Cheddar cheese with the cream cheese and sour cream, and use a fork to mash and combine. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper, and mix again to combine. Spoon the mixture into a quart-size plastic freezer bag, and set aside.

 

Wearing disposable latex gloves (or at any rate being very careful not to get the interiors of the jalapeños on your skin or in your eyes or nose), use a knife to split the peppers down the center, and dispose of the seeds and ribs. Rub lightly with oil, and place on a roasting pan.

 

Cut a half-inch triangle from one corner of the bag with the cheese in it, and pipe the mixture into each of the jalapeños. Roast until the peppers have softened and the cheese has just started to bubble, approximately 15 minutes. Finish over the grill, if you like.