Transform Jalapeño Poppers Into A Simple Snack With A Slice Of Bread

At some point in the late 2010s and early 2020s, we all fell in love with eating like a kid again. Sure, mac and cheese and tater tots have always been there for us when we needed a comforting bite or a solid substance to partner with several rounds of beer. But restaurants have since started adding fancified versions of childhood classics to their menus. Jalapeño poppers fall right into that category, and if you want to prepare your own slightly upscale version of the TGI Friday's staple without the hassle of deep frying at home, try layering the basic components onto a slice of perfectly browned bread.

If recent culinary trends — and the seemingly endless slides of food-related posts on social media — have demonstrated anything, it's that toast is the perfect foundation for a wide variety of toppings. What for decades was primarily a vehicle for butter is now a rustic shuttle for everything from honey ricotta with fresh berries to prosciutto and whipped goat cheese. With jalapeño poppers, the toast's crispy texture mimics the crunch of a breaded-and-fried stuffed pepper and delightfully contrasts with the molten cheese spread. Also consider using a slice of medium-thick sourdough, which won't buckle under the weight of the toppings, but whose crust will still singe nicely since it's not too hefty.

Before you get to the browning, it's important to create the spread by mixing two to three tablespoons of cream cheese together with a few handfuls of shredded cheddar, chopped scallions, and just a pinch of salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Slather the bread with the blend and then top it off with jalapeño slices. Bake for anywhere from 4 to 8 minutes, checking to make sure the cheese has melted and the bread has crisped up, but not burned. Then, give it a quick broil to caramelize the cheese — a method that also works for traditional poppers. Once out of the oven, sprinkle the toast with chopped, cooked bacon.

There are multiple ways to experiment with jalapeño toast once you've nailed this nod to the classic. Mozzarella would amp up the gooiness and lean into French bread territory, or you could swap out the cream cheese for Boursin — a creamy French Gournay infused with garlic, chives, and parsley that would bring an herbal complexity to the toast. For a more substantial meal, use two slices of toast and make a grilled cheese sandwich with roasted jalapeños (this tempers their spice and adds a hint of smokiness) and baked bacon (for ultimate crispness). The real fun, though, is getting daring with those toast toppings. Pimento cheese, elote dip, pulled pork, or even scrambled eggs are all innovative ingredients for jalapeño poppers that would work well with their traditional elements.