That little bag of lunchbox peppers reminded me of this recipe from Jenn Robbins of Good Foods Kitchen (yes, I am such a fan of hers). We ran it in the AJC after she demoed them at Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Use the little peppers and augment with some of the bigger ones. Perfect for entertaining and it’s getting to be that time of year. If you don’t have a hot pepper on hand, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Ingredients:
1 pound chèvre, preferably from our friend Mary at Decimal Place 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream Kosher salt 1/2 Candied Sweet Peppers (see recipe) Candied Sweet Peppers: 12 small sweet peppers (or whatever is on hand to make about 4 cups) 1/3 cup dry sherry 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1/4 cup water 1 garlic clove, slivered 1/2 small hot pepper Pinch kosher salt 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Preparation:
In a small mixing bowl or stand mixer, let the chèvre come to room temp. Add the heavy cream and salt, then mix thoroughly until the cheese is a spreadable consistency. Spread the chèvre into a serving bowl, then spread the candied sweet peppers on top to serve.
Candied Sweet Peppers
Beginning at the bottom, slice the peppers into thin rings up to the seeds about 1/8-inch thick. Then deseed and julienne the remainder of the pepper. You should have a volume of almost 4 cups. Set aside.
In a small saucepot, add the sherry, and reduce by half. Add the sugar and water and bring to a full boil. Add the sweet peppers, hot pepper, and garlic to the pot and stir, keeping the burner on medium-high heat. The syrup will not cover them completely at this point, but the peppers will release water to bring up the volume of the syrup. Cook the peppers until the syrup has reduced and the peppers are opaque. Season with salt and sherry vinegar, then set aside to cool. Yield: 1 1/2 cups