I 'discovered' jalapeno jelly at a local Mexican restaurant (Arriba Tortilla in East Aurora, NY), where a ramekin of the stuff is served as a side condiment with some menu items. I fell in love with the stuff almost at once. It's not hot at all, but it tastes like peppers anyway...there's a tiny amount of hotness to offset the sweetness. It's a wonderfully bright and intriguing flavor. So I bought a jar, and the other night I tried it for the first time on something I made myself. Not a taco or anything like that...but on a burger. I cooked a nice, thick patty and melted three slices of pepperjack cheese on it. Then I served the burger on a bun with several large leaves of leaf lettuce, with the hot pepper jelly (this very brand) spread on the bun.
This made for an amazing burger. Just wonderful. I generally tend to be fairly minimalistic with my burgers these days; I don't like piling on tons of toppings and sauces. I've had burgers in restaurants that slather on cheddar cheese and bacon and lettuce and barbecue sauce and several full-sized onion rings...so much stuff piled onto the burger that the flavor of the beef itself all but disappears. My approach to a burger is only a few things other than the meat -- at most, I'll put lettuce, cheese, onion, and a tomato slice on there, with ketchup and mustard. But another favorite of mine is mayonnaise, black pepper (a liberal amount), and onions. But this combo? Yeah, this one's going into heavy rotation.
A Facebook friend suggests cream cheese instead of the pepperjack. That sounds intriguing...and frankly, I may try that on a bagel first. Like...tomorrow!
Hot pepper jelly -- oh how did I live without you!
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