PARTY POPPERS - Bite-you-back stuffed Peppadew Peppers - gluten-free vegan

I could easily live off these for a month!  Do you ever raise two triumphant, celebratory hands into the air when achieving something awesome?  When I popped my first taste of one of these my body lost control and I did just that.  I looked like the person first through the tape at the end of a race!

Continuing my recipe testing of Vegan 90 mouthwatering recipes for all occasions by Tony Weston & Yvonne Bishop..gossip.. they since married..ahh)   I was so excited to give this recipe a whirl.  I had to make them a couple of times to get the batter right.  My recipes are gluten-free so I have a little bit of tweaking to do.

The first batch tasted INCREDIBLE almost indescribable but they were like flavour grenades.  The peppadews were piquant and succulent, the garlicky cheese was rich and creamy, the sesame seeds and lemon rind gave a background of slightly bitter tang.  Soft, chewy, moist little pops of flavour burst into your mouth with such intensity and they take you over completely…rendering all around you, momentarily, of very little interest.  Attention grabbers! 

With the flavours in the bag I made a few alterations and put another batch in the oven.  I made the batter thicker than previously and put a little less of the cheese stuffing in the pepper (so the heat of the oven didn’t make them explode and leave me with a baking tray of garlicky cheese (though I would’ve eaten it anyway!).  I wanted them to look good (I’d say look as good as they taste but I think this near on impossible).

My second batch pouting for the camera…

I think the batter could still be improved slightly to prevent cracking…a pinch of xantham gum may do the trick.  For now, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

8 teaspoons of Vegan cream cheese (I used Redwood Blue cheese style)
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 tbs chopped parsley
8 peppadew peppers in a jar - labelled HOT - they are deseeded and topped
1/2  cup(125g) sorghum flour (they used strong white)
1 (125ml) coconut milk (I used Kara - it is not the type in a can you use for cooking but a milk drink) you can use rice or soya milk instead
1 tbs Vegan yogurt
1 tsp arrowroot
1 crumbled vegan yeast free stock cube
1 tsp lime rind or zest
juice of 1/2 lime
sesame seeds for sprinkling
oil for greasing pan

optional - a generous pinch of cayenne and a peppering of white pepper

Method

1. oil a baking sheet.  Preheat the oven to 180 (350f).
2. put cream the cheese, garlic, and parsley in a bowl.
3. using a small spoon stuff the mixture into each pepper
4. in a bowl put the flour, milk, yogurt, arrowroot, crumbled stock cube and lime rind/zest & juice.  Mix well to a stiff batter.

5.Using your thumb pat the dough into your other hand to make it even thickness then place the stuffed pepper inside.  Close the dough over the pepper and then roll in you hand to make a ball.  Ensure all of the pepper is covered.
6.Roll in a little oil and then the sesame seeds (I didn’t do this so they looked a little anemic..learn from my mistakes to result in a nice golden finish).  Pop onto the baking tray.
7. Bake for approx 7 mins and then turn and baste and return to oven for 7-10 mins until crisp.

They will not last five minutes as they are SUBLIME, mouthwatering and moreish.  Crowd pleasers for sure!  Next time I will double the ingredients and make 16.  I can freeze any that remain (yeah right).  

* Tony & Yyvonne’s original recipe made way too much dough/batter for 8 so I changed this up.

Next time I make these I will have a go and tempura them.  They’d also be very delicious without the batter and just naked, blushing and bare on a platter…exposing a tantilising flash of the garlic creamed cheese.

OUTTAKES

My first batch - oh dear, extremely tasty yet not fit for exhibition!