April 7, 2010

Pint-Sized Peppers



Someone, I'm not sure who, once likened the slow creeping boredom of consuming an entire plate of the same food to the economic principle of the law of diminishing returns.  Which is to say that after a certain amount of food each additional bite will return less and less satisfaction and appreciation.  There it is!  A scientific explanation as to why I prefer snacking to actual meals.  Truly, give me appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, snacks, finger food or nibbles and I'm a happy camper.  Not that I'm in the habit of turning down food, I just have a clear preference for the smaller offerings.

I was introduced to these stuffed peppadew peppers by a local cheese shop.  Peppadews, have you heard of these delightful little fruits?  They're little piquante peppers from South Africa, packed in a brine that are just the right amount of sweet, a little hot and completely perfect when stuffed with goat cheese.  I don't have much of a recipe here, just two ingredients.  Simple.  I used Cypress Grove's Purple Haze goat cheese that's flavored with lavender and fennel pollen (though I'm sure you could use any chevre in it's place), let it soften up for a bit on the counter, and just pinched off pieces and stuffed them into the peppers.  They're creamy and tangy and bright, perfect to bring with you on a picnic and enjoy in the warming sun.

* A note on the peppadews: I bought mine from a cheese shop, but if you're having trouble finding them, I've also seen them at the deli counter at Whole Foods or on Amazon.com.


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