On the Making of a Jalapeno Pie

Earlier this year we decided to make a jalapeno pie - an enjoyable yet infrequent occasion at the Barnhart house.  For the uninitiated, jalapeno pie is not sweet but savory.  It's equal parts spicy flavor and meaty cheesy goodness.  It's not eaten fresh, but refrigerated and sliced thin.  It's good with an icy beverage.

I know very little of the origins of this pie.  I was introduced to it when on vacation with the VanderWalls and it was made by a friend of theirs.  I've made it by memory a several times since then with a few modifications.  I recommend that you make it your own by tweaking the ingredients, amounts, and order to suit your taste.

Now the good part - the construction begins.  The basic ingredients are pie crust, jalapeno, onion, cheddar cheese, and pepperoni.  I've noted our modifications in the captions.

The jalapenos are sliced open, seeds removed, and then sliced thin.  Our absolute favorite pie crust is the easy and hearty crust in Baking With Julia, but any crust should work.

Ingredients are assembled.

Layer pepperoni first.  We tried half turkey pepperoni and half thin sliced pepperoni from our deli to cut down on the grease a bit, but the turkey pepperoni has an odd texture when baked - I'd go all regular next time.

Add sliced onion.

Add jalapeno.

Add banana peppers if you'd like (our modification).

Add cheese.  We did a mix of cheddar and pepper jack.

Continue layering until you run out of ingredients or pie crust to put it in.  You're goal is to pack it in tight so that it doesn't shrink too much when you bake it.

You might as well make two while you're at it.

Bake it until the cheese is bubbly and brown.

All that's left now is to let it cool then stick it in the fridge for future enjoyment.  Because it's so rich and spicy, you will want some friends to enjoy this with.  It should keep for at least a week in the fridge, though.

Enjoy!