What do I do with pepper jelly?

December 27, 2006 11:03 AM

I received a jar of homemade pepper jelly as a Christmas present. What do I do with it? What is it good to put on? My experience with homemade jelly is limited to what you would put on toast or peanut butter sandwiches, neither of which sounds appealling with anything involving pepper. Ideas?
posted by lawhound to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

Dump it on a block of cream cheese for an excellent dip on New Years.
posted by wsg at 11:06 AM on December 27, 2006

Have it on ham sandwhiches. Yum.
posted by amarynth at 11:09 AM on December 27, 2006

Or ham sandwiches, if you prefer things to be spelled correctly.
posted by amarynth at 11:10 AM on December 27, 2006

Put it on brie. Preferably melted brie. But also dabs of brie and pepper jelly on crackers.
posted by Amizu at 11:10 AM on December 27, 2006

I eat it with crackers and some cream cheese....or some jalapeño poppers if you have some. It's still a sweet jelly; there isn't much spiciness from the peppers.
posted by pooya at 11:11 AM on December 27, 2006

I would start pulling everything I have out of my refrigerator and cupboard and just start slathering the stuff on it all - food experimentation is fun!
posted by NationalKato at 11:12 AM on December 27, 2006

Actually, peanut butter with anything spicy is absolutely delicious.

You could do a savoury cheesecake with the jelly on top instead of fruit--perhaps add in some gorgeous caramelized onions and pears. Put in some blue cheese and/or gruyere with the cream cheese. Omit sugar, of course.

Spread it on Brie, wrap in phyllo, bake.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:19 AM on December 27, 2006

My mom always served it with crackers and cream cheese, like pooya says. I always hated it and other spicy foods as a kid, but I wonder if I should try it again....
posted by kimota at 11:29 AM on December 27, 2006

i like pepper jelly on cheese and crackers.
it's also good on buttered toast. i use salted butter and put the butter on the bottom of the toast, and jelly the top side- then eat it, jelly-up. it's a wee bit messy, but you taste the salt-and sweet combination more intensely.
posted by twistofrhyme at 11:35 AM on December 27, 2006

nthing the cream cheese and crackers. Unstoppable.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:42 AM on December 27, 2006

pepper jelly and cream cheese on toasted fresh sourdough.
posted by bruce at 11:59 AM on December 27, 2006

Egg sandwich on a bagel, with cheese and the pepper jelly spread.

Yum. Great for a hangover breakfast.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 12:21 PM on December 27, 2006

I have had many an egg bagel with cream cheese and extra hot jalapeno jelly on it. Sweet baby jesus!
posted by Foam Pants at 12:24 PM on December 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Don't feel confined to just cream cheese: sharp cheddar matches very well with sweet-and-spicy jams or relishes in a sandwich, too.
posted by RogerB at 12:33 PM on December 27, 2006

yeah it is friggin' AWESOME with cream cheese, and then you can add whatever meats/fixins you want to make a sandwich. Basically think of it as a savoury spread rather than a sweet jelly (although, as others have said, there is some sweetness to it).
posted by fishfucker at 12:58 PM on December 27, 2006

I made little turkey turkey wraps with raspberry pepper jelly and goat cheese smeared on the mesquite smoked sliced turkey. I rolled that up tight, chilled for an hour, and sliced the tube into disks.

My fiancee's mom called it turkey sushi. YUM!
posted by quacky at 1:01 PM on December 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

It's also very good on corn bread.
posted by wryly at 1:45 PM on December 27, 2006

It goes well with those fancy water crackers you can get from the grocery store - I like the ones that have cracked pepper in them too. Spread cream cheese and pepper jelly. You can serve with a variety of cheeses too.
posted by clanger at 1:53 PM on December 27, 2006

ritz and cream cheese here too. love it. and I have had some pepper jelly that is quite hot.
posted by vronsky at 1:57 PM on December 27, 2006

Reportedly it makes a very good glaze for roasting meat.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 2:29 PM on December 27, 2006

I second cornbread. Fried cornbread. *gurgle*
posted by smallerdemon at 3:19 PM on December 27, 2006

Goes very well with cheese, but then again many fruits and jams goes well with cheese. If you believe Ham on the Street you can combine any bread, and cheese, and any jam to make a killer grilled cheese sandwich. Hot pepper jelly will got with cheddar, jack, gouda, or Swiss very nicely in a grilled cheese though (personal experience).
posted by plinth at 3:59 PM on December 27, 2006

I use it as a glaze for chicken and pork chops.
A dip for broiled/baked tortilla slices.
Or just eat it by the spoonful.
posted by idiotfactory at 4:12 PM on December 27, 2006

Bacon egg and cheese pepper jelly sandwich on a toasted hard roll! Yum!
posted by Area Control at 4:49 PM on December 27, 2006

I'm particular to putting it with creme cheese not just on any cracker, but actually Ritz crackers. It works... really really well.
posted by gbinal at 7:36 PM on January 3, 2007