Pineapple & Pepper Jack – a Perfect Pair
Pepper jack cheese is a derivative of Monterey Jack, that has the intensity of spicy hot peppers for a zesty flavor. Spicy, delicate, soft & with a slightly tart flavor, pepper jack cheese is my very favorite.
(To deviate a little bit from the recipe, I love the old fashioned Sepia kind of tones in the above picture, caused by the the natural light of the evening sun…I love the shadows & the way the wine in the glass in the shadow curves up.)
Now back to the jack…Pepper jacks pairs extremely well with slightly sweet wines & that is how this recipe came into existence. Just before a party when I was planning to prepare pepper jacks for the cheese plate & cracker toppings, I decided to do the sweet & spicy on the stick – in small little bites….
This is probably the easiest recipes I have ever posted. Arjun & me are not too fond of cheese; we use cheese minimally in our food. This however became a BIG time favorite at home & with our friends ever since the first time.
Pineapple & Pepper Jack
Ingredients:
- Pepper Jack/Habanero Jack Cheese, cut into cubes
- Pineapples (fresh or canned), cubed
- Toothpicks
Preparation:Cut the Cheese in bite size cubes & set aside.
Cut the pineapples in bite size cubes (slightly larger than the cheese, for they will reduce once cooked).
Heat a griddle/pan, & put the pineapple cubes on the pan; cook all sides till the pineapples are golden brown – they caramelize because of the sugar in them. If you are using fresh pineapple, you might need to add a little bit of sugar to initiate the caramelization. (Do not overcook the fruit or they will get soft. the cubes still need to stay firm.)
Put the cheese & the pineapple on the toothpicks & serve as individual servings.
These are delightful bites; simply the greatest appetizers to go with wine for parties. Till date, these ones are the first ones to disappear & I never ever had any leftovers. For me the spicier the cheese the better, so I often go for the Habanero jack Cheese. Use milder flavors if you cannot handle the heat, but a little bit of fire is required to balance the sweet of the pineapple.
Some Notes about the Pepper Jack Cheese:
It is an American cow’s milk cheese which blends the spicy bits of peppers, especially jalapeños with the creamy cheese. Some varieties of pepper jack cheese are named for the peppers they contain, like Habanero jack & also the Serrano jack. The cheese melts extremely well, making it perfect for things like fiery pizzas, & quesadillas & I always make my quesadillas with the pepper jack. The moist texture also makes it ideal for grating, so a sprinkle the grated pepper jack cheese goes on my salads as well.
This is off to Weekend Wokking hosted by Yasmeen of Health Nut, created by Wandering Chop Sticks.
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Tags: appertizers with wine, Appetizer, bite size appetizer, caramelized fruit, caramelized pineapple, cheese, cheese & pineapple, cheese cubes, cheese paired with wine, easy snack recipe, easy starter, fruit & cheese, habanero, party appetizers, party snack recipe, party starter, pepper, pepper jack cheese, pepper jack cheese recipe, pick up kind of starters, snack, spicy cheese, Starter, starter on a toothpick, starter recipe, sweet wine, what is pepper jack cheese, wine & cheese
Details 
August 2nd, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I am one among those who gets tempted to eat food by its appearance…That pineapple n cheese combo is just divine….
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I love pineapple in everything…pies,pizzas… definitely this too:)
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Soma, this is definitely a tongue tickler, easy to make. sweet , salty and spicy is a divine combo indeed. I love pineapple and corn and pepper jack on my pizza and salsa too
and at the moment pepper jack is my best cheese friend too. Also for vegans.. I almost turned into one when I was expecting ishya, we get almond pepper jack or jalapeno jack here , so that was a life saver 
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I LOVE Pepper jack..Thats my fav one..:) n these are abs delectable..I have to try this..:0
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 am
Awesome!The spicy pepper jack & sweet pineapple look delish together.Love that first picture.Thanks for sharing it with WW,Soma:P
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:41 am
Lovely picture
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:49 am
Wow thats delicious combination soma! something new to me, thanks for sharing
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
Those are fabulous appetizers – the combo of pineapple and pepper jack cheese sounds delicious!
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 am
We make them too. I use just the fresh pineapple with the cheese. Caramelizing them is a good option too. Love the first pic compared to the others.
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:10 am
That does sound like a perfect combination. Love the images too. Such a nice treat for guests!
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
This looks fabulous !! wonderful photography !! just loving this !!
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Sounds like a lovely combo although I’ve never had pepper jack before. The caramelised pineapples look yummy!
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I love this idea! It sounds like such a perfect match. I have to try this.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I lOVE the first picture and the shadows..brilliant!
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Delicious, thanks Soma for this simple, but fantastic idea! I love pepper jack cheese.
Great pictures again!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I love these sweet and spicy little bites! How yummy!
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
you’re right..what an AWESOME combo! The spicy and the sweet…one of my fav flavor combinations ever!
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Great cocktail party food! I love how you cooked the pineapple as I’ve only seen this using fresh chunks. It would certainly lend it a nice caramelised flavour
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Wow….that’s an awesome click……nice presentation too…….cheese and pineapple sounds yum…
August 4th, 2009 at 7:21 am
The is very new to me…pineapple and cheese? Very creative!
August 4th, 2009 at 7:30 am
[...] Pineapple & Pepper Jack – a Perfect Pair | eCurry – The Recipe Blog document.write(''); Share and Enjoy: [...]
August 4th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Yum, I’ll have some and a glass of red wine to go with the nibbles too please! I love cheese
August 4th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Love your styling! Especially the close up shots.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
[...] of Monterey Jack. Soma(from Texas USA) of eCurry ,served a perfectly paired hot & sweet Pineapple & Pepper Jack,a simple appetizer with Habenaro Pepper Jack and caramelized pineapple ,this easy sure is in for my [...]
August 7th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Deifnetly what I will be putting out on game night this month–so lovely…you guys were great to meet and dine with at Blogher.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Ooooo, this is going on my next little bite menu! Lovely!
August 10th, 2009 at 9:28 am
… and yes I love the photo and the lighting you got too!
August 21st, 2009 at 2:26 pm
[...] Party Appetizer on a stick.. Recipe here [...]