Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Wearing latex gloves, slice each jalapeño in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds. The heat of jalapeños comes from the capsaicin in the white inner membranes. I usually remove all or most of this, too, so kids can enjoy this dish. If you want more heat, leave some or all of the white ribs intact.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese, shallot, and salt.

Spoon some of the mixture into each jalapeño half and smooth the top.

Place stuffed jalapeños on lined baking sheet and sprinkle with cheddar.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until peppers have softened and cheese is soft and bubbly. Then switch the oven to broil to brown the tops a bit. This will only take a minute or two.

While the poppers bake, melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the panko and cook, stirring frequently and watching carefully, until lightly browned. (Panko tends to hang out at the pale stage for minutes up on minutes and then burn in a flash, so pay attention.)

Sprinkle a little of the toasted panko on top of each popper and serve warm.