What base to use for sauce?

[Omri]

I'm trying to make some homemade sauces, and looking for a good base.
Some sauces I've seen are using carrots, but I was thinking more of eggplants or artichokes.
Am I making any sense? I'm also not really sure how to prepare the base.
Should I bake the vegetables? fry them? grill them, or what?
I'm looking for a tasty creamy texture. :)

[chilehunter]

I'm no pro at making hot sauce like some other members here, but I say use whatever ingredients you like. if you like the flavor of eggplant better vs carrots then use those. just dont add to much other ingredients vs chiles if you're looking for a HOT sauce.

I cut the stem parts off & just threw the veggies into a chopper & diced everything up as small as they'd go, adding in some vinegar or lime juice to make the chopping go easier. & remembering how much of that vinegar/lime juice I added so I know what to add to the pot when all the ingredients are in the pot cooking (not to over do the vinegar or other liquids)

bring everything to a boil & then let it simmer for about 10-15 mins. then can or store properly as long as you have the right PH balance.
I dont know how to make that runny sauce, what I said will make the sauce a chucky style, I like it since the sauce stays on crackers or whatnot instead of running off. if you want it more runny then add more liquid of some kind.

good luck

[chilliman64]

try pumpkin or potato and please let me know how it goes.

I've also thought of using green peas with green pods...

onion is good, fry it up to give it some colour (and flavour).

baking or frying can bring out stronger flavours in your vegies. I think artichokes will give you the creamy texture you are after, especially if baked with some oil and then blended. bake it with some whole garlics too!!!

I recommend that no-one cooks their chiles in order to preserve their flavour, esp habs, but the choice is yours.

[Sauceman51]

[QUOTE=chilliman64;46603]try pumpkin or potato and please let me know how it goes.


I like to keep my sauces as natural as possible, so sometimes im making a hot sauce with green habaneros, but i want an orange color, i use pumpkin meat to get it there. results have always been good.

[chuk hell]

I would stick to tomatoes, carrots or fruits if working with habs...

That's just me...

[Canuk Pepperhead]

I made a sauce for the first time this summer using a basic recepie
12 medium Habaneros, stemmed and seeded
1/2 c Onions, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 tb Canola oil
1 c Carrots; chopped
1/2 c Vinegar
1/4 c Fresh lime juice
mind you I added a few extra habs,,,,I didnt like it to much so I cleaned out the big bottle for another day and totally forgot about the other bottle...Other day re-organizing sauces etc in my fridge I came across this smaller bottle...man tasted good actually from sitting....thick as mud mind you but better tasting than I had origionally tasted...
Tasting that got me back in the mood to try something new...
this time im going to sit back and think of something good

[Canuk Pepperhead]

forgot to mention I left the seeds

[DevilDuck]

I just use peppers as my base and other spices and things to add to the flavor of the peppers. Enough vinegar to keep the ph down, and you have a killer sauce.

However, I blend peppers. The big trick is to know what peppers go together. Some are just awful to blend with each other....like jalapeños and piquins. Eeesh! Now, piquins and serranos? That would be really good. Add some sweet onion, garlic, some thyme....oh man, I think I just made a new sauce!!!!

[Canuk Pepperhead]

Id like to make a sauce to call mine..I have no intentions on going commercial and selling..I had a sauce once..it wasnt hot at all but man tasty..I forget the exact name but it was something like cheech's chipoltie garlic.. I truely loved the sauce but once again no real heat..Id like to make a sauce like that but it being a 10 10+in heat
lol id eat that by the tonne....As for blending peppers..is there a thread or 2 I could read up on??

[DevilDuck]

I don't think so. It's just one of the things I do....kinda like my trade mark, but anyone can do it.

It's a lot of trial and error to see what works and what doesn't. I'd be happy to help, if you need it.

You just have to do a lot of tasting and molar melting.

[Sauceman51]

i blend peppers to, that's mainly how i achive different heat levels.
if i want just regular heat, ill use 3 parts of say cayanne, n 2 parts of habanero, plus my other spices, but if i want it a little hotter then i go 3 parts habanero, n 2 parts cayanne, plus the other spices. actually it's quite easy, once you figure out ur own spin on the sauce that ur making.
just start out with flavors that you like. good luck

[bentalphanerd]

I find that certain peppers hit different parts of your tongue & try to balance that without losing the flavor I was aiming for at the start.
It usually ends up containing some green (low heat) peppers to give it a bit of garden freshness along with ginger, garlic & (black or white) table pepper to round it out.
The idea of taking your first bite & nuking your taste-buds then not being able to taste the rest of the meal has never appealed to me. You can still make it damn hot though!

[bentalphanerd]

Its probably also worth mentioning that consistency or texture is very important. For me aroma also plays a big part, smell is actually a big factor in taste. Don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients, after all that's whats going to make it 'your' sauce. Look for local ingredients as much as possible.
Above all...enjoy what you're creating. It will come through in the final product.

~must be time for me to go fishing...*hic*
:cheers:

[PwnedPepper]

it wont be the right texture but i have a recipe for a sauce in the recipe section that i use Dr.Pepper soda as the base. VERY GOOD:P

[rainbowberry]

Woody used a great veg as a base for one of his limited edition sauces so he might have some good ideas. I'd love to say what kind of vegetable it was but I'll leave it to Woody if he wants to share it. It was green by the way ;)

[stillmanz]

You want eggplant why not look into some Egg plant dip recipes then add more liquid ingredients .... more lime and maybe some mild vineger like apple cider vineger or even red wine vineger to eggplant...it would be athick ish sauce to allow the eggplant to show its true flavour but it would work.

say
3 eggplant (
4 or 5 garlic cloves
2 nice size onions
2 nice overipe tomatoe
Roast the above ingredients in oven until nice and brown, Make sure to save juices,
Add to blender
plus
fresh corriander
cummin powder
salt and pepper.
1 cup of lime juice and a half cup of red wine vineger.

3 or 4 jalapenos well roasted and de skinned.

Blend it all

it would be thick but eggplant is a bit out of the box for sauce base I wouldn't like to add too much vineger and the likes for over powering its subtle flvour.

In my habanero sauces I use fruits like Pineapple and mango paw paw etc all work very well with the hab flavour they tend to be sweeter style sauces so not for everyone.

[bowhunter]

Try this take your eggplant do not peal cut small x into it about 6-8 of them. Take 1 clove of garlic per x hole and put garlic in roast over coals or in oven 375 till skin is charged rape real good top bottom and sides in plastic Wrap, let stand 3-5 min. cut larger end squeeze into bowl add salt pepper and any thing else you would like it is thick put taste good
Dan



LET IT BURN

[Omri]

I'm going to do some experiments today. :)

[bowhunter]

Omri how your experiments go?
Dan




LET IT BURN

[Omri]

Let's just say I didn't find the cure for cancer on my first try. :\

[bentalphanerd]

eggplant. Id peel it, cut it up & throw it in the blender. add a little water to make it smooth. Push it through a sieve.

[stillmanz]

through a sieve nice.. Bent of many layers.
you could lose some body and keep some flavour that way. good advice.

[stillmanz]

what do youlike in a sauce Omri dry americanstyle ie (louisiana etc) or sweet asian/ carribean or the idea of fusion ( a combination of many flavours etc)
If you like sweet try any fruit seriously they will all work (also they tend to have excellent ph for making ie bottling) theres a csiro link do a google it shows ph of various veg and fruit give you an idea of what works well in the "canning process". Keep me posted am curious if you can get a nice tasting eggplant pourable sauce, if you can I reckon you you could make a dollar.

[woody]

Woody used a great veg as a base for one of his limited edition sauces so he might have some good ideas. I'd love to say what kind of vegetable it was but I'll leave it to Woody if he wants to share it. It was green by the way

It was runner beans:) Sold out and people were asking for more, i will increase production of that one in the summer.
I too am trying a garden pea version, i'll send you a taster RB.

[rainbowberry]

Thank you Woody http://emoticons4u.com/love/246.gif I need your sauce in litre bottles, they just go down too quick. It just shows that so many things go in sauces, who'd have thought runner beans :shocked: You'd think it would resemble something like Shreks swamp, it didn't a tall, it worked brilliantly.

[POTAWIE]

Hiding veggies in hotsauce, I don't know if that should be a crime or if its ingenious.:lol:

[chilehunter]

potawie - hiding veggies ? chiles are veggies so are tomatoes,carrots,onions,garlic, & many more that are used in hot sauces. so really theres no hiding veggies in a hot suace ;)

BUT! I'll admit using beans is the 1st time I've heard of them being used for a hot sauce.strange.

[POTAWIE]

Yes, I should have said green veggies or strange veggies.

[stillmanz]

green veg is a bit outthere I'm very curious... thats fusion food my friend well done.

[rainbowberry]

potawie - hiding veggies ? chiles are veggies so are tomatoes,carrots,onions,garlic.

Oh I learn't something new then, I always thought chillis were fruit.

[chilehunter]

I always thought & was told that chiles & tomatoes are veggies, I know some people consider tomatoes fruits, I dont know the real answer - fruit or veggie.
but you're really not trying to hide veggies in hot sauce, but beans! I've never heard of them being used for hot sauce, just strange to me. but if you like green beans then why not in some hot sauce, thats all that matters is if you like. I'd try it if someone had some but I doubt I'd buy some unless theres a shitload of rave reviews about the sauce.

[bentalphanerd]

My 8 year old is always telling me that if it has seeds on the inside, its a fruit. That would make pumpkin a fruit too, but he says that what he got taught. I don't think it matters. I just remember that banana is the worlds biggest herb. That'll be important to know one day.

[Omri]

In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary—together with seeds—of a flowering plant. In many species, the fruit incorporates the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds.
...

[chilehunter]

well if you want to go my that theory (seeds inside is a fruit) then beans,peas,squash,zucchini,cucumbers are also fruits

I figure if it has alot of sugar or citric acid in them then its a fruit - except tomatoes :lol:


I just remember that banana is the worlds biggest herb

I gotta hear this, please explain why its a herb ?

[bentalphanerd]

something to do with it not having a wooded trunk. its more like layers of leaves.

[Omri]

something to do with it not having a wooded trunk. its more like layers of leaves.
Banana plants are some of the largest herbs known to us.
The banana fruits are still fruits, as they contain seeds.

[bentalphanerd]

wouldn't the whole cluster be called a fruit as it all comes from a single flower?

[Intensity Academy]

Eggplant sounds really good. I'm experimenting with Beet Hot Sauces...sounds strange, I know!!!

[rainbowberry]

My 8 year old is always telling me that if it has seeds on the inside, its a fruit. That would make pumpkin a fruit too, but he says that what he got taught.

That's the theory I was going by.
well if you want to go my that theory (seeds inside is a fruit) then beans,peas,squash,zucchini,cucumbers are also fruits

I thought cucumber was classed as a fruit too, even though I don't think of it being one.

[chilehunter]

I made a minor mistake I typed "my" instead of "by" = go by that theory. not that it really matters now, but anyways.

I dont get into the technical classification of plants & I dont really care! I will always consider what is a fruit is something that has alot of sugar content or citric acid in them. & tomatoes are a vegetable ;):lol:

[imaguitargod]

I'm trying to make some homemade sauces, and looking for a good base.
Some sauces I've seen are using carrots, but I was thinking more of eggplants or artichokes.
Am I making any sense? I'm also not really sure how to prepare the base.
Should I bake the vegetables? fry them? grill them, or what?
I'm looking for a tasty creamy texture. :)

Eggplant does not sound appatizing, but artichoke does. That's really interesting. I'm trying to think of what would be a good pepper to pair that with and all I've come up with is piquin.

[Sauceman51]

Eggplant sounds really good. I'm experimenting with Beet Hot Sauces...sounds strange, I know!!!

The New Strange Recipe, is always good. Searching for that new flavor. I've worked with beets before in my hot sauces, n the main
thing that i was looking to try n achive was , I wanted a Christmas
red color to the hot sauce without using food dye. I like to keep it natural. Turned out for me that the color was fantastic, but flavor wasn't. I only made the one try, n quit.

[DevilDuck]

Eggplant does not sound appatizing, but artichoke does. That's really interesting. I'm trying to think of what would be a good pepper to pair that with and all I've come up with is piquin.

Serrano, man!!! Nice red, ripe serrano peppers would be awesome.

[setzuanfire]

AJVAR-they make it from Turkey to Armenia. Roasted red peppers and roasted eggplant, a little salt. Very mild dipping sauce, uses hot paprika-type peppers. We get 5 kinds in St Louis.
b

[theHippySeedCo]

No Rainbowberry, you are right the chilli is a Fruit and the Tomato is too..

[POTAWIE]

Scientifically a fruit, but to a chef they are a vegetable. That's what I remember hearing from Alton Brown, something about savoury vs. sweet.

[rainbowberry]

I think aubergines, courgettes and marrows are fruit too but I think of them as veg. seeds = fruit

[Pam]

I think aubergines, courgettes and marrows are fruit too but I think of them as veg. seeds = fruit

Ok, not to belabor the British/American thing, just to make sure I have this right Aubergines = eggplants
Courgettes = zucchinis
marrows = squash

Correct?

Are all squash marrows?

[Omri]

I think aubergines, courgettes and marrows are fruit too but I think of them as veg. seeds = fruit
They're the fruit of the plant, so ya.

Now back on subject, the sauce is doing well. the current version is somewhat mild, and more like puree. needless to say, still working on it.

[rainbowberry]

Looking it up you would call a marrow squash, I think there are a few types of Squash. I know in England you can get Butternut Squash (I think the Australians call it Butternut Pumpkin?) Squash could be used to describe all type of veg/fruit like Pumpkins, Gourds, etc..

[Hotpeppa]

potawie - hiding veggies ? chiles are veggies so are tomatoes,carrots,onions,garlic, & many more that are used in hot sauces. so really theres no hiding veggies in a hot suace ;)

BUT! I'll admit using beans is the 1st time I've heard of them being used for a hot sauce.strange.


i use pickled kidney beans and chick peas in sauces and its always really good...:)

[Hotpeppa]

Eggplant sounds really good. I'm experimenting with Beet Hot Sauces...sounds strange, I know!!!



cool site...

[menguyen89]

you guys think mayonaise would work? then add the desired amount of hot chiles and spicies?

[chuk hell]

AJVAR-they make it from Turkey to Armenia. Roasted red peppers and roasted eggplant, a little salt. Very mild dipping sauce, uses hot paprika-type peppers. We get 5 kinds in St Louis.
b

That stuff is good. I had it for the first time recently.