Habanero Kiwi Sauce

Flamecycle · Mar 30, 2012

Hey all, was just experimenting in the kitchen with some strange flavor ideas, figured I'd show and tell.

Ingredients:

1 kiwi
~10 orange habs
4 dried smoked bhut's
1 fresno
~ 1 T cane sugar
1 dash allspice
juice 2 limes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water

First I deseeded the dried bhuts and placed them into the vinegar/lime juice solution to let them rehydrate:

Then chopped up my peppers and skinned the kiwi:

Add in all the peppers and boil for about 15 mins:

The kiwi doesnt boil, it gets set in the blender ahead of time:

Then everything gets piled into the blender and she takes a twirl:

And Voila! Bottle hot. (looks like I didnt eyeball 1 bottle's worth quite right)

It came out nice and screaching hot, hotter than the last batch I made with mostly fresh bhuts. I notice a big difference in the heat of my fresh sauces based on how long I boil them, more than 15 mins seems to cool down the batch. I'm sure it will mellow out after a week or so in the fridge anyway.

The flavor is different than anything I've made before... Its fairly sweet but tart at the same time with a noticeable smokiness from the bhuts, and the heat is a sharp searing pain at the front of the tongue and top of the mouth.

I think it would go well on meats like chicken (has sort of a light jerkish flavor), and I expect it to be a good addition to Indian or Middle eastern dishes.

Ill update in about a week when I reopen and start regular consumption.

PexPeppers · Mar 30, 2012

that looks... AWESOME!

masschilehead · Mar 30, 2012

Nicely done! Looks great!

Crusher · Mar 30, 2012

I am definitely trying this. Sounds nice.

Justaguy · Mar 30, 2012

So damn simple and has me drooling.

mygrassisblue · Mar 30, 2012

Looks like heaven !! I would have the martini shaker at the ready !! YUMMY !

FuzeBox · Apr 4, 2012

I like that! Looks killer! I often use kiwi fruit in my own salsa's in that it throws in a factor of tartness. Kudos to the chef!

Flamecycle · Apr 5, 2012

Thank you all for the positive feedback!

I have begun trying this sauce out now that its had a little time for everything to mingle (not too much time, I got anxious). The smoked bhuts have a prominent place in the aroma, along with a tangy sweet pepper smell, the vinegar isn't too noticeable.

Eating it straight, I really like the flavor. I can taste everything, the smokiness from the bhuts is great, and the allspice was a good decision, I think it really gives the sauce an interesting jerk character. It definitely has a tangy tartness from the combo of kiwi, vinegar, and lime, but is fairly sweet at the same time. However, that aspect of the flavor is a bit subtle. On food (so far tried on chicken, eggs, and chips), I don't think it has enough POP to really carry a dish. On food it tastes like it is almost delicious, but the flavors seem watered down. I have yet to try it on fish, maybe the subtleness will be a positive there.

The heat is actually fairly mild considering that there are 12 habs and 4 bhuts in 3/4 of a bottle. But it does have a good searing burn that seems to focus on the tongue, and the heat level is a good mix with the sweet flavor imo.

I think next time around I will double the kiwi, and add smaller number of hotter peppers (maybe substitute fresh 7 pot or bhut for some habs). That ought to leave me with a similar heat and flavor profile but a more pungent one for food. Once my plants start producing Ill try that out and update with how it compares.

Overall I would recommend trying a sauce like this though, its a tasty sauce to just spoon into your mouth or douse potato chips with.