Make your own. (Habanero Hot Sauce)

Chef Josh is a talented guy. Last year he had a party and made a bunch of chili –which was awesome. One of the best parts of the dinner was this killer homemade hot sauce that we put on everything, even the five-alarm batch he served. I remember that he captured the unique flavor of the habanero and, of course, its heat, but a base of apple balanced out the intensity with a little sweetness. This year, as soon as our crop of habaneros came in, I emailed Josh for his recipe and this is the response I got:

for the hot sauce:
roughly
Sweat out some onion/garlic, add in roughly chopped apples.  Simmer the mix in a brine (cider/rice vin., salt, sugar, water) and when the apples are soft, add the chilis and kill the heat and let it chill out for a day or so. (so it’s more like a pickled pepper than actually cooked to death)
I puree it, sometimes i strain it/sometimes i don’t.
you be the judge.
let me know how it turns out.

AAh chefs. I guess I would give a similar response… but it sent me straight to the kitchen, determined to create an actual recipe for a great sauce that fulfilled Josh’s, MG’s and my expectations. And, well, it turned out beyond. I want to put it on everything. I almost feel like bottling and selling it. I want to give it as gifts for Christmas, paint my house with it, fill up the fountain at Rockerfeller Center. Anyway… big shout out to Josh and TEAMWORK. Thanks alot!!

JOSH’S HABANERO HOT SAUCE

1 tablespoon oil (canola, grapeseed, sunflower, etc.)

1 cup onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 crisp apples, peeled and chopped (about 1.5 pounds) (any mix of braeburn, fuji, granny, gala, mac, etc.)

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2.5 tablespoons salt

12 habanero peppers (about 2 ounces)

• Sweat out the onion and garlic in warmed oil over a low flame. Once translucent, stir in the apples.
• After sweating the apples for about 5 minutes, add 1/2 cup of water, the vinegar, sugar and 1.5 tablespoons of salt. Mix well and simmer until the apples are soft, about 20 minutes. It will resemble apple sauce.
• Bury the whole habaneros in the sauce, remove from the heat. Cool slightly and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Next day: puree the mixture in a blender or food processor with an additional 2 cups of water and remaining 1 tablespoon of salt.

(yield: 6 cups hot sauce)

Can’t wait to douse the pulled pork I am making this weekend. Recipe to come!