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Heat plus sweet
By JANET K. KEELER © St. Petersburg Times,
Specifically, fruit flavors, which are finding their way with increasing regularity into salsas, hot sauces and barbecue sauces. It's not just tropical mangoes, papayas and pineapples that are being paired with hot peppers. Blackberries, raspberries and peaches now add their own distinctive flavors to the mix. Botanically, chilis are classified as fruits, so it makes sense that adventurous culinary types would link heat with sweet. For years, chiliheads clamored for thermonuclear sauces with names such as Da' Bomb, DOA Cyanide and Rigor Mortis, whose hallmark is taste-bud numbing heat that blocks out any flavors. "Pain is good" is even the mantra of one popular brand, Original Juan. "Fiery foods are the only segment of the food industry that threaten, insult and scare the consumer," says Dave DeWitt, the so-called Pope of Peppers and chief hothead for this weekend's fourth annual National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show at the Times Arena at Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg. "Some of these hot sauces can repel cockroaches and work well if you have a problem with woodpeckers." But can you eat them? Well, not really, DeWitt says of the super hot sauces that sometimes come with dramatic disclaimers absolving the makers of any "injuries" that might be incurred by novice tasters. "The super hot sauces have exhausted their popularity," DeWitt says. "Flavor is back." However, that said, there always will be a market for Mad Dog Inferno, Acid Rain or Endorphin Rush hot sauces as kitsch kitchen decor or gag gifts, DeWitt says. If you can't imagine how blueberries taste in barbecue sauce or what peaches add to a smokey chipotle melange, a trip to the Fiery Foods Show is in order. (Or you can try the recipes on this page.)Some 7,500 people are expected to file by the 100 exhibitors showcasing more than 500 products, including salad dressings, salsas and marinades, most of which will be for sale. Make sure you've got something to drink as you sample up and down the aisles; liquid salvation is sold there. Exhibitors will come mostly from Texas, the Southeast and the Caribbean. Many will be from Florida, one of the nation's top hot sauce producers. The fiery food industry attracts a lot of people who keep their day jobs while peddling pepper products on the side. Expect to find folks who are offering their products for the first time and are nearly giddy to have the opportunity. Some fade away after this show; others will hit big. Matt Barber of Lakeland was a guy with big dreams last year when he debuted his Hot Wachula line of chunky salsas. The night before the show, he said he was still pasting labels on jars. This weekend, he returns a winner. His cranberry apricot salsa won second place in the fruit salsa category of the annual Scovie Awards, which were announced last week. The Scovies, the Academy Awards for hot pepper products, are named after Wilbur Scoville, who in 1912 invented the rating system to measure the heat of peppers. A green bell pepper would be 0 Scoville units and a habanero about 300,000. More than 30 judges gather each year in Albuquerque, N.M., to eat heat and proclaim the best products in the land. (A complete list of award winners and more information about the contest is available at www.fiery-foods.com). Malcolm Quincy of Jacksonville won a Scovie last year as an amateur and this year took the top Scovie in the professional category for his Habby Habanero's Caribbean-style hot sauce. He'll be at this weekend's show with samples of his grand-prize winning sauce. Tom Dahl of St. Petersburg's Poison Pepper Company, who won a 2002 second-place Scovie for his Toxic Waste Hot Sauce label, will also be at the show. Other Tampa Bay area exhibitors include: Bobarosa's Gourmet, Clearwater; Catch a Fire, St. Petersburg; Frenchman's Fire, Seminole; All American Container, Health Craft Cookware, Jamaica Hell Fire and Valido's Gourmet, all of Tampa; Ruskin Redneck Trading Company, Ruskin; Sisser-Sisser Inc., Temple Terrace; and Purple Pepper Company, Madeira Beach. If you're ready to start production on your own hot sauce, Cripple Creek Growers of New Port Richey, one of the largest growers of varietal peppers in the Southeast, will be selling pepper plants. Among the chefs who will give presentations are Emil O. Topel of Fancy's Specialty Market, Chris Fernandez of Red Mesa and Adobo Grill, and Edyth James of Saffron's Caribbean Restaurant, all of St. Petersburg. Radio and television personality Jack Harris teams up with Charles Knight, owner of Health Craft Cookware, for a demonstration. Blueberry Barbecue Sauce1 teaspoon olive oil Saute the onions and jalapeno in olive oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan until limp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook at a low boil for 15 minutes, stirring often. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth. Source: www.recipesource.com. Chicken With Peach and Chipotle Sauce2 cups canned syrup-packed peaches, coarsely chopped Drain the syrup from the peaches. Blend peaches, chipotles and chicken broth. Add more chiles, to taste. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place them in an oven-proof casserole. Pour peach mixture over top and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Bake chicken in marinade for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Source: www.ethnicgrocer.com IF YOU GOThe fourth annual Florida Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show is from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Times Arena at Bayfront Center, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. Admission is $6 per person; children under 12 get in free when accompanied by an adult. For more information, log on to www.fiery-foods.com.
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
Incendiary hot sauces with clever names have finally met their match: flavor.
