An Afternoon In The Kitchen

I spent the morning watching the U18 Women's World Championship and the Farjestad women's game where they dismantled Troja-Ljungby by a 5-0 score. There was nothing that caught my eye in any of the games I watched outside of a handful of players and plays that resulted in goals, but the hockey was entertaining nonetheless. I did spend some time, however, peering into my stand-up freezer in my kitchen as I tried to figure out what I should make for dinner, and it occurred to me that there was some stuff in there that I had been meaning to use up and never got around to it. In saying that, it was time to break out the chef's apron!

I had a small bag of frozen peach slices that wouldn't amount to much in muffins or a cake of some sort, and they needed to be used up sooner than later. There was also a small bag of habanero peppers that were starting to look like they had been in the deep freeze for longer than they wanted, so the mind landed on a peach-habanero hot sauce that I could use as a marinade for chicken tonight. I like the mix of fruit with the spicy kick of a hot pepper, so I was hoping these two freezer companions could become one amazing sauce.

A quick internet search brought me to several recipes with similar ingredients, but it seemed these recipes were aiming for hot more than sweet-hot. This isn't an episode of Hot Ones so I don't need something that will melt my face, and I wanted a nice blend between the sweetness of the peaches and the heat from the habaneros. In saying that, I made a few additions and alterations to the recipes that I read, and it seems to have paid off nicely for that good blend between the two forces in this sauce with the recipe below.

Safety Note

When handling habanero peppers, be aware that the oils from the pepper can affect your skin. If possible, use gloves when handling and cutting them in order to protect yourself from any irritation you may experience. If you do feel some tingling or burning from the peppers, wash your hands with dish soap and warm water to remove as much of the oil as possible from your skin, and apply vinegar to the affected area as acetic acid neutralizes the alkalinity of capsaicin.

Ingredients

6 medium peaches, peeled and diced*
1/2 of a sweeter onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of water
2/3 cup of sugar*
2 tsp. of sea salt
5 habanero peppers, stems removed and cut in half

You'll note the two starred items in the ingredients, and that's because I decided to use the remainder of the frozen peaches, but also added the entire can - peaches and syrupy water - of sliced peaches I had in my pantry. I wanted a sweeter taste than what the original recipes called for which was just four medium peaches, so I went heavier on the peaches and the sweetness. This is where you can adjust for taste, but this mixture works for my liking.

Directions

Put everything except the peppers into a medium sauce pan, stir gently, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, add the peppers, and stir gently again while letting the mixture simmer as shown in the image to the right. Be aware that the longer you cook out the oils from the habanero, the spicier this mixture will get. I left it for about 10 minutes, and that was plenty for me based on what the final sauce gave me for heat. Once the boiling has reduced to a simmer, use an immersion blender to blend the entire mixture into a sauce. Store in mason jars or sealable containers in the refrigerator and use as needed!

For those without an immersion blender, allow this to cool for 15-20 minutes before using a regular blender to puree the entire mixture into sauce. If stored in jars, this sauce should last a couple of months in the fridge from what the various recipes indicated.

After using it on the chicken I cooked this evening, I am very satisfied with the results. There's a touch of sweet peach flavour that changes to the spicy heat of the habanero without any of the searing pain that one associates with this pepper. I imagine it would be a good sauce for wings or chicken fingers as well, so I may have to do some additional testing this week. In any case, tonight's protein portion of the entree gets solid marks from me after getting the hot sauce prepared this afternoon! I might even go for seconds!

If you do make this sauce, leave me a comment below as to what you thought of the sauce, if you made any changes to the recipe, or anything else you may want to add. I'm going back for some more chicken, so enjoy the hockey tonight and we'll get caught up tomorrow!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!