Summer Night Sizzle
Spicy foods raise temperatures faster than a pair of lips grazing your neck or a finger’s trace down the length of your spine. Sweat inducing foods cool your body as it races to regulate the sudden fervor raging inside. This is why the world’s fiercest cuisine hails from searingly hot locals like India, Asia, the Carribean and the humid, haunted bayous of Louisiana.
Ted and Joan Ballweg of Savory Accents http://www.savoryaccents.com/ have made piquant, blood pumping peppers their business in unsuspecting Verona, Wisconsin. Ted pepper connoisseur’s chili list reads like a display of fireworks; Thai Hots, Serranos, Kung Pao Cayennes, Black Beauties, Habaneros, Chinese Lanterns, etc. Ted handpicks and raises chili peppers on their Wisconsin farmette.
Joan, chili pepper alchemist, studied cooking in France and conjures unique peppery products in her kitchen.
Savory Accent’s Chili Jam
http://www.savoryaccents.com/products/chili-jam/ took center stage in the Chili Jam, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini we made over the weekend.
Chili Jam’s spice and sweetness meet the richness of caramelized onions and counters with the tangy goodness of creamy goat cheese. The result of this crostini? Sweet, spicy, creamy and crunchy all in one bite.
Ingredients:
Several cups sliced onions (at least two cups, always make extra and use leftovers)
¼ cup Olive oil
2 tbs. Butter
Thyme, a pinch
Salt
Pepper
Goat Cheese, 8 oz log, room temperature.
Baguette, sliced into ½ inch slices.
Chili Jam
Caramelized Onions:
Melt butter and olive in a wide, thick-bottomed pan. Add onion slices, salt, pepper and thyme and stirring to coat. Cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally for at least an hour. Allow the onions to slowly brown.
Toast Baguette:
While the onions are caramelizing, pre-heat the oven to 350. Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes until toasted.
Assemble:
Spread goat cheese a toasted baguette, top with a dollop of Chili Jam and a small pile of caramelized onions.
Arrange and enjoy.
www.sashagraham.com writer and food lover explore the magic, mystery, and alchemy of eating with her husband Bill Brady food photographer. Discover more of Sasha’s kitchen magic in her book Tarot Diva.