A friend gifted us a Mongolian Standard Cherry Tree. We had no idea what it was or what to expect from it, so we planted it in our grove and let it find its place among its mentors: our Meyer Lemon, Olive, and Avocado trees.
For the better part of a year, it did absolutely nothing. Then, seemingly overnight, it woke up. By late summer, it was growing like crazy and producing cherries faster than we could use them. Their flavor? Weirdly addictive—a delicious collision of sweet and sour that keeps you coming back for more.
This hot sauce was our first experiment with the harvest, and its name is entirely appropriate. It’s as beautiful as a Mongolian bride, but don’t let that fool you. This is one you’ll learn to respect. Instantly.
INGREDIENTS:
- Extra virgin olive oil (coat sauce pan)
- 12 habaneros. Cut the stems off but leave the seeds in the peppers.
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 small bowl of Mongolian Cherries (pitted)
- 1/2 Large White Onion (coarsely diced)
- 1 large carrot (cut into chunks)
- 1 3/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 1/2 Cup Water
- 3 oz Colavita Pizz Sauce
- 6 bitesize pieces of fresh cantalope
- 1 TSP Sea Salt (add as needed)
- 1 TSP Fresh ground pepper
- 1 TBSP Brown Sugar (generous)
- 1 TBSP Chaka-Laka Spice (Madari & Sons – Durbin SA)
- 1 TBSP BBQ-Spice (Madari & Sons – Durbin SA)
- 1 TBSP Clover Honey
- A pair of disposable latex gloves. Do not handle the peppers with your bare hands— especially if you wear contacts. Capsaicin oil can last 24 hours on your fingers
HOW THE MAGIC HAPPENS
Place garlic bulbs (cut side down on sheet) and onion , quartered carrot & habaneros in toaster until firmly soft and slightly browned (375 F for 15 minutes). Remove from toaster and squeeze out the cloves. In a large pan, add 1 1/2 Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Cup of water, garlic cloves, onion, carrots and peppers.
Let it come to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Stir in the Chaka-Laka and BB Spices, salt and Leave at simmer until the peppers and carrots are firmly soft. The longer you simmer the more heat you will remove from the peppers.
Remove from heat and let it cool until warm. Pour in the contents from the pan into a blender (Vitamix works best on high). Add in: the remaining apple cider vinegar, water, Cantalope, Clover honey, Mongolian Cherries, brown sugar and Pizza Sauce. If the mixture is a little to thin, add in some water to thin or tomato paste to thicken.
This liquid will thicken up after it sets and cools down, so go light on the thickening agents or pouring from a bottle will be like Ketchup. The blend should seem a little thin when complete and you are ready to transfer into Hot Sauce bottles, using a funnel. It is a good idea to sterilize the bottles in a large pot of water, adding salt for buoyancy. Only flash sterilize the caps or they will warp. Use a hair dryer for the shrink wrap and add labels of you creation. Refrigerate when done.
SERVE WITH:
- On Chips, artisan breads, vegetables, as a dip
- On Eggs, sandwiches
- Add to salsa to spice things up
- Soups, Chile, stews, when the weather cools and you want to shave off the chill.
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