Q: Hi Dave,My wife and I have two tanning salons in Michigan called Chili Peppers Tanning. Do you know where we can find some cool chile pepper items to decorate our salons? We would greatly appreciate some help. Thanks,Jeff A: Hello Jeff:A good place to start is with our recommended retailers, some of which carry nonfood decorative items: http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/retailers.asp Remember …
Drying Seeds
Q: Hello Dave:I Was giving a talk on chiles Saturday while waving one of your fine books. I had two questions which I could not answer with confidence. They were:1. Should you always dry seeds from mature pods before seed starting? 2. Is there anything significant about possible red markings near the glands on a cut green pod? To me, …
Cold or Hot Avocado Soup
This summer soup is delicious cold or hot. While this recipe makes four servings, each just under one cup, you may want to double it, either to accommodate more people or larger appetites. From the article Avocado Madness!
Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
1 ripe, large Haas avocado
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Habanero hot sauce, to taste
Italian parsley leaves and cherry tomato rings for garnish
Instructions
In a large sauce pan, heat the chicken broth until hot, not boiling. Set aside.
Peel the avocado and remove the seed. Cut into several pieces, place in the food processor or blender, and purée. Turn off the blender and pour in the whipping cream, followed by the hot chicken broth, cumin, salt, white pepper, sherry, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Pulse a few times, just until mixture is blended. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve immediately, or chill for at least two hours and serve.
Heat Scale: Varies
Adjusting Rubs to Smokers
Dr. BBQ: Have you ever had to adjust your rub to a smoker? I have a new rig and I can’t get my meat to bark up–it’s cooked well but no bark. So I have gradually started reducing the amount of turbinado and adding brown sugar in place of the tubinado. I use the Big Time BBQ Rub. What do …
Trinidadian Curry Paste
This recipe and others can be found in the 12-part illustrated series “A World of Curries”. You can read all about this unique Indian flavor here.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons roasted coriander seed
1 teaspoon roasted anise seed
1 teaspoon roasted cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon roasted cumin seed
1 teaspoon roasted fenugreek seed
1 teaspoon roasted black peppercorns
1 teaspoon roasted mustard seed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed, chopped (or substitute 3 red jalapenos)
Water as needed
Instructions
Grind all the ingredients into a paste with a mortar and pestle, or use a food processor and puree.