Sauce of the Week

(Note - not every week gets a sauce. The title simply assures that no sauce gets cheated by being on top of the pack less than a week.)

The sauce this time is a hot sauce called

Melinda's Original Habanero Hot Pepper Sauce

I have long been a fan of the habanero with its dry, fiery taste as opposed to "wetter" peppers like jalapenos (which, by contrast, could almost be called "greasy"). At roughly twice the heat rating of a chile, a little of this pepper goes a long way.

In this sauce, however, the habanero has a sparse presence. Using carrots to dilute the pepper's strength, this sauce is not an organic powder keg. While the flavor of the habanero is noticeable, this sauce keeps its power in check, and requires application in salsa-like quantities - far more than a good hot sauce should.

The sauce merits review, however, for its breadth of flavor. The combination of habanero heat with the sweet-tartness of lime (and to a lesser extent, onion) leaves a broad swath of pleasure on the taste buds, with flavor continuing to grow and morph after the food has left the mouth. I was also pleasantly surprised by the back seat that the vinegar took. Vinegar in hot sauces is normally an irritation at best, and a serious liability when it overpowers the sauce (e.g., Texas Pete's, a sauce which casts an undeserved slur on the good name of Texas). Here, however, it adds background bitterness, giving depth without interfering with the primary flavor of the sauce.

Commentary on the uses of hot sauces seems out of place, as their culinary place seems well established. I will mention only that Melinda's is good on quesadillas.