Entries tagged with 'spicy'
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How did you develop a spicy tolerance? Through a mentor? By force-feeding yourself jalapenos?
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On Wednesdays, Andrea Lynn, senior editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with Serious Heat. [Flickr: Fiona Watson] When others find out your world is spent submerged in hot and spicy food, there are questions galore. One of the most popular revolves around the best thing I've ever tasted. Of course, the answer constantly changes. But recently I've been craving spicy chocolate. Start with the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of chocolate and add a tinge, or even a flame of heat, and you've got perfection. We searched for the best spicy chocolates, munching through bars that crunched and burned. I personally can't get enough of Chuao Firecracker—a smoky chocolate that pops in your mouth like tiny fireworks. It's a revelation for the...
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"If I've got one gripe with Chicago, it's that there aren't enough food carts." [Photographs: Nick Kindelsperger] Iyanzé Truck North Park Drive between East Illinois Street and East North Water Street, Chicago IL 60611 (map); 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday The Short Order: West African truck serving insanely spicy stews. Want Fries with That? No fries, but make sure to get the intense jollof rice. Want Ketchup? Your tongue will be too stunned. If I've got one gripe with Chicago, it's that there aren't enough food carts. We are way behind New York and Los Angeles—and we're not into that tweeting food cart madness either. The ones we do have tend to be hard to find and...
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"My sinuses cleared up pronto, which made the slight pain worth it." [Flickr: alancleaver_2000] Between the trigger of allergies and start of flu season, people go to great lengths to relieve their sinuses during fall. Take my childhood friend, Elizabeth. When we were younger, black pepper was too spicy for her. Though her palate has since become stronger, she's still on the low end when it comes to heat tolerance. [Flickr: ArielAmanda] So I was surprised when she told me how successful cayenne tea was in helping her allergies. "I read in Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford that cayenne pepper will alleviate congestion, so I figured it would be easiest to use in a tea," she said....
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What to do when you don't have the right chile. You know the drill. You've clipped or printed out a recipe that's supposed to be tonight's dinner. Except, the grocery store betrays you—not having those few essential items you need. As an editor at Chile Pepper magazine, for me that usually means a certain chile necessary to test or develop a recipe. For example, in certain regions, some chiles like cayenne are impossible to find fresh. The key to finding an adequate chile replacement is knowing its heat level, sweetness, and smokiness. We pooled our resources to come up with a substitution guide for whole chiles. While it focuses on whole fresh or dried chiles, you can always use a...
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Note: On Wednesdays, Andrea Lynn, senior editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with Serious Heat, with additional writing by Lillian Cho. [Photograph: Bill Milne] Think a lone jar of Dijon or squeeze-bottle of yellow in your fridge covers all your mustard needs for the Labor Day grilling holiday? Well, we were under that assumption too until we went on a quest to find the best spicy mustards around. From orange to white, smooth to chunky, mild to weepingly hot, each mustard we sampled was so original that by the time we had reached the end of the taste-test, we were mustard maniacs. These are our top favorites. But we're still open to opinion. What are your favorite mustards that...
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Note: On Wednesdays, Andrea Lynn, senior editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with Serious Heat. [iStockphoto: Juanmonino] Come on now, let's be adventurous. Why fill that pepper grinder with just black peppercorns when you can spice it up with a variety of options. Penzy's offers a great selection of mixed peppercorn blends. But how do you know the difference? Here's a breakdown: Black Peppercorns Grinding black peppercorns create a strong flavor, aroma and heat. Harvested before the berry is fully ripe, they are boiled briefly and then dried by machine or by sunlight (which causes the wrinkly skin). Most generic black pepper sold in grocery stores contains Brazilian black pepper that isn't as pungent as other varieties. Tellicherry Peppercorns...
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"Ask as politely as you want, but Morocco's famous hospitality does not extend to revealing the spices or proportions contained in this legendary spice blend." Note: On Thursdays, Andrea Lynn, associate editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with some Serious Heat. This week, she joined forces with travel writer Kate Mulcrone to discover the mystery of a Moroccan spice blend. Sifting through unground ras el hanout. Forget the baffling, labyrinthine streets of the medinas in Marrakech and Fes—the true mystery of Morocco is found in the pantry. Right next to jars of cinnamon, cumin, and dried ginger you might find ras el hanout, a blend of anywhere from ten to 100 spices that is the carefully guarded secret behind...
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If you're not an Angeleno but still want to jump on the Korean taco bandwagon, Gourmet has recipes for creating your own. [via California Taco Trucks]...
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Cinnamon-Cayenne Ice Cream with Cider Doughnuts; photograph by Bill Milne When the weather turns warm there's nothing like basking in the glow of cold, creamy ice cream. But have you let your taste buds explore the cool/fiery sensation of spicy ice cream? For example, there's a frozen concoction called Cold Sweat from Sunni Ski's Homemade Ice Cream in Angier, North Carolina. Listed as "dangerously hot," tasters and buyers must first sign a waiver before sampling this ice cream spiked with blazing hot sauce and chiles. Wow. If you want to come up with your own, albeit milder, spicy ice cream, try steeping dried chiles into the milk or cream base. You can also add a strong dose of cinnamon to...
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