Louisiana Pepper Exchange Review
Settle in for a hot read y’all. It be smokin’ up in here.
From the amazing pepper purees I’m about to introduce – get your mind out the gutter!
These little pots of goodness sure did pack the heat AND the flavor! To say they were out of this world would be an understatement & quite the lie, so I’m suggesting you get a box & try them out for yourself!
This product review was SO damnfun and I was so touched that after leaving a genuine comment on a fellow foodie’s post, Louisiana Pepper Exchange reached out directly to me with a sweet offering to try their purees!
the scoop.
My oh my, I jumped at that chance, let me tell you what. Swappings, Recipes, & Mix-ins galore danced ‘round in my head. As I’ve gotten (a little) older, my tastebuds are changing as well. Not that I’ve ever eaten like the pickiest 6 year old, but ya girl isn’t the biggest fan of big, bold spice. I enjoy a lil heat & definitely a depth of flavor addition, but reading about these purees had me shakin’ in my boots.
I received a beautifully packaged box in the mail with postcard recipes of old faithful, tried & true methods of just how to use these wonderful purees. I enjoyed THE MOST that it had a scientific breakdown of exactly HOW MUCH of these purees to use in sauces, drinks, etc. to be sure it was enjoyable & within the spice range necessary.
No measuring, “Oh shit” -ting or worries for this girl! This package was stacked with the good stuff & literature as well – I was excited & ready to get to experimenting!
you wanna pizza me?
For starters, my husband was out of town when I tried my first experiment with the Orange Habanero puree. He’s one of THOSE people who doesn’t like pineapple on his pizza, so I decided to jump at that damn chance to eat my pizza in peace without him.
I decided to make a pizza sauce & jazz it up a tad – you know, Southern-isms.
Starting off with regular ole jarred pizza sauce, I added some pineapple BBQ sauce from Trader Joe’s, some pineapple juice, and the star of the whole show – a generous dab of Orange Habanero puree. It was swirled to perfection. I may have heard angels singing….or perhaps that was the ding of my Wolf oven letting me know it was preheated & to hurry my ass up and make this damn pizza.
hawaiian-habanero perfection
Either way, the fewest ingredients really surprised me & made me OH SO happy because this pizza was better than anything I can get anywhere else! The pineapple lent the sugar, the BBQ sauce added the smoke, and the Orange Habanero added that kick that went perfectly with smoky ham, sweet pineapple chunks, sharp shallots, & melty gouda cheese. Every single ingredient in this pizza shone & I’m so excited that I found yet another way to make a kick-ass pizza sauce!
onto the next one.
Next up on my solo culinary adventure was making a scratch BBQ sauce for some delectable boneless country pork ribs I had kindly asked my husband to grill out.
I’m not gonna lie, I looked up a few other recipes to see what everyone’s base was for BBQ sauce – I could have smacked myself. Ketchup, ya dumb bitch. Duh, ok cool. Now that I finally got the key ingredient nailed down, it was time to have some fun! I knew I wanted to use the Chipotle puree since it was smoky, dark & a little sweet-heat. I wanted to build around the puree itself because that’s what it deserved!
I had already sprinkled a dry rub on the ribs – Trader Joe’s Garlic Coffee BBQ Rub – its so delicious & seasonal, so go get some NOW. We only eat it on pork ribs so I’m not exactly the spokesperson that’s gonna tell you to try it on everything, but that dark, bitter coffee grit went PERFECTLY with my Chipotle puree BBQ.
and then what?
Ketchup, Grape Jelly, Worcestershire, Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic Powder, Cumin & Chipotle Puree was all that went into this magic BBQ sauce. I mixed everything together, simmered it on the stove gently for about 10 minutes. That grape jelly was REFUSING to back down so I had to whisk that sucker so it would merry with everyone else and actually become a sauce. I was actually able to use a full teaspoon of the Chipotle puree, it was that good and mixed insanely well with all the other flavors.
Brushed this concoction over the ribs on the grill & allowed everything to caramelize – chefs kiss. I couldn’t think of a better way to use this Chipotle Puree. However, we did – we used some leftover pork on a sandwich with some Havarti cheese and drizzled more sauce overtop, panini style – are you picking up what I’m putting down?
fiesta!
Cinco de Mayo was also just around the corner when I first received my box of goods. Trust & believe, I planned and executed this baby to the fullest extent I could.
I know lots of people like to put raw jalapeno & cilantro in their guacamole. Unfortunately, I am Caucasian and prefer neither of those. I enjoy jalapenos in my margaritas & I enjoy cilantro in the fucking trash. Yes, I’m one of those people that tastes soap when I eat cilantro. I hate that shit. HATE IT.
ANYWAY.
I knew the obvious choice would be the jalapeno puree in my guac but then I was like, nah. I’m sure that’s been seen & it’s so overdone. So, I went with the Cayenne puree. Definitely pungent but on the smoother side compared to the Habanero puree. My guac already uses cayenne powder so I was like, PERFECT I’ll just use the Cayenne puree and it will be even more fresh! I tell you what, I could not have been more right.
ole!
The Cayenne was a welcome heat to the smooth texture & tangy taste of my guacamole. I like to use the Holy Guacamole pre-mashed, sealed up containers as the base for my guac because its already so smooth – then I like to add Greek Yogurt (extra tang) a ton of lime juice because duh, and then rough chop a fresh avocado to give it that chunky texture we all look for in guacamole. Before you judge, NO that’s not everything that goes into my guac – I ain’t giving you my whole recipe here, calm down.
The Cayenne puree definitely did its thing. It was swirled around perfectly with all the other ingredients and really mellowed out with the addition of the lime juice. I enjoyed this puree over my traditional use of cayenne powder because it had a fresh punch of flavor but didn’t overpower the whole damn dip like some dry spices can accidentally do. I was so impressed with the Cayenne puree that I might cross lines and try the Jalapeño puree next time I make guacamole!
Thanks for stopping by!
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If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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