Guest Post: Hot Pepper Butter

On my flight from Minnesota to Portland for the Controlled Release Society conference in July, I sat next to a guy named Robert. Robert was very friendly and talkative, so we passed the time on the flight chatting about science, photography and cooking. He thought it was cool that I had a cooking blog, so he sent me this guest post recipe for Pepper Butter. Him and his wife grow hot peppers, so they make this and jar it. Thanks Robert, for the great guest post!

Hot Pepper Butter

36 to 50 chile peppers (or more, depending on size and desired heat)

1 quart prepared yellow mustard

1 quart cider vinegar

5 cups sugar or Splenda (we made one batch of each and couldn't really tell the difference)

1 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch or two of garlic

8-10 pint-sized canning jars

Chop/blend peppers in food processor or blender (a blender makes finer chunks). We use a lot of peppers as you can see in the photos, though we didn't use all of the habaneros or Caribbean red hots (the orange and orange-red peppers to the left) as they are extremely hot. You can leave the seeds in or remove them; we decided to remove them along with the central "placenta," which contains the capsaicin glands and is the hottest part of the pepper.

Add peppers and remaining ingredients into large saucepan and stir thoroughly. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. STIR CONSTANTLY as the thickness of the sauce will cause it to burn very easily. Have prepared canning jars ready. The mixture should be canned immediately to ensure a good seal. Makes approximately 8 pints.

The peppers as shown are the following varieties, clockwise from upper right:

Cayenne (hot)

Chile red or Thai (very hot)

Garden Salsa (mild to medium heat)

Caribben red hot or Scotch bonnet (like a habanero, only hotter!)

Habanero

Italian salsa (mild/medium heat)

A couple of jalapenos for good measure

This particular mix made for a fairly spicy mustard, but not overwhelming. Cooking the mixture reduces the heat somewhat.

Enjoy!