I have been making this stuff for a while, it's REALLY easy to make and I figured I'd share it with you guys!
Crushed Candied Habaneros
-------------------------
Crushed Candied Habaneros are halved then cooked in a sweet acidic citrus syrup, dried and then crushed into
small flakes and chunks. They can be used like crushed red pepper to add a hot, sweet and fruity habanero
flavor to your cooking. Crushed Candied Habaneros should be added during the cooking process as the chunks
are rather hard and very spicy, it is not recommended that they be added onto prepared food as a garnish!
Ingredients:
-------------------------
20-40 small to medium sized, well ripe to over ripe Red Habaneros (Caribbean Red Habaneros recommended, Orange Habaneros can be used as well but the color will not be the same)
2-4 tablespoons of Lemon or Lime juice (Red Wine Vinegar may be substituted but result will be more acidic)
1 teaspoon salt (Sea Salt recommended)
2 cups Granulated Sugar (Brown Sugar or Raw Sugar may also be used)
Directions:
-------------------------
Remove the stems of the Habaneros and cut them completely in half from the stem end to the blossom end. You may remove
the seeds but it is best to leave them inside. You should wear rubber gloves whenever cutting or handling Habanero peppers
as they are extremely hot and can cause you all sorts of pain if you touch your eyes or other sensitive parts of your body!
Next add the sugar, salt and juice to a medium or small sauce pan, then heat on high until the sugar dissolves into the juice
and becomes clear.
Tip: Turn on your grease fan or open a window (if you don't have a grease fan) at this stage as the vapors of the cooking process
may irritate the throat and nose!
Next add habanero halves into the sauce pan, mix well and cook on medium to low heat to bring the syrup to a boil, and do this until the
habaneros become translucent or resemble maraschino cherries. The sugar and juice mixture should have the consistency of maple
syrup and if the liquid is too runny, resume cooking to boil off more water, or if it's too thick add a little water or more juice.
Now prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or greased heavy duty aluminum foil and scoop up the habanero halves
with a fork allowing the excess syrup to drip off, and then place them on the baking sheet so that no two halves are touching.
Place in the middle to higher rack of your oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 C) for 2-3 hours or until the habaneros turn into
a dark red color. Then take out one of the larger habanero halves and place aside to cool for a few minutes. When it has cooled,
take a metal spoon and press down onto the habanero half, if it crushes easily into smaller pieces then you can remove the rest from
the oven to cool. Otherwise you need to return them to the oven to continue to remove moisture. Check about every 10 to 15 minutes
and repeat the spoon test, when they are done and cooled they should resemble hard candy, being smooth to the touch and not sticky.
When they have cooled and solidified, you may carefully peel them off the parchment or foil and into a smooth nonstick bowl and crush
them with a flat kitchen utensil until the chunks are the size of crushed red pepper flakes. The chunks should be a dark red color with
a strong habanero aroma and should be stored in a seal-able container of your choosing.
Tip: There may be leftover syrup after the cooking process which should have lots of habanero flavor and heat, instead of throwing this
away, it can be added into any BBQ or Wing sauce to give it a sweet habanero kick!
Heres what they look like before going into the oven!
And heres what they look like after they have been crushed!
I wish the images could share the aroma and flavor, but for that you will have to make this yourself!
Enjoy!
Crushed Candied Habaneros
-------------------------
Crushed Candied Habaneros are halved then cooked in a sweet acidic citrus syrup, dried and then crushed into
small flakes and chunks. They can be used like crushed red pepper to add a hot, sweet and fruity habanero
flavor to your cooking. Crushed Candied Habaneros should be added during the cooking process as the chunks
are rather hard and very spicy, it is not recommended that they be added onto prepared food as a garnish!
Ingredients:
-------------------------
20-40 small to medium sized, well ripe to over ripe Red Habaneros (Caribbean Red Habaneros recommended, Orange Habaneros can be used as well but the color will not be the same)
2-4 tablespoons of Lemon or Lime juice (Red Wine Vinegar may be substituted but result will be more acidic)
1 teaspoon salt (Sea Salt recommended)
2 cups Granulated Sugar (Brown Sugar or Raw Sugar may also be used)
Directions:
-------------------------
Remove the stems of the Habaneros and cut them completely in half from the stem end to the blossom end. You may remove
the seeds but it is best to leave them inside. You should wear rubber gloves whenever cutting or handling Habanero peppers
as they are extremely hot and can cause you all sorts of pain if you touch your eyes or other sensitive parts of your body!
Next add the sugar, salt and juice to a medium or small sauce pan, then heat on high until the sugar dissolves into the juice
and becomes clear.
Tip: Turn on your grease fan or open a window (if you don't have a grease fan) at this stage as the vapors of the cooking process
may irritate the throat and nose!
Next add habanero halves into the sauce pan, mix well and cook on medium to low heat to bring the syrup to a boil, and do this until the
habaneros become translucent or resemble maraschino cherries. The sugar and juice mixture should have the consistency of maple
syrup and if the liquid is too runny, resume cooking to boil off more water, or if it's too thick add a little water or more juice.
Now prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or greased heavy duty aluminum foil and scoop up the habanero halves
with a fork allowing the excess syrup to drip off, and then place them on the baking sheet so that no two halves are touching.
Place in the middle to higher rack of your oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 C) for 2-3 hours or until the habaneros turn into
a dark red color. Then take out one of the larger habanero halves and place aside to cool for a few minutes. When it has cooled,
take a metal spoon and press down onto the habanero half, if it crushes easily into smaller pieces then you can remove the rest from
the oven to cool. Otherwise you need to return them to the oven to continue to remove moisture. Check about every 10 to 15 minutes
and repeat the spoon test, when they are done and cooled they should resemble hard candy, being smooth to the touch and not sticky.
When they have cooled and solidified, you may carefully peel them off the parchment or foil and into a smooth nonstick bowl and crush
them with a flat kitchen utensil until the chunks are the size of crushed red pepper flakes. The chunks should be a dark red color with
a strong habanero aroma and should be stored in a seal-able container of your choosing.
Tip: There may be leftover syrup after the cooking process which should have lots of habanero flavor and heat, instead of throwing this
away, it can be added into any BBQ or Wing sauce to give it a sweet habanero kick!
Heres what they look like before going into the oven!
And heres what they look like after they have been crushed!
I wish the images could share the aroma and flavor, but for that you will have to make this yourself!
Enjoy!
