General Sauce Recipe Questions

[Steve973]

I recently made a ketchup-based sauce, and I really like it. However, I don't want to use ketchup in each and every sauce I make, so I was wondering what else I could do. For example, if I wanted a nice and emulsified sauce that showcased the pepper, what could I do? To give you some commercial examples of what I mean, think of Tortuga Hellfire Sauce and the Tropical Pepper Company's Caribbean Scotch Bonnet Sauce and their XXXTra Hot Habanero Sauce. It would be super cool to make a similar sauce with Datil peppers!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

If you like the way it turned out, just make the ketchup from scratch. Some fresh tomato puree, vinegar, salt, cooked down. Or a tomato based sauce with those ingredients.

 

[Steve973]

Thanks, although I would like to make a sauce that doesn't contain ketchup (homemade or otherwise) as the base for reasons of variety.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Then the peppers would be your base. Figure out what datils go well with, and also what foods the sauce will be for, and then you will figure out the other ingredients.

 

[Steve973]

I have used vinegar and peppers and salt before, and that yielded results that were okay, but the sauce isn't smooth, and it separates rather readily, as opposed to the commercial examples I mentioned. I would also prefer not to have vinegar as prominent as it is in the sauce I made, but I want to ensure the proper pH to avoid botulism and other undesirable things. Do thickeners like arrowroot, corn starch, etc solve the separation problem?

 

[The Hot Pepper]

You may want to look into xanthan gum as a stabilizer and an acid other than vinegar, like citric acid (by itself or in a juice).

 

[hixs]

Ive got a real basic recipe that doesn`t seperate.I used papay and mango in which gave the hab a great taste.
1

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Separation won't occur unless you have an ingredient with oil, or if it's a liquidy sauce. A medium to thick sauce with no oils should be fine without emulsifiers.

 

[Steve973]

Thanks! The previous batch was only boiled for about ten minutes, and it is quite liquidy. I will keep this in mind for future batches. I think I am going to test the pH of my sauces so I know how much acidity that I need.

 

[Brokensea]

So to avoid separation - just simmer it down and keep it thick.

Im thinkin' that blend it - simmer to reduce, let it stand - pour off any excess liquid (but save this) then blend the pulp again.

Id like a sauce that can be poured, but is smooth and thick - without having to resort to gums and stuff.