Re: [CH] Garden
Buffalo Sue (bflosue@earthlink.net)
Fri, 30 Jan 2004 21:43:51 -0500
http://www.madison.com/captimes/features/66322.php
Jalapeno brownies will warm you up
By J.M. Hirsch
Associated Press
January 30, 2004
CONCORD, N.H. -- Perhaps it's because I'm from the Northeast, but I'm
just not accustomed to food causing pain, at least not intentionally so.
Nor to it carrying dire warning labels.
That's probably why I recently was mystified by a spice catalog that
included a "USE WITH CAUTION" alert in the description of a particular
dried chili pepper.
Seems to me that food requiring such warnings might not be fit for
consumption.
Below the ominous description was a chart listing various peppers and
their corresponding heat ratings, or Scoville units (named for Wilbur
Scoville, a chemist who around 1912 developed a method for testing chili
pepper heat).
According to the chart, common bell peppers rate zero Scoville units.
Crushed red pepper flakes (with which my liberal hand has ruined more
than one dinner) rate 15,000 units. Jalapenos clock in at 55,000 units.
At least, I thought it was horrifying until I later stumbled upon the
curious "Mr. ChileHead: Adventures in the Taste of Pain" (ECW Press,
2003, $15.95) by James D. Campbell.
Reading Campbell's oddly fascinating account of his love of hot chili
peppers is equal parts disturbing (it starts with the words "Pain has a
taste") and educational.
While I certainly knew there were legions of dedicated chili pepper
fans, my assumption always had been that the fervor was fueled by the
flavor.
But as Campbell explains while recounting his pursuit of the hottest hot
pepper experience, taste is only part of the package. Pain and the
endorphin rush that accompanies it are the real goals.
"The pain is very definitely integral to the experience," he said during
a telephone interview from his home in Montreal. "Many people find the
pain purifying. It cleanses the organism and exalts the spirit and
therefore is a very fine thing indeed."
Um, sure.
In the book, Campbell describes what surely must be the ultimate source
of this pain -- a hot pepper sauce that rates 7.1 million Scoville
units. Shouldn't that melt the bottle?
It just seems a bit extreme. Such sauces (of which Campbell has a
collection of some 2,000) really can burn skin. In fact, he said he
recently ordered a new bottle that burns at 16 million Scoville units.
"You don't want to meddle with that," he said, noting that some of the
hottest hot pepper sauces (which contain concentrated capsaicin, the
source of peppers' heat) can cause first-degree burns.
"The truth is you can use them wisely, you can admire them from afar,
and if you actually ingest them straight from the bottle it's sort of
like euthanasia unlimited," Campbell said.
His advice for those just starting out on the chili pepper trail? Don't
count on water to dilute the pain; it only worsens it. Try milk or bread
instead.
For a taste of the pain so-called chiliheads crave, try Campbell's
intriguing jalapeno brownies. Though much hotter than I care for, the
contrast of sweet and spicy was surprisingly good. Unless you want a
mouth of fire, dice the peppers well.
JALAPENO BROWNIES
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 large jalapeno peppers, minced
6 to 8 Thai chilies, minced
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
(Preparation time 50 minutes.)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9x13-inch pan.
Melt butter and chocolate chips together in a double boiler. Set aside
to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk or beat the eggs with the salt until foamy. Add
the sugar and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the
chocolate-butter mixture and stir until just combined.
Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until almost blended. Fold in the
jalapenos, chilies and nuts.
Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake until the top forms a
cracked crust and the inside looks slightly moist, 30 to 35 minutes.
Allow to cool, then cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.
Makes about 12 large brownies.