Matt Bray

Founder of PepperScale and Cindermint LLC. Sucker for a good scotch bonnet. Spicy food super-fan. Current fiery fascination: Datil hot sauces.
Chipotle Taco Seasoning

Chipotle Taco Seasoning

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Ready for a smokier taco?

If you’re a fan of smoky flavor, prepping up a chipotle taco seasoning before taco night will make you very happy. This spice blend uses common spice rack ingredients and brings the smoke through both chipotle powder and smoked paprika. We kick in a little cayenne pepper to increase the overall heat just a touch.

Don’t limit this tasty seasoning to tacos. You can use it anywhere taco of Mexican seasoning is called for to add a little south-of-the-border flare to your meal. It’s delicious simply mixed with ranch dressing for a quick dip or use it as a dry rub on chicken, pork, or steak to add a smoky, earthy heat.

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Spicy Hollandaise Sauce

Spicy Hollandaise Sauce

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A rich, lemony hollandaise with a cayenne kick, whisked over simmering water in about 15 minutes. Spoon it over Eggs Benedict, steamed asparagus or warm biscuits.

peperone di senise

Peperone Di Senise: Basilicata’s Sweet Treasure

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Delicious fresh or dried…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 0
Jalapeño reference point: 2,500 – 8,000 milder
Origin: Italy
Seeds: Peperone di Senise on Amazon

Few peppers define a regional cuisine as well as Peperone di Senise (a.k.a. the Senise pepper). With its delicious, sweet flavor and little to no heat, the Peperone di Senise is a staple of the rustic cuisine of the Basilicata region of Italy. While it’s used fresh (and simply perfect as a frying pepper), it’s the Senise pepper in dried form (known then as Peperone Crusco) that’s used the most often. Dried, it flavors meats, soups, and stews, along with a wide variety of rustic Italian meals.

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A bowl of creamy bechamel sauce dusted with cayenne, with a wooden spoon, a small dish of cayenne and steamed cauliflower on an oak table

Spicy Bechamel Sauce

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A creamy bechamel with butter, flour, milk and light cream, warmed up with cayenne and a pinch of nutmeg. Ready in about 20 minutes for pasta and vegetables.

A speckled white bowl of chunky Cajun tomato sauce with diced green bell pepper, celery and onion, a wooden spoon resting in it, on a worn cutting board beside half a lemon

Cajun Tomato Sauce

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A hearty Cajun tomato sauce built on onion, celery and bell pepper, with Cajun seasoning, cayenne and a little lemon zest. Ready in about 30 minutes for pasta, dipping or spooning over rice.

A small glass jar of homemade spicy garam masala and a dish of the brown spice blend, surrounded by a cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and dried red chilies on a wooden pantry shelf

Spicy Garam Masala

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A homemade spicy garam masala made with toasted whole spices and your choice of dried red chili, from mild guajillo to fiery Tien Tsin. Stir it in at the end of cooking.

Aji Chombo

Aji Chombo: The Fiery Panamanian Pepper

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Habanero-like heat and flavor…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 150,000 to 350,000
Jalapeño reference point: 18 to 140 times hotter
Origin: Panama
Products and seeds: Aji chombo on Amazon

While not easy to source in the U.S. or U.K., the aji chombo holds a lot of sway in its native Panama. With its extra-hot heat and fruity flavor, it compares well to its Caribbean cousins, the habanero and scotch bonnet peppers. If you’re looking to make an authentic Panamanian hot sauce with extra kick (or any fiery authentic Panamanian cuisine), the aji chombo is your chili of choice.

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Spicy Honey

Spicy Honey

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Fiery smooth and sweet…

If you’ve never experienced honey and chili peppers, you owe it to yourself to explore this surprisingly delicious flavor pairing. A little simmering of honey and your favorite spicy chili brings a fiery undertone to that honey smooth sweetness. Spicy honey is terrific in tea or drizzled over dessert.

You have lots of chili pepper options here, though mature chilies are the best option. They tend to be sweeter and spicier, less grassy and bright, then the youthful green chilies. Fresno peppers and red jalapeños are great options in the medium heat range, while habaneros or even the infamous ghost pepper can bring super-hotness to that honey. Take care when using the chilies from the upper-end of the scale. Use gloves when cutting and handling them to keep severe chili burn at bay.

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Aji Dulce

Aji Dulce: Heat, Flavor, Uses

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Habanero looks, yet very little fire…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 0 to 1,000
Jalapeño reference point: 3 to 8,000 times milder
Origin: Caribbean
Products and seeds: Aji dulce on Amazon

Do you love the fruity sweet flavor of habanero peppers, yet can do without the fire of the infamous extra-hot chili? Meet the aji dulce, also known as ajicito or aji cachucha. This habanero look-alike packs a sweet and smoky taste with very little (if any) perceptible heat. It’s perfect for mild salsas, sauces, and a must for Caribbean cooking, especially Cuban and Venezuelan cuisine.

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Sriracha Marinade

Sriracha Marinade

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Get ready….Sriracha marinade, in all its sweet, tangy, and spicy glory, will transform your steaks into something memorable. The famous rooster sauce pairs up with lime, honey, and Dijon mustard (along with other bold ingredients) in this recipe. Use it as a grilling marinade, or …

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