Matt Bray

Founder of PepperScale and Cindermint LLC. Sucker for a good scotch bonnet. Spicy food super-fan. Current fiery fascination: Datil hot sauces.
A white crock of French onion soup under bubbling, browned Gruyère and toasted baguette, with extra toast, cayenne and thyme on a butcher-block counter

Spicy French Onion Soup

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Sweet onions cooked low and slow until deep brown, simmered with red wine and stock and a little cayenne, then topped with toasted baguette and broiled Gruyère.

Trinidad Perfume

Trinidad Perfume: Super Sweet Without Super Heat

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Fruity and flavorful, perfect for mild tropical salsas…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 0 to 500
Jalapeño reference point: 5 to 8,000 times milder
Origin: Caribbean
Seeds: Trinidad Perfume on Amazon

When you hear the term ”Trinidad” in relation to chili peppers, a world of super-hots come to mind: the super-fiery Trinidad moruga scorpion or one of its Caribbean relatives like the extra-hot habanero or Scotch bonnet. But in the case of the Trinidad Perfume, while the pepper carries a similar “gonna burn you up” look, its heat is far from it – it’s more akin to a bell pepper in fieriness than a scorpion pepper. Yet the Trinidad Perfume still carries that delicious fruitiness those super-hots are known for, making this chili a perfect low-heat option for tropical salsas and hot sauces.

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Maple Chipotle Sauce

Maple Chipotle Sauce

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Whether as a barbecue sauce marinade or as an on-the-side dipper, maple chipotle sauce delivers a perfect mix of sweet and spice. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add the heat, along with a smoky and earthy flair that’s a perfect flavor foil to sweet maple syrup. It’s …

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A small bowl of reddish-orange homemade curry powder with a heaped measuring spoon and small mounds of the ground spices that go into it on an oak table

Spicy Curry Powder

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A homemade curry powder built on paprika, cumin, coriander, turmeric and fennel, with a full tablespoon of cayenne for real heat. Ready in five minutes.

A speckled white bowl of ground beef chili with red and green bell pepper, topped with sour cream, shredded cheddar and sliced green onions, on a butcher-block counter beside a fresh jalapeño, a terracotta napkin and a spoon.

Sweet And Spicy Chili

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A slow cooker beef chili with brown sugar and smoky piquillo peppers on one side, and jalapeños, crushed red pepper and cayenne on the other.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

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It’s no secret – sweet potato fries are delicious simply plain. A little dash of salt along with that natural earthy sweetness is plenty good. But like many things sweet – they sure do pair well with fiery spices. Here we pair sweet potato fries …

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Chipotle Tomato Soup

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Smokin’ hot tomato soup…

Just a little chipotle in adobo sauce can go a long way into fueling the fire of your traditional tomato soup. Chipotle pepper adds a delicious smoky heat, and a little extra adobo sauce provides a nice earthy undertone to the soup. For those only moderately into spicy foods, we recommend using only one chipotle, but for those with more adventurous taste buds, you could add a second for some bigger heat. Serve with crusty bread, and you have yourself a delicious and filling spicy lunch!

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Roasted red pepper and eggplant ajvar in a white bowl, with torn pita, seeded crackers and a small bowl of smoked paprika

Ajvar Sauce

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There’s quite a delightful mix of flavors in the ajvar sauce. This Serbian recipe is sweet, tangy, spicy, and smoky all wrapped into one. And don’t let the word “sauce” fool you — this is a multi-purpose relish that can serve as well as a dipper or …

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A speckled white plate of golden chilli pakoras with their green stems on, one cut open to show the spiced potato filling, beside a small bowl of green coriander chutney on a butcher-block counter

Chilli Pakora

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Chilli pakora: large green chilies stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in a chickpea flour batter and fried until golden. Choose paprika, cayenne or Thai chili powder to set the heat.

A speckled white bowl of Indian mutton curry with bone-in pieces of meat in a thick gravy flecked with black pepper, garnished with curry leaves, a bay leaf, a cinnamon stick and cilantro, on a wooden board beside a bowl of basmati rice.

Indian Mutton Curry

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Mutton pressure-cooked in a smooth onion-tomato gravy with warm whole spices, curry leaves, red chili powder and a lot of black pepper.