I am King Kong

There is a little company tucked away in Oklahoma who, from here, I can make out the clickety clack cadence of “I think I can, I think I can”.  And in thinking they can, they did, by producing the best pepper jam in the universe.

“What the heck is a pepper jam?”, you ask.  Nectar of the Gods it is but back to that and all the neato things you can do with one in a moment.  First, I want to pay due homage to the creators of the Red Hot Lover, the best pepper jam in the universe. Yes I know I already said that.

The Prairie Gypsies, a mouthful of a name, began and still maintain a catering business feeding all of the hungry brides and their hungrier wedding parties in Oklahoma City.  Anyone who has fed brides and dealt with their mothers deserves the highest honor of a Girl Scout patch for patience.  Well, between weddings they grew lots of stuff in their home gardens and started making various jams, jellies, etc., coming one day upon on a “mess of peppers”.  With this they made magic by adding chili powder and cider vinegar. As it happened to be on or close to Valentine’s Day, they christened their lovely red goo The Red Hot Lover. A side note here is they have a full line of lovely homemade jams, jellies, mustards, and even some salad dressings.

The Lover’s cute name is part of the mystic, I admit, but the darn thing tastes so good.  They make it with FOUR kinds of peppers: red and yellow bells (counts as one pepper), serranos (long, skinny peppers that are a bitch to seed and chop); jalapeno; and, the meanie of them all, habanero. Given all that firepower, the Lover is actually rather mild. The Gypsies say somewhere in the process of cooking it together with the vinegar and sugar, the heat is tamed. They still cook their entire shelf stable food line themselves and when The Lover is on deck the place clears for the pepper fumes.  Whatever the cost to their respiratory systems, the end product is a smooth, sweet, yet savory, jam with just a hit of an afterburn.

Pepper jams in general run the gamit of colors, textures, and temperatures. One would guess these started on the farm like most jellies and jams when peppers were plentiful and this was a mere means to preserve the harvest. They became akin to chutneys in that they were served with meats as a relish rather than served with breakfast as a condiment to breads.  These depart from the sweet sweet of a traditional jam by offering a savory component that is all attitude.  It’s all a crazy good balance somehow.

We all know someone who has dumped a jar of pepper/savory jam over a hunk of cream cheese and indeed that seems to be its most popular use in these modern times. I would be willing to bet this particular thing has made rounds at every bunko Christmas party in the United States.  The Gypsies go one better with a basic cheese ball recipe they call “Gone in 60 Seconds” which is no more than cream cheese, shredded cheddar, chopped green onion and pecan, over which is spooned The Lover and then served with crackers. I’ve personally seen little well dressed ladies with diamond rings use real pilates muscle to make their way to the buffet table when this thing is at the party.  And this particular recipe has made Red Hot Lover a local/regional legend.  I’ve included this recipe below…try it and thank me later.

The Red Hot Lover and any pepper jam can be used a side dish with roasted meat…again, like a chutney. Other uses can be as a glaze for pork tenderloin or chicken breast at the grill. Spread a couple of spoonfuls over your cornbread mix just before it goes into the oven (I’m not kidding); serve it with fajitas; make baked beans with it; glaze a ham with it (still not kidding); thin it a bit by heating it on the stove top for an eggroll dip.

And yes, by all means pour it over a hunk of cream cheese and go to a party. Just watch for those too rich, too thin women with big earrings and charm bracelets…they throw a mean elbow to the eye to get to it.

PS: what’s the deal with the sock monkey in the picture? That’s Rex, my husband made him for me years ago when we were dating (another story, another time), giving us the “King Kong”. That’s sock monkey speak for “thumbs up on this one”. We’ll see him from time to time for really special things.

GONE IN 60 SECONDS:

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. mayo (for a looser dip) OR 1/2 c. softened cream cheese (if you prefer a formed ball or torta)
1/4 c. to 1/2 c. Red Hot Lover Pepper Jam

Combine these ingredients and chill for a few hours. Spoon the jam over the top just before you serve with your favorite crackers.

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