Beefing up Chaz's Brownies

[InkRose]

I don't know if anyone here grows their own chilies, or how familiar you guys are with their use, but I thought you guys might have some ideas to help a chili-nooblet out.

So I've recently started growing my own chilies, and as anything that's worth doing is worth overdoing, I now have 24 different cultivars on the go, although some have yet to germinate. I've also gotten in touch with some of the other local growers and made Chaz's brownies for dessert for a get-together.

Not unexpectedly, the normally pleasantly warm afterglow of a double measure of the Secret Ingredient wasn't really felt after a tasty and quite hot pot of Chili con Carne and some rite-of-initiation style tastings: dried Tepin berries (described by a founding member of the Finnish Chili Association as "nice burn, like a rusty nail through your tongue) followed by a wee taste of Mad Dog .357, a 5 million Scoville 'sauce'). The other dessert was also a kind of brownie-ish cakey thing, seasoned generously with powdered Naga Morich. I didn't finish my piece. My chile fu is not strong enough yet. Of course the others have mouths of teflon, so they didn't feel it either.

So my question is, do you know of a hotter chile that would keep the rich, earthy feel of anchos (so not likely a Chinense or Baccatum cultivar) but bring a little more heat? I suppose Chipotle might be worth a try for a small batch, I'll have to see if I could get some non-powdered... Or I could just replace all the old anchos with new ones I guess. The jar I use is quite small, about 150 ml, and there's maybe 4-5 vanilla pods and 7-ish shop-bought anchos stuck in because I've been trying to get the heat up for some time now without it going too far.

[Elizabeth Bear]

Nothing else will give you the flavor of anchos. But you could try sticking a couple of cayenne pods in there, too. Or some cayenne powder right into the brownie batter...

[Elizabeth Bear]

...or you could serve the brownies as an appetizer. *g*

[txanne]

Anchos don't really have an equivalent, AFAIK. New ones would probably be your best bet. Also, did you know that heat-stressed chilis are hotter? If you're growing your own, try not to water them too much.

[eschatonic]

Since it's winter (unless you're south of the Equator) maybe you should buy them a heat lamp. Actually you could do that anyway if you live somewhere cold and cloudy, or want to take txanne's suggestion to it's obvious conclusion.

You can get heat lamps at most pet stores, usually stocked with reptile supplies.

[InkRose]

We kind of had the get-together already last Friday. The brownie was very well received, even though I slightly burned the topping (I'm trying out some adjustments to get it easier to spread on and slightly less strongly goat's-cheesy and a bit fresher), the structure of the brownie itself turned out my best yet!

Well, yes, I am north of the equator. I'm further north than much of Alaska, as it happens, in southeastern Finland. And I'm growing my chilies primarily in the living room so HPS lights and such are out of the question. Well, maybe a metal halide lamp would be tolerable, but with the cost of electricity and the fact that we've got an 18-year-old girl running around I doubt it'll happen. I've got one light with 2x18W fluorescent tubes (both Osram Dulux, an 840 and an 827) set up for the primary site, on top of the display cabinet next to the sofar so it doesn't glare into your eyes TOO much when watching the telly. There's also two Ikea Tertial desk lights on recently installed window sills, one with a 50W daylight ESL, the other with a 23W ESL (4000K colour temp aka "cool white"). Right now it's been -20 to -30 centigrade outside for the last two weeks or so, so it's gonna be a while before I can put them in proper sized pots and chuck them into the garden...

Our tiny little back yard will be an appropriately toasty spot for any Chinenses (Brown Large Habanero, Naga Morich, and Zavory/Aji Dulce) with direct sunlight about 1-22 pm. The front side (morning sun, about 6 am to noon-ish) will be better for the Baccatums and any that don't need or like a good scorching. Got first blossoms on Short Yellow Tabasco (no relation to the sauce as this is a C. Annuum. Mostly a decorative plant) and Chilhuacle Negro this morning.

And yes, I'm pretty sure I have been overwatering them slightly, but I'm very pleased that I haven't killed any that way. I did drown a few germinated Habanero seeds but no live plants. Right now I'm mostly pleased that they are a reasonably slow-growing bunch, although the Aji Amarillo and Aji Cristal will need big old pots in a few weeks' time. If only I could get the girl to leave them alone... It's not the plants I'm really worried about (she likes to look at them and pet the leaves but hasn't torn any yet), and it's not like the expanded clay gravel I top the pots with is dangerous, but I still wish she didn't eat the stuff.

Here's a photo of the top of the cabinet two weeks ago (the pots are cut-off milk cartons, about 8 cm a side, 15 cm high):


Instant edit: @Matociquala, yeah I guess some Thai style C. Annuum (Cayenne ancestry, of course) would be the safest way to up the heat without changing the flavour (much). Or maybe I'll have to start experimenting with my Rocotos once they bear fruit. Sometime next winter.

And to generally clarify the original post, the naga brownie was indeed hot enough for everyone. A 3 inch square was enough to make even the more hardened of us break a sweat.

In other news, I've found an utterly glorious rye bread in the nearby hypermarket (their term, not mine, for the biggest box of either of the two main players). I think I should be able to convince my local shop to get some in since it's made by one of the bigger bakery companies in the country. 100% rye, no yeast, 100% bliss. Best shop-bought bread in ages, probably best shop-bought rye bread ever. Certainly the best rye that's available sliced.

[txanne]

It's not the plants I'm really worried about (she likes to look at them and pet the leaves but hasn't torn any yet), and it's not like the expanded clay gravel I top the pots with is dangerous, but I still wish she didn't eat the stuff.

I really hope that your "18yo girl" is a cat, and not a human.

[eschatonic]

It's not the plants I'm really worried about (she likes to look at them and pet the leaves but hasn't torn any yet), and it's not like the expanded clay gravel I top the pots with is dangerous, but I still wish she didn't eat the stuff.

I really hope that your "18yo girl" is a cat, and not a human.

I think she meant 18 months.

If you were really evil, you could rub the gravel with an extra chile. She'll never eat it again. On the other hand, this really is cruel and probably better left for discouraging her from doing things that actually are dangerous.

[MadGastronomer]

You could also flavor it with anchos and back that up with an extract of ghost chile (which, actually, have a nice fruity flavor themselves). Vanilla-ghost chile extract actually sounds pretty tasty. (NK makes the Secret Death Sauce with all ghost chiles, plus a spike of pure capsaicin.)

BTW, I'd be interested to hear how your chilehead friends deal with the lack-of-insect problem. I understand that what makes the different chiles of the same cultivar, even the same plant, very significantly in heat, is the plant's response to tiny holes left by bugs. Those holes can let in fungus spores, and the extra capsaicin is the pepper's fungicide. Of course, if you start with hot enough cultivars, it doesn't make so much difference, but I'm curious if serious growers who MUST cultivate indoors do anything about it.

[InkRose]

@txanne & eschatonic, Oops indeed, she's 18 months. Silly old me... but not THAT old, I'm only coming up on my 30th this November. And BTW, I am a he, the name's just stuck with me as an online handle ever since I got my first tattoo. And yes, I admit the confusion is amusing sometimes.

I fully intend to turn both the girl and whoever the stork is bringing us in April hooked on chilies as soon as I can. The wife too, if I'm able. It's so much easier to get the flavours right in the whole pot of whatever's for dinner than to juggle sauces and powders at the table. This is also part of why I've tried to get my hands on some of the milder cultivars, a few of which just happen to be cornerstones of Mexican cuisine. Also Pink Habanero for a late summer candy replacement, if I can manage not to drown the little bastards. Sadly, I failed to get a Jalapeño for this year, although I suppose there may be people with surplus plants on the old chile forum...

@MG, I was aware of the fungicidal qualities of capsaicin, but haven't heard of the insect driven heat increase effect. Most growers I know are at least mildly paranoid about any insect activity around their precious plants. I've just assumed (this is my first season) that the differences between pods of even the same plant are mostly dependent on nutrients, light and heat, as well as the maturity of the plant (the big boys say the first one or few pods are usually something of a trial run, and can be oddly shaped, hotter or milder than expected of the plant). There are a few professional growers in Finland, two who focus on crops for sale and one nursery who run a traditional florists' on the side. One of the crop growers (and seed seller extraordinaire), Fatalii, are rumoured to have developed a new cultivar of their own that they're apparently releasing this coming summer after 5 years of stabilising the strain. They grow indoors to avoid insects cross pollinating their plants as well as to extend the effective growing season, of course.

We'll have to see how my Naga Morich grows... I had to cut it a bit when I got it due to some travel damage. It does seem to have gotten used to its new surroundings in a bigger pot than it came in a few weeks ago, and the new shoots have really been getting their groove on these past few days. I'm cautiously hopeful that it'll yield at least a few pods later this summer. I'm not ready yet to go ask some of the locals for a pod or few of Naga (two of the guys at the get-together complained that they can't get through their frozen stash before the new crop comes in even if they slap some on everything they eat, so there's no lack of supply), nor a small sachet of the powdered stuff. I want to work on my tolerance a bit more, although now that I'm fairly comfortable with the lovely smoked mixed rocoto powder I bought recently, it might not be so far off after all.

I must admit, the 5 MSHU extract stuff and the Tepin sort of put these things into perspective a bit...

[Jezabella49]

If you wanted to mimic insect damage, without using actual insects, you might try a pin or needle, and jab some holes in a few leaves.

It would be interesting to see how many holes you would need, per leaf, and how many leaves you would have to damage, per plant, to make a noticeable change in the heat of the fruit.

[trinker]

I fully intend to turn both the girl and whoever the stork is bringing us in April hooked on chilies as soon as I can. The wife too, if I'm able. It's so much easier to get the flavours right in the whole pot of whatever's for dinner than to juggle sauces and powders at the table.

Heh. The traditional Japanese method is to make a small separate batch for the cat-tongued. ("nekojita" is the term for those with sensitive palates.)

The problem I see with becoming chili tolerant is that it tends to make the palate desensitized to the subtler flavors out there. Or so I observe among my chili-head friends and family. My ex-husband found a lot of Japanese food to be boring in the extreme.

[MadGastronomer]

Really, trinker? That hasn't been my experience at all. I like really very spicy food, and yet have a very sensitive palate for other flavors. So does my father. I do find that many people who like very spicy foods didn't have very sensitive palates to begin with -- and yes, there is absolutely a range of ability to perceive flavors, and although anyone can improve their ability with training, if you don't start with the physical and neurological equipment, you'll never be able to get the same degree of perception that a trained person with a natural palate will. It's a bit like having an ear for music. Anyway, it's my experience that someone with a duller palate is more likely to pick up a taste for heat rather than a taste for heat causing a duller palate.

[InkRose]

yeah, I'm not trying to desensitize my palate, rather I think of it as learning to taste past or around the heat, much like I did when I got more seriously intrigued by whisky. I have no trouble nosing or tasting past 60-65-ish % alcohol to get at the aromas most of the time, though it is often that such strong drinks will need a while to breathe to really open up. I know it doesn't work quite the same with chilies, but still.

[trinker]

Really, trinker? That hasn't been my experience at all. I like really very spicy food, and yet have a very sensitive palate for other flavors. So does my father. I do find that many people who like very spicy foods didn't have very sensitive palates to begin with -- and yes, there is absolutely a range of ability to perceive flavors, and although anyone can improve their ability with training, if you don't start with the physical and neurological equipment, you'll never be able to get the same degree of perception that a trained person with a natural palate will. It's a bit like having an ear for music. Anyway, it's my experience that someone with a duller palate is more likely to pick up a taste for heat rather than a taste for heat causing a duller palate.

Ah. Perhaps I had the cart and the horse reversed.

I do know that I've seen people's preferences fluctuate in an apparently linked manner, but correlation/causation, and all that.

I'm also thinking of the person I know who mentioned growing up feeling that *black pepper* was something people added to food to *punish* themselves. He grew up with a salt-only flavoring style. I suspect that most anyone else would find the food of his upbringing unpalatably bland.

But I think you're right in saying that I've been imprecise, and muddling the distinction between physiology and preference/acclimation.