A Fine New Find

We ambled through the exhibits at last weekend's Hermosa Beach Fiesta. One booth beckoned with offerings of a sauce over cream cheese on a Wheat Thin cracker. Several varieties of the sauce were offered - blueberry, strawberry - but I chose peach.

Before I'd swallowed it, I had my billfold out and bought a jar ($6.) It's just hot enough that you know you've got something good in your mouth, but the heat is softened by the sweet fruit taste. I would describe it as "perky."

Diane's Sweet Heat Habamero Jam. dianessweetheat.com McKinley, Ca "Where the redwoods meet the sea" 707-839-2919

Owner Diane Hunt says that 20 years ago, she and her best friend didn't have a lot of money for Christmas gifts so they whipped up a big bunch of jalapeno jam and put it in little jars as gifts. People loved it! And kept loving it so in 2007 she went commercial with it.

This is certainly a kissin' cousin to Jezebel Sauce. Refrigerators all over the South have a jar of it in the refrigerator in case of unexpected company. It can be slapped down on a brick of cream cheese in a heartbeat. "And get the crackers, will you, hon?" During the Cajun rage fueled by Paul Prudhomme, I used to make Jezebel Sauce. In the event that you want to try it --

JEZEBEL SAUCE
1 10-oz. jar of pineapple preserves
1 10-oz. jar of apple jelly
1/3 cup horseradish -- straight, not creamed
1/4 cup dry mustard
2 teas. white pepper
Mix thoroughly and keep in a jar in the refrigerator.

For any statistitions in the room, yesterday was my 550th blog.