Fresco Chipotle & Habanero Hot Sauce
Note: This sauce appears on Season 12 of The Hot Ones.
I apparently thought the name of this sauce was Fresno, like the city, rather than Fresco, like a work of art. It definitely belongs in the latter category more than the former. As what happens when one has a lot of sauces at hand and has also reviewed or tasted a lot of sauces, they kind of blend together and fit sometimes neatly into various mental categories. When I see Chipotle or Habanero, my mind immediately goes flying off to Mexican style foods. In this case, that was rather a mistake as this is one food type that does not do well with this sauce. Mexican food is a very distinctive flavor, generally, and not gearing for that tends to preclude most sauces.
Once I got over my initial shock and read the label, I saw it was aimed much more at the Habanero carrot type sauces, which I thought for a while might be poised to make a strong surge towards the top of the market. That definitely did not happen, and I somewhat suspect that while the combination works well, it is ultimately a bit on the boring side also. Fresco rather neatly skirts this issue with the addition of black pepper. Black pepper is one of my most favorite flavors on the planet (and, like many other chileheads, is probably my first introduction to heat), but running across it in a hot sauce can often be very mixed results. Here, it is done exquisitely and makes this sauce, no question. When handled poorly, you get a bitter piperine mess.
This one seems to do really well when it can stand somewhat by itself. Since this is grilling season, I used it to wonderful effect on some grilled chicken, but it is somewhat mild and even something like a hamburger can overpower it pretty quickly. It also does well in cream dishes, though one needs to use a bit more of it there. This perhaps points up one of the other issues with Habanero-carrot sauces in general - they don't have a ready steady application, unlike some of the other more established sauces. Heat here is very moderate. I think it was the third sauce on the season of Hot Ones it was on, which is about where it fits in the scheme of things, as far as incremental heat.
Bottom line: A very curious, but delightful flavor, if a bit subtle, this is one of the better takes on the Habanero-carrot sauces and definitely one of the sauces from The Hot Ones show that has stood out.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 2
Flavor: 7
Flexibility: 6
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 8
Overall: 6
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