California Gold
A bright, fruit-forward sauce with local California produce including persimmon and sweet lemon. Habanero is the main heat, the jalapeños round out the finish. Turmeric is used to give it a beautiful golden color.
Ingredients
- 2 habanero peppers
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 persimmon+
- Juice of 1 sweet lemon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
+Use any fresh produce based on seasonal availability.
Acidification and stability
This is a non-fermented, acidified hot sauce. Final pH testing for this batch measured 3.10, well below 4.0 and supports microbial stability when bottled under sanitary conditions.
Method
- Combine persimmon, sweet lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, salt, peppers, and vinegar in a saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until the fruit and peppers are soft.
- Carefully transfer to a blender and blend until fully smooth.+
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids and produce a pourable texture.
- Cool, then bottle using your safe bottling method.
+Adding turmeric to your plastic blender cup may color it yellow. If this is the case, wash and dry your blender cup and leave it in the sun for a few hours to get the color out.
Technical fact sheet
- Final pH: 3.10
- Estimated salinity: ~0.3–0.4% w/w NaCl Estimate assumes a single pinch of salt relative to total batch volume. Added to increase flavor and not necessary for preservation.
- Estimated heat: ~25,000–45,000 SHU Pepper heat varies by season, maturity, and growing conditions. Habanero contributes most of the capsaicin load. Add or subtract peppers to adjust heat level.
- Texture: Fully strained, low particulate, consistent pour