This sublime, spicy jelly is a family inspiration from la Maison du Piment, French Basque makers of Piment d’Espelette DOP. It's made with freshly harvested, ripe Espelette peppers, which confer a spicy, fruity taste and aroma.
Piment d'Espelette Jelly is fun and really versatile, and—unlike other pepper jellies—it has a warm, food-friendly flavor that won’t rip your head off. Use it to slather oven-roasted chicken wings or make blue cheese and espelette pepper jelly crostini. Serve the jelly with foie gras or go to the sweet side and drizzle on top of traditional cheesecake or over a chocolate torte.
Piment d'Espelette Jelly is only produced once a year, during the harvest. Producer Vincent Darritchon, working from a recipe his mother Jeanne-Marie created in 1998 in the kitchen of La Maison du Piment, shows wonderful restraint in his making. First, he gently heats a fresh red pepper coulis in a four-gallon copper bain-marie. He then uses this small-batch coulis to make a beautifully balanced jelly—the bit of vinegar is a really nice touch.