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Fun Playing with the Chameleon Chef's Mango-Chipotle Ketchup
by Nancy Heller
Monday September 22, 2008, 8:53 PM
After a week in a prescription-drug-induced stupor, I'm finally in Physical Therapy and healing from what turned out to be pretty serious shoulder surgery. Having my arm in an immobilizer has definitely put a crimp in my photography, but I'm getting a little more mobile now.
I noticed on the Cleveland Food & Wine Forum with Linda Griffith, http://www.cleveland.com/forums/food/index.ssf, that local Chef and entrepreneur Brian Doyle, aka the Chameleon Chef, will be doing a series of demos at local Heinen's stores featuring his new line of Chameleon Chef sauces, which Heinen's will now be carrying. The thread reminded me that Brian had given us a couple of bottles of his product to try the last time we saw him, and that those bottles were in our cupboard, just waiting for an invitation.
We don't use bottled sauces much - but if there is one time of year that screams for tasty condiments, it is grilling season. And since we came into possession of a gorgeous hunk of pork from the "Blue Egg Farmer" http://www.breychak.com/index.shtml, last week, it looked like we had our test case!
Breychak Pork Grilled with Garden Garlic and Cherry Pepper
Due to my shoulder situation, I didn't get a "before" shot of the pork steak, or even a photo of a freshly cooked slice of the meat (which we ate with the Mango Chipotle Ketchup). I did take photos the next night, when we re-heated our leftovers with a bit of the Mango Chipotle Ketchup brushed on the meat, to keep it moist in the microwave.
We enjoyed this delicious dinner for three nights, together with some of the last of our garden corn.
This sauce was a perfect accompaniment to the succulent pork. Moreover, it contains the kind of ingredients I would use in my own sauce, and none of the ingredients that I wouldn't! Orange juice, molasses, mango puree - all natural, wholesome ingredients and no High Fructose Corn Syrup, preservatives, or other nasties. It is mostly sweet, with just enough heat to balance and a lovely smoky counterpoint.
And we were not done with just the pork! This past Saturday we visited the Geauga Fresh Farmers' Market and, on our way home, stopped at the Bainbridge location of Mazullo's Meats (they also have a brand new store in Aurora) and picked up some beautiful, house made sausage. We had tried their Italian Chicken Sausage and Pork Kielbasa a couple of weeks ago; Saturday we got the Lemon Pepper Chicken Sausage and Smoked Kielbasa, as well as some awesome, locally produced bacon.
The chicken sausages are made with Gerber's Poultry, which is a relatively local, quality brand of chicken. We enjoyed the Italian with mustard and ketchup; I couldn't wait to see how the Lemon-Pepper variety would go with Brian's Mango-Chipotle Ketchup.
Mazullo's Lemon-Pepper Chicken Sausage, raw.
Mazullo's Lemon-Pepper Sausage, Grilled
A match made in culinary heaven - the sausage didn't have a lot of pepper or lemon flavors - just a gentle touch - so the sweet/hot sauce was a perfect partner. Add some local green beans from Heinen's and farmers' market corn, and dinner was served!
We haven't yet cracked the bottle of Tomato-Ginger Jam - but we've still got that Smoked Kielbasa in the fridge . . . stay tuned! Chameleon Chef sauces are an easy, tasty, natural way to play with your grilled food; I expect they would go well with lots of other choices, also.
High fructose corn syrup may have a complicated-sounding name, but it's actually a simple sweetener, made from corn, that is nutritionally the same as sugar.
High fructose corn syrup is not sweeter than sugar; and high fructose corn syrup, sugar and honey all contain the same number of calories (four calories per gram).
The American Medical Association in June 2008 helped put to rest misunderstandings about this sweetener and obesity, stating that “high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.”
Like table sugar and honey, high fructose corn syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives.
Consumers can see the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at www.HFCSfacts.com and www.SweetSurprise.com.
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
Sorry Audrae - I saw the movie "King Corn" - and that demonstration of HFCS making was enough for me - you have to mix the "natural" ingredients with some pretty nasty stuff - plus, the rush of fructose (because it is, after all, "high" in fructose) screws up the body metabolism.
In the interest of fair play and open discourse, however, I will leave your comment up, even though I think the Corn Refiners Association is full of, well, High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Almost all nutritionists cite high fructose corn syrup consumption as a major contributor to obesity.
Many health experts argue that the issue with high-fructose corn syrup is about much more than increased caloric intake.
Here's what nutritionists know: the body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup in different ways than it metabolizes old-fashioned cane or beet sugar. Scientists' research has shown that high-fructose corn syrup alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat into the bloodstream. The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more; yet, at the same time, we are storing more fat.
I don't think that your posts should be left up because it's clearly driven by the commercial interests of your industry, so it's clearly biased and meant to manipulate public opinion in favor of your product.
Audrae - I also call shenanigans on HFCS and your defense of it. Although I don't think it will change your mind, a viewing of "King Corn" might change the minds of someone else reading Nancy's article and these comments.
By the way, Nancy, excellent article. I may just have to track down some of the chef's sauces and give them a try myself.
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