Mucho Burrito’s Ghost Pepper Burrito…can you take the heat?

The brave folks at Mucho Burrito decided to bring the heat by using the Ghost Pepper (or Bhut Jolokia), one of the world’s hottest chili peppers, in their limited-time Ghost Pepper Burritos. They’re available in “Hotter Than Hell” and “Wimpy” until November 30, 2012 and as soon as they contacted me to find out if my husband and I wanted to try them out…we were in!

If you’re wondering what a Ghost Pepper is, it’s one of the hottest peppers in the world with a Scoville rating (heat rating of a chilli pepper) of 1,000,000, with only one other pepper ranking higher. In comparison, well-known peppers such as the Habanero have a Scoville rating of 350,000, while the Jalapeno has a rating of 8,000. The Ghost Pepper has a slow-building heat that increases with intensity as time passes. In 1997, it was rated the hottest chilli pepper in the world by The Guinness Book of World Records. *

Born and raised in an East Indian family, you would think I would have been brave enough to try the “Hotter Than Hell” version of the burrito but sadly, my palate leans more to non-Indian heat levels (yes, I know you’re disappointed in me, I can feel it). So I thought the “Wimpy” version would be more my speed. Before you stop reading, you’ll be happy to know that my husband surprised me by ordering the “Hotter Than Hell” version when we were in line! I’ll admit that I was a little nervous for both of us, especially since we wouldn’t have homemade Indian-style yogurt to help cool our tongues down! For those of you who think water is the best heat killer, be warned, it actually makes it worse!

The Ghost Pepper Burritos are made with a combination of Ghost Pepper bacon (for the meat eaters only of course!), Ghost Pepper infused fig marmalade (providing sweet heat), spicy Mexican rice, salsa and a choice of meat or beans, all wrapped in a fiery red tortilla. The Hotter than Hell Ghost Pepper Burrito is kicked up a notch with an extra splash of Mucho Burrito’s hottest salsa and pure Ghost Pepper sauce. I made my “Wimpy” burrito vegetarian by adding beans, sautéed onions and peppers. My husband piled his “Hotter Than Hell” burrito on with meat, in the hopes that it would soak up the Ghost Pepper sauce and make it less threatening LOL.

We decided to wash it all down with Jarritos Mexican sodas – I chose Lime and my hubby chose Mandarin. On a side note, I love these sodas as they have just the right amount of sweetness and have more carbonation than most soft drinks. Lip smackingly good!

My husband and I bit into our burritos and stared at each other, waiting to see each others reactions. Nothing happened yet…so we took a few more bites each. It took some time to feel the heat and as I got halfway through my “Wimpy” burrito, I could feel a light heat building slowly. It was a very manageable amount of heat and I certainly had Indian and Mexican food that had been hotter than this. Phew!

My husband also found that the amount of heat in the “Hotter Than Hell” version was surprisingly manageable, although he said he could feel his body getting warmer and that he was sweating a bit. He was expecting the heat to be unbearable but he was fine. We’re both glad we tried it but we weren’t huge fans of the Ghost Pepper infused fig marmalade, as the sweetness interfered with the Mexican flavours. However without that, would the heat have been unbearable? Hmmm…

So did we survive? Yes we did! Did having East-Indian palates help? Probably. Should you try it? Absolutely! If anything, you’ll at least have bragging rights : )

The limited-time Hotter than Hell and Wimpy 12 inch Ghost Pepper Burritos will be available until November 30, 2012, at Mucho Burrito locations across North America. Are you brave enough to try it? What’s the hottest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Disclaimer: I received a gift card from Mucho Burrito, specifically to try the Ghost Pepper Burrito. Opinions expressed are my own. 

*Source – Marketwire press release

Easy Deviled Eggs + WIN an Egg Farmers of Ontario prize pack!

I was “eggcited” to receive an “eggsquisite” basket from my friends at Egg Farmers of Ontario in celebration of World Egg Month, even more so because it was filled with goodies to make a tray of Deviled Eggs! I’ve always enjoyed eating them but I had never made them, so I was a little nervous about how they would turn out since my guests were going to arrive in an hour! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were really easy to make and I was really happy with how they turned out. Looks like I’ve found another “go to” appetizer recipe! Do you have a Deviled Egg recipe to share? Please post it in the comments section below, I would love to try it out.  By the way, there’s a great contest below the recipe if you’re interested : )

Easy Deviled Eggs

Makes 24 deviled egg halves

Ingredients:

12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cooled

1/3 cup (75 mL) regular or light mayonnaise

2 tbsp of finely chopped chives

Salt and pepper

Paprika (optional)

Optional garnish:

Small bunch of young (thin) asparagus

2 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Once the eggs have cooled, carefully cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks and place them in a bowl. Set whites aside, wiping them clean of any yolk residue with a piece of paper towel. If you have a serving plate or deviled egg holder, you can arrange the egg white portions now.

Using a fork, mash the reserved yolks until creamy. Mix in the mayonnaise and chopped chives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you have a piping bag, scoop the yolk mixture into it. Using a wide star tip, pipe the mixture into each egg white half. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can scoop the mixture into a Ziploc bag, cut off a corner of the bag and squeeze to fill each egg white half. You can then lightly sprinkle each egg half with paprika for decoration (optional).

For the garnish, which is optional, wash and dry the asparagus bunch and trim off the woody ends. Then heat the olive oil on medium high heat in a small frying pan. When the oil is hot, lay the asparagus in the pan. Sautee and turn frequently to cook the asparagus on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Once the asparagus have cooked to your taste, remove them onto a cutting board to cool.  Then, cut off the tips to fit the size of your egg halves. You can lay them across each egg diagonally.

Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a day.

CONTEST: I’m giving away an Egg Farmers of Ontario prize pack including a Lagostina frying pan, a silicon whisk and some egg-citing recipes. Please note that you must be a resident of Ontario to win, it is an Egg Farmers of Ontario contest after all!

TO ENTER:

Visit www.eggfarmersofontario.ca and click on one of the photos on the landing page to watch videos featuring our proud egg farmers and their families. Then, at the bottom of this blog post, share one (1) “egg-ducational” (educational!) fact you learned. You may enter up to five (5) times. P.S. Don’t forget to include your Twitter, Facebook or blog site address so I know how to reach you! It’s that easy!

Again, you must be a resident of Ontario to enter!

Hurry! Contest closes on Friday November 9 at 12 pm EST. The winner will be announced later that day. Good luck!