Fiery Jezebel Sauce: Sweet Heat

Whip up a batch of Fiery Jezebel Sauce using whatever jellies and jams you have in the pantry. Sweet and spicy, quick and easy!

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I’m a huge fan of British literature

I especially love stories with cozy farms and roses climbing the chimney and afternoon teas that double as a meal. It seems that someone is always stopping by and being invited to stay for a cup of tea with freshly baked bread, a slab of cheese, maybe some cold meats and always a pot of relish or marmalade to brighten things up. It’s just so comforting.

While we rarely stop for afternoon tea, we do tend to eat simply. One of our favorite dinners, especially now that it’s just the two of us, is bread and cheese and a few grilled sausages. Of course, it sounds a lot more enticing if you say it like this: freshly baked baguette, sharp white cheddar and organic green onion sausages. Delicious as is but magic with a bit o’ added spark. Something sweet and a little spicy. Something to accent the savory flavors of the meat and cheese. Something like…Jezebel sauce!

What is Jezebel sauce?

Named for the fiery, wicked temptress in the Bible, Jezebel sauce is a sweet and spicy blend of fruity jellies, biting horseradish and sharp black pepper. That’s what Jezebel sauce is. But what is does is to heighten and electrify whatever it comes in contact with. Like slivered ham. Pork tenderloin. Roast chicken. And those grilled sausages and sharp cheddar we’re having for dinner!

While you can make J.S. following the typical recipe with pineapple preserves and apple jelly, that’s not the way I do it. Surprise! For me, it’s more fun to (say it with me) start where I am and use what I have. And what I have is a hodge podge of jams, jellies and preserves, both handmade and store bought, that need to be used. It’s kind of like when my grandmother made soup but with consistently delicious results : )

fiery Jezebel sauce ingredients

You’ll need:

Jelly, Jam or Preserves. While the other ingredients are in place for HEAT, the jellies will drive the flavor direction of your sauce. The beauty of this method is that you can use literally ANY jellies, jams or preserves you have in the pantry, thus making your own bespoke sauce. Here’s only a sampling of what I’ve used:

• Jellies: plum, apple, muscadine, quince, blackberry, blueberry, mayhaw
• Jams: strawberry, peach, blueberry, mixed berry
• Preserves: strawberry, peach, fig, cherry, orange marmalade

TIPS:

1. When you’re combining different types, just think about what you’d put in a pie or cobbler together.
2. The only flavor I would avoid is banana as it would overshadow every other ingredient and might be a bit funky (my opinion).

Dry Mustard. This is the lovely golden-yellow powder in a tin. Potent enough to have been used as a chest plaster in those British books I was telling you about earlier!

Prepared Horseradish. Look for this in the refrigerated section of the grocery store — often near the seafood.

Black Pepper. Freshly ground is preferable, but it does take time. If you’re in a hurry, use regular pepper. I’ve used both finely ground and restaurant grind with equally good results.

You’ll also need:

Saucepan.

Food Processor or Ninja Fit Blender.

Storage Jars.

How to make fiery Jezebel sauce

Stove Top

This is my preferred method as it makes a chunkier sauce that works well in many uses (see list below).

1. Add all ingredients to saucepan.
2. Turn heat to low and, stirring, cook until jellies are melted and all ingredients are combined.
3. Pour into jars or food containers. Can be used straight away (super yummy warm) or store in the fridge for up to several months.

Food Processor or Ninja Fit Blender

This makes a smooth, pourable purée which would be nice as a glaze or as a salad dressing ingredient.

1. Blend all ingredients together in the work bowl until completely mixed.
2. Store as above.

recipe notes

Ways to use Fiery Jezebel Sauce

• Serve in a cute bowl or crock alongside sliced ham, roast chicken or pork tenderloin
• For a quick and tasty appetizer, spoon Jezebel sauce over a block of softened cream cheese and serve with crackers. HINT: If you forgot to take the cream cheese out of the fridge, and it’s super cold, gently heat the J.S. before pouring over. YUM.
• Add to a charcuterie board with salami, thinly sliced ham, various cheeses and baguette slices. Toasted almonds are nice here as well.
• Use as a glaze for pork tenderloin.
•  Top a melty grilled cheese sandwich.
• For cocktail parties, my mom made miniature biscuits, topped them with tiny slivers of ham and a dollop of Jezebel sauce. Highly recommended. Of course, this would be equally good with giant size biscuits!

Precautions

• This recipe makes a super Fiery Jezebel Sauce. Feel free to use less black pepper and/or horseradish to start. You can always add more later.
• Please be careful handling the horseradish and black pepper! They are very hot, and have the potential to burn if they get in your eyes.