What to do with fresh Habanero's

My habanero plant is STILL going strong. I was at the garden very briefly yesterday, and saw that there are at least 2 dozen more peppers that are now ripe. Here are some ideas:

Habanero salsa
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=21

Cochinita Pibil with a different (roasted) habanero salsa
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=169

Jerk marinade usually calls for Scotch Bonnet peppers, which have a different flavor, but similar heat level. I've made jerk several times this summer, and have some of the marinade in the freezer. I like the jerk marinade recipe in Steven Raichlen's "How to Grill". It's great on pork, chicken and fish. I think I remember seeing an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown, where they made a jerk paste, and applied it to ribeyes.

Glazes made from fruit jam can often be kicked up with habanero. I remember a cherry habanero glaze on chicken from a gourmet mexican restaurant, when I was a kid. They'd be great on just about any meat or fish. You can get habanero flavor with only a little of the habanero heat, if you cut a couple slits into a whole habanero, and drop it into your sauce to steep for a bit. Then remove the habanero before serving. Same goes for things like chili.

Habaneros can also be frozen whole (or halved), without blanching. They can be roasted and frozen. They can be pickled. They are not often dried, but it's possible to do so.

Best to wear gloves, when working with them, and carefully wash knives and cutting boards, before handling without gloves.

We use some of our habaneros and other hot peppers to infuse gin. It makes a wicked Bloody Mary. You could use vodka as well. We take a quart mason jar and fill it with the variety of hot peppers and top it off with the gin. Let it sit for a couple of weeks and you wont need any hot sauce in you Bloodys that's for sure. It will last for months, depending on your rate of consumption of course.

I like to make a habanero infused oil with them. I take a pound of Habaneros. a pound of Jalapeños, 4-5 heads of garlic and 32 ounces of vegetable oil (anything with a high flash point will work).

1) Peel the garlic of the skin (keep the cloves intact)
2) preheat the oven to 300
3) Take a soup pot (one that you can safely put into your oven) dump in the Habaneros, the Jalapeños and the garlic, cover with oil (you will probably use all the oil).
4) put it into the oven*, and let cook for 2-3 hours.
5) pull out of the oven, (enjoy the smell) let cool, and than put the peppers and garlic into the empty oil bottle (save some of the peppers and garlic for a second bottle). Cover the vegetables with infused oil. Take a second bottle and fill up with remaining peppers and garlic, and cover with the remaining oil.
6) put covers on the oil, and refrigerate.
7) enjoy the oil. you have a good 6 months storage with it.

I use this oil anytime you want to add some heat to foods. Just be careful because it can be quit hot.

Enjoy

*I find that by putting the oil in the oven, versus on the stove top, it cooks in a more gentle manner. Thereby making a smoother tasting oil....