Friday, November 16, 2012

jenkins hot pepper jellies review and giveaway contest

Jenkins Jellies: if you love spicy, you'll love these!
My sister Babs used to make a subtly spiced green pepper jelly that I loved; I haven't had it in years, but I snarfed it up during my pre-gan [pre-vegan] days on crackers with cream cheese, which balanced out the heat. So I was excited when the nice folks at Jenkins Jellies sent me four of their spicy jams to try. I didn't realize how much I had missed Babs' green pepper jelly.

Top to bottom [on spelt flatbreads]: Guava Brava, Passion Fire, Hell Fire Jelly and Fiery Figs.

I also tried each paired with a sliver of Daiya cheddar.
I received full-size jars of:
  • Fiery Figs
  • Passion Fire
  • Hell Fire Pepper Jelly
  • Grava Brave

I sampled each jelly 3 different ways – solo via the serving spoon attached to the jar, on crackers and then on crackers with a sliver of Daiya cheddar cheese [The package suggests serving the jellies with cheese or using them as marinade and salad dressing bases]. Bruce was here, finishing up some last-minute kitchen details, so he also taste-tested the jellies.

Each jar comes with a useful mini spoon decorated with a cute-but-hard-to-remove "Stir me" sticker
The lowdown:
Fiery Figs: This was the mildest of the bunch and I will definitely use this one as a seitan or tempeh marinade base and a salad dressing "zinger." It was figgy and denser than the other jellies, and its heat was more of an aftertaste in this version.  It was okay on its own, but really sang when served on a cracker, especially with cheese.

Passion Fire: This is a passionfruit based jelly, slightly sour with a pucker that reminded me of Southest Asian flavors. In terms of heat, both Bruce and I agreed it was hotter than the Hell Fire Jelly. This one tasted great as-is, atop crackers and served with cheese.

Hell Fire Pepper Jelly: This is a pepper-based jelly, slightly sweet and spicy, but not overly hot, so don't let the name scare you off. The burn is mostly in the aftertaste. This jelly was better atop cheese and crackers.

Grava Brava: Sweet, sour and relish-like, this one tasted best atop crackers. It didn't pair so well with the cheddar, but it certainly might work better with a milder non-dairy cheese. I'd like to try it on sandwiches and maybe even swirled in some coconut-based soups.

My favorite?
I liked Guava Brava best. Its flavor was the most complex of the four: slightly sweet, slightly sour and somewhat reminiscent of a good chutney. It was spicy enough, but not so spicy that you could not taste the guava in the product name.

I'm not a big fan of product-based cookbooks, but The Jenkins Jellies ladies have published one called Sweet Heat. It includes lots of good-looking recipes and ideas using the jellies, and an intro by Gwyneth Paltrow. Of course it's an omnivore's cookbook, but if you're like me, you automatically translate omni recipes to vegan, anyway. I spied a hummus recipe in it that includes the Hell Fire Jelly – definitely on my "to try" list.

Contest time!

What better way to kick off the weekend than with a contest? The nice Jenkins Jellies ladies are giving away four full-size jars of their spicy jellies to one lucky US winner. All you need to do is leave a comment with which one you think you'll like best. You'll get extra chances to win by following me and Jenkins Jellies on Twitter [@theurbanvegan and @jenkinsjellies]. I'll announce the winner early next week. Good luck!

Last chance to sponsor my race for Team Vegan

The Rothman 8K is tomorrow. I'm running it as part of Team Vegan Philly, and if you sponsor me, all donations will be DOUBLED up to the start, to benefit animals voa Philadelphia's Humane League. If you'd like to help, you can donate here. Thanks and happy weekend!


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45 comments:

Laura said...

The fiery fig sounds best to me; I'm a sucker for figs.

Catherine said...

I'd go for the Hell Fire Pepper Jelly! Sounds delicious...

LilMissCris said...

I feel as if I would reallyyyy love the Hell Fire Pepper Jelly! I adore spicy everything :)

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

I think I'd like the Hell Fire Pepper Jelly best. Thanks for the giveaway!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

I follow you on Twitter. :)

Shanna said...

The Guava Braya sounds delicious!

Cadry's Kitchen said...

I'd most like to try Hell Fire Pepper Jelly!

Cadry's Kitchen said...

I follow you on Twitter!

Sarah said...

Passion fire. I tried some passion fruit jelly in Hawaii, and it was super yum!

Unknown said...

The Passion Fire is the best. PS- I follow you both on twitter.

Unknown said...

well you on twitter and them on FB. Does Jenkins Jellies have a twitter?

Aneesa bint Lewis said...

I would love to try the Fiery Figs Pepper Jelly.

Aneesa bint Lewis said...

I follow you on Twitter (@AneesaLewis1).

Aneesa bint Lewis said...

I follow Jenkins Jellies on Twitter (@AneesaLewis1)

Unknown said...

Passion Fire! Sounds unique and delicious. Best of luck on your race!

Jennifer said...

I would love to try the fig one..I love fig jam. Hope your race went well!

Anonymous said...

I definitely think Passion Fire would be my favorite. I love Asian flavors and I'm all about the heat.

Reveling in Raw said...

The Passion Fire would be my favorite for sure. I love anything with passionfruit!

Reveling in Raw said...

I also follow you on twitter

Unknown said...

Definitely the Fig. I love fig everything. I'm thinking fig sandwich cookies.

radioactivegan said...

I'd love to try them all - the fig sounds amazing. I love spicy foods, so I'd probably like whichever is hottest!

urban vegan said...

Hi Joy. Yes, their handle is listed in my blog post.

urban vegan said...

Dear Unknown....we can't enter you as "unknown." You'll need to re-comment with a way we can contact you (list email, blogger account, typepad, etc). Thanks!

Erica Rose said...

The fig sounds amazing, although I really think I'd love them all. Just bought that new fancy vegan cheese book, I think these would pair well with the Brie. Fingers crossed!

Ryan S. said...

The Passion Fire sounds delicious! I am a huge fan of passionfruit and never even thought of pairing it with spicy flavors!!

Heather B said...

Hell Fire Pepper Jelly would definitely be my fave! Thanks for the review. :)

Heather B said...

I also follow you on twitter @cltHeather

Heather B said...

And, I'm now following @jenkinsjellies.

Beth said...

I'd love to try the Passion Fire. Thanks for doing the giveaway!

Beth said...

I follow you on Twitter.

Beth said...

And I'm now following Jenkins Jellies on Twitter too.

Eeee said...

The "Hell Fire Pepper" jelly sounds nice, but so does the "Fiery Figs" jelly. I think it depends on how one is feeling.

Lizzie Bordello said...

They all look tasty, but I don't know if could handle the hottest ones (the husband on the other hand...). I think the Guava Brava sounds great, and I like the bright colour!

Lizzie Bordello said...

I already follow you on Twitter.


@wickedliz

Lizzie Bordello said...

Now following Jenkins Jellies, too! :)

Unknown said...

Ooh, they all sound good, but I think I'm most interested in trying the Fiery Figs!

Unknown said...

I love spicy jellies on top of some vegan cream cheese!

Casi Leigh said...

Ok that fig one sounds just right for my tastebuds. :)

Jennifer Arent said...

I love to feel the afterburn...I would totally go for the Hell Fire :)

Laura C. said...

Hell fire pepper jelly all the way!

jenni said...

i think i'd like the fiery figs

nene said...

I think I'd like the guava. I can't get enough of that tropical goodness!

Chris said...

Passion Fire sounds nice.

victoria said...

I'd love the Fig one!

victoria said...

and I follow Jenkins Jellies in twitter :)