Spicy Habanero-Carrot Butter
This is a very spicy spread, with the flavor of a Caribbean-style hot sauce. It's a potent flavor booster that you can use to season jerked roasted meats, fish, or seafood. Spice up a taco bar, add to mayo or sour cream for a milder dip or sandwich spread, or add to queso for a bright color and bold flavor boost! Can this in small half-pint jelly jars or smaller 4 oz jars. Do not can pints or quarts of this recipe, since it is a dense paste and the tested processing times in the original recipe from Ball are only provided for smaller jars. You can also freeze this recipe if you prefer.
Equipment
- jar lifter or non-slip tongs or jar rack with handles
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar (5% acidity) can substitute apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
- ¾ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh lime juice can substitute bottled lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 large habanero peppers stems & seeds removed (use less peppers for milder puree. do not use more).
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin (optional, not in Ball recipe)
- ½ tsp ground coriander (optional, not in Ball recipe)
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves washed & chopped
Instructions
prep ingredients:
- Measure out the vinegar, lime, horseradish, sugar, garlic, peppers, and spices into a medium, non-reactive (stainless steel or enameled) pot.
- Peel the onion, cut into small to medium dice, and measure out 3/4 of a cup into the pot with the vinegar and seasonings.
- Wash, peel, and rinse two pounds of carrots. Cut into 1/2" to 1" slices.
cook carrots and seasonings:
- Stir and bring the pot up to a simmer.
- Cook the hot sauce mixture until the carrots are fork-tender.
- While the carrots are cooking, wash the cilantro. Pat it dry, and roughly chop the herb.
prep canning jars and water-bath:
- Wash your canning jars with hot, soapy water, and rinse well.
- Fill your canning pot with enough water to cover the jars by at least 1"-2".
- Place the jars in the pot to keep them warm, and bring the pot up to a simmer while the carrots are cooking.
puree mixture:
- Remove the pot from the heat, and puree the pickled carrot mixture along with the fresh cilantro.
- Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, working in batches if necessary.
- Process the carrot butter until it is a uniform paste.
simmer again:
- Transfer the habanero carrot butter back to the pot and bring it back up to a gentle simmer.
- Stir, taste (careful, it's spicy!), and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
pack into jars:
- Pack the hot carrot butter into half pint or 4 oz canning jars.
- Leave 1/4" headspace at the top of the jars. Remove any air-bubbles with a butter-knife, chopstick, or debubbling tool.
- Wipe the rims of the jars, and cover them with new canning lids.
- Screw down the rings finger-tip tight.
can the jars:
- Using jar tongs, place the jars into the hot water-bath in your canning pot.
- Cover the pot and bring the water-bath up to a rolling boil.
- Once the pot is boiling, start the processing timer.
- Process the jars for 10 minutes (adjust for altitudes above 1000 ft). Turn off heat and let jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or towel-lined countertop to cool.
- Remove the jars from the canner, and set on a folded towel or wire rack to cool.
- Leave the jars undisturbed overnight (or until completely cooled, at least 6-8 hours).
- Check the lids for seals, remove bands, and wash the jars if they are sticky. Any jars that didn't seal can be reprocessed with new lids within 24 hours of processing, or put in the fridge or freezer to be used first.
Notes
Altitude Adjustment Chart:
- 0-1,000 ft – use recipe time
- 1,001-3,000 ft – increase 5 minutes
- 3,001-6,000 ft – increase 10 minutes
- 6,001-8,000 ft – increase 15 minutes
- 8,001-10,000 ft – increase 20 minutes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
