Saveur

Even in this country, though, most consumers use Tabasco only as a condiment.

In 1868, when Tabasco sauce was invented, it was promoted as a novel way to add a touch of flavor to food, but now the uses for Tabasco are limitless. It can do so many things besides just make food taste hot. In small doses, our original red sauce adds a unique background note to dishes without adding heat, and, like a pinch of nutmeg in cream soups, it enhances and supports other flavors. The green Tabasco is much lower in heat than the original red, and when added to salad dressing it introduces a bright, fresh green pepper accent. I use our chipotle Tabasco in everything from barbecue chicken to savory cheesecakes. And even though our habanero Tabasco has double the heat level of the original red version, its heat combines amazingly well with sweet fruits like banana, tamarind, papaya, and mango. It's almost as though tropical fruits could bring out the inherent fruitiness of the habanero pepper.

What are some of the most unusual techniques you have developed?

Well, when I talk with cooks about using Tabasco in their desserts they usually look at me as though I had just grown an arm out of my forehead, but adding chiles to sweets is one of my favorite methods. Dried chiles impart depth to chocolate, and fresh green chiles add an earthiness. I think you can take gingerbread to a new level by blending a dry chile into the batter. And if I'm making rhubarb pie, I add a dash of poblano sauce to the filling to amplify the vegetal flavor of rhubarb. Every year I test a different Tabasco ice cream; two of the best from recent years were Granny's Hot Apple Cobbler and Hot Brownie Sundae.

I've always used Tabasco in my bloody mary special. Do you have any advice on ways to use it in other cocktails?

Oh, yes. In most cases, a dash of Tabasco is all it takes to strike the right balance between flavor and heat. I've come up with recipes for a Hot Cocoa Martini, an Avery Island Sangria, and a Pineapple Ginger Martini, but the list is practically endless.