chiles

Any gourmand with a hankering for something spicy would be right at home in my kitchen, where the fridge is stocked with scorching sauces from every corner of the world. From Tabasco to Sambal Oelek and Sriracha, I'm extremely well-supplied in the store-bought specialties department.

I recently came to the conclusion, however, that I'm lacking somewhat in the homemade hot sauce category. Enter harissa, a fiery garlic and chili paste that hails from Tunisia and is used in stews, pasta sauces, grilled meats, and couscous. Although the chili paste is sold in tubes and jars at many supermarkets, it's easy — and much more fulfilling — to make from scratch yourself. See how I did so when you read more

Have a lazy Sunday to spare? Then invite some close friends over and celebrate Cinco de Mayo early with an authentic recipe for Chiles Anchos Rellenos de Atún con Papas.

Translation: it's a delicious dish consisting of smoky, dried poblano chiles, softened in sweet brown sugar and stuffed with tuna, red-skinned potatoes, and a mixture of lime juice, cream, and cilantro. To make this crave-worthy Latin course, read more

For some spice lovers, jalapeno-laden hamburgers just won't do. Take Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old woman from Assam, India, who set a Guinness world record last week when she consumed 51 of the world's hottest chile peppers in only two minutes. She also rubbed 24 of the same chile peppers in her eyes over the span of one minute.

Overseeing the feat with a watchful eye was none other than chef Gordon Ramsay, who was in India filming for a British TV program. The reality show host and restaurateur could only consume one of the peppers before screaming for water. Measuring in at 1 million Scoville heat units, the bhut jolokia is known to the be world's hottest known chile pepper (jalapenos, in comparison, contain roughly 2,500 to 8,000 Scovilles.)

A single seed from this pepper is known to cause puffy, watering eyes, a runny nose, and a burning sensation that may last for up to five hours. So how did she manage to defy the laws of nature? The mother of one explained:

I have been eating bhut jolokia since my childhood and never felt the hotness in my mouth. When I was five, I had a sore tongue and my mother applied a chili paste to cure the infection. Since then I developed a penchant for chiles. To be honest, I barely notice them now.

I'm shocked to hear that this record was humanly possible — especially considering the tragic death that occurred last year after a UK man consumed too much spicy sauce. What do you think of the stunt: is it amazing, or simply incredibly foolish?

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• Tips for taming the fiery heat of chilies. — Serious Eats
• Anthony Bourdain on food television. — Eat Me Daily
• The beers and wines that pair perfectly with stir-fry. — The Kitchn
• An insider look at Barbie's 50th birthday bash. — Hostess With the Mostess
• Use one bag of beans to make a week's worth of lunches. — Chow
• Should Girl Scouts be allowed to sell cookies online? — The Epi-Log

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We know of death by chocolate as a humorously-named dessert. But death by hot sauce? That may be for real.

Andrew Lee, 33, of Great Britain, passed away in his sleep after partaking in a spicy sauce-eating competition. The forklift driver and aspiring chef challenged his girlfriend's brother to see who could create and then eat the spiciest hot sauce. He arrived at his girlfriend's apartment with a jar of sauce made with red chiles that had been grown by his father just for the occasion.

Lee suffered an intense bout of itchiness, and after girlfriend Samantha Bailey was unable to revive him later that night, she called an ambulance. Lee was pronounced dead at the scene.

This is the first known case where voluntarily consuming spicy chiles may have caused a fatality. Lee was reportedly in excellent health, having recently passed a medical examination. Investigators say it is possible, however, that he may have suffered a heart attack. They are also conducting toxicology tests to find out whether he suffered a reaction to the spicy food.

Have you ever engaged in or witnessed a hot sauce-eating competition? If so, does this news change the way you look view them?

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This week, spice up your free time with the chili cook-offs that are setting the country aflame. Whether you're looking for an epicurean adventure at the Bellagio, or something more along the lines of a back-country roadkill cook-off, you're in luck. Check out what's going on in your neck of the woods this week, and let us know if we've left anything off the list!

• Sante Fe, NM: Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta — Sept. 24-28
• Las Vegas, NV: Gourmet's Taste of Bellagio — Sept. 25
• New York, NY: Joy of Sake New York — Sept. 25
• Providence, RI: Food for Thought — Sept. 25
• London, KY: World Chicken Festival — Sept. 25-28

To see the rest, read more

This week's so packed to the brim with festivals nationwide, you couldn't avoid one if you tried. There are food and wine classics all across the East Coast, and here in the West, we're planning on dropping by the chocolate festival in our neck of the woods. If we've left anything out, please chime in below.

• Brigham City, UT: Peach Days — Sept. 3-6
• Saratoga Springs, NY: Saratoga Wine & Food Festival — Sept. 4-6
• Marion, OH: Marion Popcorn Festival — Sept. 4-6
• Columbus, OH: Columbus Food & Wine Affair — Sept. 5
• Chicago, IL: Windy City Wine Festival — Sept. 5-6
• St. Louis, MO: Norton Wine Festival — Sept. 5-6

To see the rest, read more

On a recent flight, I found myself flipping through the pages of the recent Gourmet magazine, when a bourbon-based drink called Briar Patch caught my eye. I tried my best to wish myself into the photograph, but that didn't happen, so I ended up just wishing I had one instead. I thought that perhaps it was the three screaming children on the flight that made me wish that, however once I landed I still craved the chile-blackberry bourbon mixture. I haven't satiated it yet, but hope to do so soon. If you'd like to join me, check out the recipe, just read more