Quick Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Hot sauce season. The peppers are in — cayenne blazing red, habaneros orange and angry, and the Sapelo peppers turning that deep amber that makes me catch my breath every time because they carry Pearl in their color. I spent Saturday processing them: gloves on (lesson learned in 2007, never forgotten), windows open, fan on, the kitchen turned into a controlled burn zone.

This year's batch: twelve jars regular cayenne-habanero. Six jars Pearl — the Sapelo sauce, amber, slow-burning, labeled with nothing but the name. And a new experiment: three jars of what I'm calling "Three Generations" — a blend of all three peppers, the cayenne from my garden, the habanero from Mama's tradition, and the Sapelo from Pearl's seeds. Three women. Three peppers. One sauce. It tastes like the kitchen distilled.

Labels this year: regular sauce says "2021 — The Year the Book Was Born." Pearl sauce says "Pearl." Three Generations sauce says "Hattie Pearl — Dorothy — ?" with a question mark for whoever comes next. Maybe Kayla. Maybe Monique. Maybe a great-grandchild who hasn't been born yet. The question mark is the most hopeful punctuation in the English language.

Denise helped bottle. Robert sterilized the jars. Kayla designed a little label — she drew the skillet, simple, black ink on cream paper, with "Dot Henderson's Lowcountry Hot Sauce" in a font that looks handwritten but isn't. Professional. Beautiful. I looked at that label and I thought: I have a brand. A sixty-five-year-old widow with a blog and a book deal has a brand. Hattie Pearl would have laughed. Then she would have asked for a jar.

Now go on and feed somebody.

After a full Saturday standing over cayenne and habanero and those beautiful Sapelo peppers, I had fire on my hands and peppers still left on the counter — and the instinct that not every jar this season needed to bring the heat. This Quick Roasted Red Pepper Spread is what I make for the people who love the idea of pepper season but want something they can put on a cracker without calling the fire department. It’s smoky and silky and honest, and it’s my way of saying the pepper is big enough for everybody’s table — not just the brave ones.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

4 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for a little heat)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Roast the peppers. Preheat your oven broiler to high. Arrange the pepper halves cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Nestle the unpeeled garlic cloves alongside them and drizzle everything with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pepper skins are deeply charred and blistered in spots.
Steam and peel. Transfer the roasted peppers immediately to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a plate. Let them steam for 10 minutes — this loosens the skins. Peel the charred skin away and discard it. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its papery skin and set both peppers and garlic aside.
Blend the spread. Add the peeled peppers, roasted garlic, cream cheese, lemon juice, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Drizzle in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Pulse until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving bowl and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and scatter the chopped parsley over the top. Serve with toasted crostini, crackers, or sliced vegetables. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Quick Roasted Red Pepper Spread — When the Kitchen Smells Like Everything You Love