Posted June 27, 2007 by Bill in Reviews

Review: E.W.’s Creole – All Purpose Sauce (Hot)

Ingredients: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato paste), onion, high fructose corn syrup, green pepper, vinegar, canola oil, celery, salt, sugar, molasses, garlic, cayenne pepper, spices, natural hickory smoke flavor, food starch-modified, black pepper.

Packaging: E.W.’s Creole All Purpose Sauce comes in a straight sided 9-oz jar with gold cap, and a smiling photo of Chef EW on the front. A no-nonsense presentation, for a no-pretentions sauce. On the back of the label is the standard nutritional printout as well as the claim “Delicious as a Salsa/Marinade”.

E.W.’s Creole sauce is a chunky orange/brown concoction. Medium-sized lumps of vegetables are evident throughout. The aroma is low-key hickory with subtle honey-notes.

Flavor-wise, EW’s is simply a delight. I found this sauce to be smoky, subtly sweet, and mellow. The vegetables are generously proportioned and well cooked – not too crunchy, but in no way soggy. The label claims that this sauce can be used as a salsa, and I wholeheartedly endorse that notion. Perfect proportions of smoke and sweetness means that you can confidently dunk chips, nachos, chicken fingers, heck you’ll probably end up dunking YOUR fingers… It’s flavor stands alone. Looking at an open jar, I find myself fighting the urge to eat the remainder with my spoon.

For all it’s depth, E.W.’s Creole is not a very hot sauce. Despite the word “Hot” on the label, the cayenne pepper only provides a momentary tingle on the lips. EW sells a “Spicy Hot XX” version of its Creole sauce that figures to provide more punch to those of you who are so inclined.

E.W. has a winner here. I’m hard pressed to think of a food that wouldn’t taste better with a little (or a lot) of this sauce spooned onto it. While I didn’t get a chance to try it as a marinade, I imagine that it would work splendedly with grilled chicken. Stacked high on a cheeseburger, E.W.’s was a smoky treat.