Posted February 25, 2007 by Nick Lindauer in Reviews

Review: Southwest Sunset Salsa

Introducing AOC Ultimate Gourmet Salsas!
Pfleider Pfoods, the Southern California based gourmet chipotle products company, announced today that they will introduce their new ultimate gourmet salsas and bean dip in booth 861 at the San Francisco Fancy Foods Show.

“As with our award winning sauces, our goal was to create all natural and nutritionally clean products with amazing and distinctive flavors. Our unique ingredient combinations have accomplished this and these are a worthy addition to our growing line of gourmet chipotle products” company President Tom Pfleider stated.

The unique flavors, bold graphics and seductive names lure consumers to these extraordinary new products. Each formulation features the company’s gourmet chipotle paste and provides a pleasing heat that can be enjoyed by all ages, ethnicities & heat tolerances.

Pineapple Mojito Salsa is an amazing blend of pineapple, fresh mint and gourmet chipotle paste. This takeoff of the drink sensation is enormously complex and begs to venture beyond tortilla chips. It’s a perfect complement to fish, meats, poultry & other creative combinations. Mango Gingersnap Salsa makes a flavor statement with tropical mango, fresh ginger and gourmet chipotle paste”¦ another unique offering with tremendous versatility.

Southwest Sunset Salsa sets a higher standard for black bean and corn salsas. This distinctive new offering has strong ties to the company’s Smokey Red Sensation sauce which won numerous national awards for excellence. Black Bean Fiesta also tempts consumers with the amazing taste of Smokey Red Sensation added to a tasty combination of black and pinto beans. These 12 oz jars are available immediately in 6 pack cases with a suggested retail range of $3.99 to $4.49.

Pfleider Pfoods, Inc provides gourmet chipotle products with a BOLD taste and Pleasing Heat that can be enjoyed by all ages, ethnicities and all heat tolerances. More product and company information is available at www.chipotlepeople.com.

Now onto the review:

Review: Southwest Sunset Salsa

Tom & I go way back, having carried the Art of Chipotle line of gourmet chipotle sauces for quite some time. If you’ve never tried the Art of Chipotle line (formerly Schizophrenic Chipotle), then you’re missing out on some of the best chipotle based sauces in market today. And what sets these apart is the fact that the Art of Chipotle line up consists of gourmet sauces – the type your more apt to cook with then pour onto your food. And any recipe that calls for chipotles in adobo can be revived with the Art of Chipotle Gourmet Paste with Adobo – save yourself the time of seeding and stemming those chipotles in the can and simply add a spoonful of the Gourmet paste. It’s a simple step that will make all the difference in flavor in your final dish.

Back in July of 2006, at the NYC Fancy Food show, Tom pulled me aside and excitedly showed me his new line up of salsas. He asked me to try them out and give him a few off the cuff remarks, which I gladly did. At this point, the salsas were not yet ready for sale or mass production, but Tom assured me it was all in due time. Now, fast forward to January of 2007 – Tom made the official announcement that the salsas were now ready and a set of 4 for sampling arrived on my door a few short weeks later.

Ingredients: Tomatoes, water, onions, black beans, corn, chipotle paste, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, lime puree, salt, xanthan gum.

Given that Smokey Red Sensation is my favorite of the original Art of Chipotle line up, I decided to try out the salsa that had strong ties to my perennial favorite: Southwest Sunset Salsa.

I made another round of carnitas last weekend and instead of opting to first try out the Southwest Sunset Salsa with the standard chip and dip method, I used it as a topping on my carnitas tacos and later, atop a bowl of carnitas and yellow rice (seen above). The salsa was a fantastic addition to both dishes – adding a good bit of chipotle flavor to each bite.

It’s rare that a salsa ever causes me to reach for a spoon and try it direct from the jar, but that’s exactly what happened with the remainder of my jar of Southwest Sunset Salsa. I began to eat it straight – no need to muck up the flavor of the salsa with anything else. The corn in each bite is sweet and crisp, but doesn’t overpower the entire jar. The black beans are evenly matched with the Sensation Sauce and together they give this salsa it’s smooth texture and flavor balance.

Make sure to stop by and say hi to Tom and try Southwest Sunset Salsa at the Fiery Foods Show – you’ll be glad you did. And pick up a few jars to take home, because 1 jar just won’t last long enough.