Craft Hot Sauce: From Homegrown Peppers to Bottled Heat: Grow, Ferment, Blend, and Bottle Gourmet Heat That Stands Out (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798244544756)

Craft Hot Sauce: From Homegrown Peppers to Bottled Heat by Bastien Duval is a journey through the world of chili peppers, flavor chemistry, and small-batch craftsmanship. It starts in the garden, where the choice of soil, sun exposure, and pepper varietals determines everything about the sauce that follows. From there, Duval moves into the kitchen and demystifies the techniques behind fermentation, smoke profiles, roasted blends, and the balancing act between heat, acidity, sweetness, and aromatics.

Readers learn how to:
- raise peppers for flavor rather than raw intensity
- coax complexity through controlled fermentation
- build layered sauces that pair with specific foods
- bottle safely for shelf stability and gifting
- create signature blends that reflect place, season, and palate

This isn't just a guide for heat seekers. It's for growers, fermenters, cooks, and anyone who loves turning raw ingredients into something both personal and unforgettable. By the final chapter, a pepper plant becomes a bottled identity, fiery, nuanced, and completely handmade.