Guy Fieri's Flavor Bomb Puree For A Spicy-Sweet Margarita

Famous for sampling other chef's food on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," celebrity chef Guy Fieri is a successful restaurateur himself. But surely his exposure to our great nation's countless creative restaurants have informed his own recipes, like the flavor bomb puree for a spicy-sweet margarita he shared with Food & Wine.

True to its name, the flavor bomb puree provides a burst of smoky, sweet, and fiery flavors. Fieri makes the puree for the camera on an Instagram video using pineapple, sugar, and a habanero pepper. His flavor bomb mixer features both canned pineapple like this can of Dole chunks and fresh pineapple. He uses a torch to scorch the habanero pepper and the sugar he sprinkles over the fresh pineapple chunks to create a burnt sweetness for more depth. Fieri then throws the torched ingredients into a blender with the pineapple puree, blitzing to combine. A habanero pepper is one of the hottest Mexican peppers, providing some serious heat for the acidity and sweetness of the pineapple to temper.

If adding an entire habanero to pineapple puree is a scary thought, remember that this flavor bomb puree is doled out an ounce per glass of margarita. You're blending it with alcohol, liqueur, citrus juices, and more sugar. With that big-picture mentality, Fieri's flavor bomb puree will bring just the right amount of sweet heat to a margarita recipe.

While Fieri's flavor bomb recipe has a short ingredient list, it does call for kitchen tools you might not have. A butane blow torch like this one is easy enough to purchase online and learn how to use according to fool-proof instructions. That said, you can scorch the habanero and the sugar for the pineapple through other means. For example, you can use your oven to char both ingredients by placing them under the broiler. You'll need to monitor both ingredients closely, especially because you're just charring a single habanero and bruléeing a ring or two of fresh pineapple. The pineapple won't need turning, but you'll need to rotate the habanero every 10 to 15 seconds to char every side. Consequently, you should broil each ingredient separately. You can also use an ultra-hot griddle or even the open flame of a gas stove top to quickly scorch the habanero. Fieri throws the entire habanero into the blender, but seeding it will remove a lot of heat.

If you don't want to use Fieri's recipe spicy-sweet margarita, you can add an ounce of flavor bomb puree to any of our margarita recipes like this orange-centric gold margarita on the rocks. It'd also taste great in this classic frozen margarita or this frozen margarita with avocado, which would tone down the habanero heat even thanks to the ice. To play up the smokiness in the puree, swap tequila for mezcal.