Varietal Chile Extracts Bring Flavor And Fire

Watching sports is about rituals.

For some, that equates to too little clothing and too much body paint. For us, it means eating hot wings while watching the Super Bowl.

We'll never turn our backs on the classic combination of wings slicked in Frank's RedHot alongside blue cheese dip. 

But this year, we'll introduce variety while sticking with tradition, thanks to a new line of sauces that pack serious heat.

The Varietal Chile Extracts ($34 for three), a collaboration between Henry Family Farm in Virginia and New York food personality David Rosengarten, offer a heady dose of fire, but aren't eclipsed by it. The extracts come in three flavors, which vary in levels of acidity, sugar and fermented funk.

We tossed wings in the Jamaican Lime Chile extract and paired them with a cooling malt-vinegar yogurt, which highlighted the notes of citrus and green banana behind the spice. The super-hot Yellow Fatali African Habanero extract resulted in fiery wings that required a dip in a Latin-inspired spread of sour cream and cilantro. The Ghost Pepper-drenched wings, with a round fruit flavor, met a nuoc mam-inspired dip of fish sauce, lime and sugar.

Add three more "W"s to your team's column.