Another way to avoid blender dilution is to freeze the ingredients, so they also act in place of the ice. It’s easy to do this with fruit, most of which can be purchased frozen.

Here’s a recipe from The Great Pepper Cookbook from specialty produce purveyor Melissa’s, which shows readers how easy it is to use 38 different fresh and dried chile pepper varieties in everyday recipes. It’s a beautiful cookbook.

The recipe is made in a blender. Process it for a shorter time for a slushie-type drink. Process it longer, and you’ve got blender sorbet. Add milk and you’ve got a smoothie.

But wait: Chile in a slushie?

Sure, and that’s the beauty of the cookbook. You’ll discover how to use a bit of heat where you never thought to use it.

RECIPE: STRAWBERRY MANGO SLUSHER (or SORBET or SMOOTHIE)

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Preparation

1. PLACE all ingredients in a blender. Process until slushy and not quite smooth.

2. For a smoothie, add milk to desired consistency.

If you want a slushie but aren’t getting enough “slushie consistency,” next time use frozen strawberries in addition to mango.

 
ABOUT MANZANO CHILES

The manzano chile, cultivated in high altitudes in Mexico, is a member of the Capsicum pubescens species (as opposed to the more common Capsicum annuum species) from the Andes region of South America. It is most often used in its fresh form because the pod is so thick that it is difficult to dry. It is also unusual in that it has black seeds.

It turns yellow-orange when mature, and is popular for making hot salsa. The name translates to apple, and is also known as Chile Peron, Chile Caballo, and Chile Ciruelo.

The Manzano chile generally rates between 12,000 and 30,000 Scoville units on the Scoville heat index. If you need to substitute a chile, look for one in the same range of Scoville units.