Hey Friends,
A couple years ago, I set out to develop a hot sauce to go with Guster’s album Ooh La La. I wanted something silky, luxe, and, you know, ooh la la-ish.
I have always loved the depth and texture of roasted butternut squash, and I was thrilled to discover it was the perfect foil for smoked onions and red jalapeños. The result was Ooh La La, a sauce I adore just as much as the album itself. It is abundantly versatile and just a touch sweeter than Maple Wood Smoked Onion, with a richness that keeps you coming back for another bite.
That roasted squash richness stuck with me. It was top of mind years later when I started working on the hot sauce that would become our newest Hot Ones hit, Smoked Serrano Squash Reaper X.
I did not plan to make a spicier version of Ooh La La for Hot Ones. But once you start down that flavor path, the ingredients just call out to each other. From a technical standpoint, the two sauces are actually quite different. They only share three ingredients: roasted squash, vinegar, and salt. And yet, they landed in a surprisingly similar place.
Both sauces have deep umami, balanced smoke, a mild sweetness, and chili peppers that don’t seem out of place with the sauce.
So if you love the flavors of our newest Hot Ones sauce but do not want your ears to shoot fire, Ooh La La is the answer. It is the kind of sauce you can put on pizza or burgers and just happily snuggle into all winter long.
❤️ Claire
BBVT CEO & Founder
