Serious sauce

A few years ago I was eating at my favorite Thai restaurant and wanted a sauce with more kick than what was being provided. I asked my server to ask Chef if she had anything other than what was customarily put on each table. A few minutes later Chef personally delivered an odd looking sauce to me and said, "This is what you want." It was an epiphany; it had "kick" like nothing I've had before: a heat so intense, yet only lasting a second then seamlessly melding into the biting citrus and salt creating a layering of flavors that settled into a balanced finish that enhanced everything I was eating. I obviously asked for the recipe and have since used it on literally everything: Asian food, barbeque, English-style fried fish, steak, duck, and judicious servings into soups or salad dressings.

So it was with great interest that I happened upon a Bobby Flay show where he was making a similar sauce; I watched with rapt attention, perhaps an upgrade to my sauce? Well, there wasn't much to watch, the whole production to this sauce involves heating vinegar, making slits in a few Serrano chiles, throwing them whole into the heated vinegar, than letting it sit for 8 hours. I knew it couldn't stand up to my sauce but I also knew I had to experiment before stating so.

Suffice to say, my thoughts were confirmed. I'm sure if one does not have the occasion to compare, one would be very happy with Bobby's version. I however, have been blessed to have been given this incredible recipe which I will share with you below. My findings are that Viogner, Southern France white blends, Riesling and Gewurtztraminer (with hints of residual sugar), and domestic Pinot Gris do best with this sauce. For steak or duck? A nice vodka tonic or soda with lots of lime. As this is a rural peasant sauce, there aren't any hard-fast measurements; it is very easy and fast but you will just have to play with it. I'll do the best I can to describe what I do:

Add ingredients to bowl as you complete each step; order of each step not important.
1. Use a small bowl, cover the bottom with cayenne pepper.
2. Mince 1 garlic head. Mince until almost paste.
3. 2 -3 Serrano peppers sliced horizontally forming tiny discs, slice as thin as possible.
4. 2-3 limes or more, squeezed.
5. Fish sauce equal to about 2/3 the amount of lime juice.
6. Optional: a few sprigs of cilantro very finely chopped.

A little goes a long way; taste, adjust, enjoy!!