Quick Bites - Jelly, Chili Sauce and Cheese

The title sounds odd right??  How can these three things ever go together??  Well they do and while I was traveling in Indonesia and Thailand I made a point of sharing my love of sweet, hot and savory foods combined into one delicious appetizer. 

Sambal Asli is a very popular brand of chili sauce in Southeast Asia.  It has a distinctively sweet and hot taste that matches perfectly when mixed with pineapple jelly or orange marmalade and then served with sharp white cheddar cheese.

While in Bangkok I met a wonderful woman named Karen Jones.  Karen works as a principal and Reiki specialist and took me under her wing after my friends left to travel on to Vietnam.  She introduced me to some incredible people, took me to great restaurants and so I decided to return the favor by welcoming she and some of her friends to my hotel room for appetizers and drinks.

As I strolled around grocery store (I love going to grocery stores in other countries) I stumbled upon Sambal Asli and immediately thought that it should be mixed with marmalade and served with sharp white cheddar cheese and crackers.  I felt that the juxtaposition of the Asian chili sauce with a more western style jelly and cheese was a perfect complement.

This is very easy to make and if you cannot find Sambal Asli, it can be ordered online (http://importfood.com/sakm1401.html), then use the hot chili sauce that is often found in grcery stores throghout the USA.  It is called Serachi and has a green top with a rooster on the front.

Here is what you will need...

- 1 jar of orange marmalade (about 6-8 oz.) - 1-2 tbsp of chili sauce (the amount you use will depend on how hot you want the dip) - 1/2 lb of sharp white cheddar cheese - crackers or baguette sliced very thin Mix the marmalade with 1 tbsp of the chili sauce and taste for desired "heat". If you want it to be hotter add more chili sauce. When it is just right place into a nice bowl and serve aside a basket of crackers or baguette and a plate with slices of sharp white cheddar. Slather a cracker or baguette slice with the hot marmalade, add a slice of cheese and enjoy. This would go great with Proseco.