Red pepper cream

Red bell pepper cream with tarragon from the Languedoc

Rue Traversette's red bell pepper cream is a vegetarian spread made from roasted bell peppers, refined with tarragon, apple, and a dash of Aceto Balsamico di Modena. Sweet, spicy, and featuring a herbal note rarely found in bell pepper cream, it comes from Stéphane Strobl's small cannery.

Red bell pepper cream from Rue Traversette is a vegetable cream made from 51 percent roasted red bell peppers, plus onions, garlic, and apple, which Stéphane seasons with tarragon, honey, and a good Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP. Roasting brings out the sweetness of the bell peppers, the tarragon provides a fine aniseed note in contrast, and the balsamic vinegar adds depth. A bell pepper spread with a sweet-spicy balance rarely found on supermarket shelves. The label on the jar reads "Poivron à l'estragon."

Roasted sweetness meets tarragon

In this red bell pepper cream, roasted bell peppers smell sweet and warm, underscored by the subtle aniseed note of tarragon and the dark sweetness of balsamic vinegar. The color is a rich brick red, the texture creamy with fine pieces of bell pepper.

First comes the sweetness of the roasted bell peppers, then the herbal spiciness of the tarragon, and the Aceto Balsamico adds a gentle acidity underneath. Fruity, spicy, and harmonious, with apple and honey providing a quiet, sweet base note. The sweetness remains fruity, never cloying, and it is far removed from the often flat bell pepper pastes found in jars—here, you can still taste every ingredient.

For grilling, with cheese, and on bread

As a vegetarian bread spread, this red bell pepper cream joins our vegetable spreads and creams and is the perfect starter on toast, crackers, or baguette for an apéro.

The bell pepper cream loves the grill: it makes a great splash of color and flavor with grilled meat, chicken, or fish, and its sweet bell pepper profile really shines when paired with goat cheese. A spoonful stirred into pasta or a sauce adds sweetness and depth, and it makes a quick dip for taco chips. It also pairs perfectly with a burger or a halloumi sandwich.

On a board next to the dark black olive cream, it glows red, instantly giving you two colors and two worlds for your apéro. Spread it thinly on bread, add grilled zucchini on top, and a small appetizer plate is ready.

Roasted and preserved at Rue Traversette

The red bell pepper cream is cooked in the Rue Traversette cannery in Saint-André-de-Sangonis in the Languedoc, where Stéphane Strobl has been processing vegetables, largely sourced from regional producers, since 2005.

The bell peppers are roasted before they go into the kettle, which gives them their characteristic sweetness. Adding tarragon instead of the usual herbs, along with a good Aceto Balsamico, is typical of Stéphane: for over 20 years, the former cork merchant has been taking familiar recipes and shifting them by a nuance. Tarragon with bell pepper sounds unusual, but it works because the aniseed note cuts through the sweetness.

His jars have been on our shelves for over 15 years, and the tiny garage of the early days has long since become a cannery built in 2015 with a small team. What has remained the same is the manual work in the kettle and the desire to rethink a classic.

Any leftovers disappear into a warm sauce

The cream tastes more well-rounded at room temperature than straight from the cold, so take it out of the fridge in good time. Once opened, keep the jar refrigerated and use it up within a few days; any leftovers are great stirred into a warm sauce or oven-roasted vegetables. Alongside grilled meat and fish, it shows its versatility, right next to the other spreads from Rue Traversette such as eggplant and garlic.