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| Gin quickles |
Never let the perfect be the enemy of the just dandy. That truism is never truer than when it comes to refrigerator pickles.
In an ideal world, I clear the decks, haul out my mother's old canner, sterilize the jars and go all in on the hot water bath. The result is highly satisfying: rows upon rows of shelf-stable jewels, ready to reward your virtuous efforts whenever you choose.
But the world I live in involves two kinds of headspace when it comes to making pickles: the one in which you leave a half-inch gap or so at the top of the jar before processing, and the mental headspace I need to be in to tackle all that. Canning is nothing to go half-in on, and while pickles are among the easier things to can, you still need to be in a very focused place with enough time to follow steps carefully so you ensure proper food safety. My advice when canning is never, ever deviate from the recipe and make sure you're following one developed by a reputable cookbook or source. Food poisoning is not good eats.
Plus, given the time commitment, getting around to using up the produce before it becomes compost is a race I might well lose.
Thus the case for the quickle, the kind where you skip the hot water bath and just store the results in the refrigerator. With less time commitment, you're much more likely to try something new, and less resentful if it doesn't work out. The worst thing that happens is that you might find a new favorite pickle you want to go all-in on and actually can.
Here are some new recipes I tried this fall.The first one is a prime example of the advantage of not canning the pickles so you don't have to follow the recipe to the letter: I wanted to use whole small pickles, but they don't fit in the same 1-quart jar as the original recipe, and there was no way onion chunks and a spice bag were fitting in one jar. So I just poured in all the spices and divided everything between two jars. The second time I made this I sliced the onions instead and it worked better. Since I was leaving the spices in the jar instead of pouring the mixture through cheesecloth, I halved the spice amounts and was very happy with the results.
Hamburger pickles
Pickles adapted from “A Burger to Believe In” by Chris Kronner. This cookbook builds the perfect burger from the ground up, with no detail left to chance. Hence these pickles. I haven't done the whole nine yards yet, but it sounds like a great quest.
Ingredients
1½ pounds pickling cucumbers (the smaller the better)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 tablespoons coriander seeds
½ tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
½ tablespoon dill seed
½ tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 star anise or ¾ teaspoon anise seeds, optional if you don't like anise
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon celery seed
2 whole cloves
2 allspice berries
2 bay leaves
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
3 cups white vinegar
Method
Wash the pickles and cut off the ends. Pack pickles into 2
pint jars, or 1 pint and 1 quart jar, depending on the size of your cucumbers.
Put 1 tablespoon salt in each jar, and 1 tablespoon dill. Shake to distribute
evenly. (Alternatively, you could slice them into quarters lengthwise, which
does make it easier to pack them into jars efficiently, but whole pickles hold
up longer in the refrigerator than spears.)
Combine coriander, caraway, dill seed, peppercorns, mustard
seed, anise, fennel seed, celery seed, cloves and allspice in a small bowl.
(You’ll be much happier with yourself if you mix them up in advance because it’s
hard to properly measure out that many ingredients in a timely fashion while
trying to toast them briefly.)
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion,
garlic, bay leaves and spice mixture. Toast until fragrant, a minute or so, stirring often to avoid burning
them. Add the vinegar and increase the heat to medium high. Bring to a simmer
and then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
Divide pickles and garlic among the jars, pushing them down
in among the pickles. (The handle of a wooden spoon works well for this.) Pour
vinegar and spices over pickles in the jar, dividing up the spices and brine as
best you can between the two jars. Cover with canning lids and let cool before
refrigerating.
Rating: These are really, really nice. Wonderful combo pack of spices, even though it looks like a spice rack dump when you look at the ingredient list. Even though there's no sugar, there's an almost sweet taste implied by those spices you associate with baked goods like cloves and allspice. Someday I might try them by using the cheesecloth spice bundle method, but right now I'm not messing with success. A definite keeper, although keeping them on hand might be a challenge.
Pickled brussels sprouts
Adapted from the traditional hot-water bath method on the Farm to Table site.
Ingredients
4 cups brussels sprouts (smaller is better)
1 ⅓ cup white vinegar
⅔ cup sugar
⅔ cup thinly sliced onions
⅓ cup red bell peppers, chopped small
1 tablespoon mustard seed
½ tablespoon celery seed
1 heaping ¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 heaping ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Method
Wash brussels sprouts and remove any hard stems or outer
leaves.
Bring a salted pot of water (4 teaspoons coarse salt per 1
gallon of water) to a boil Add sprouts and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat
but leave them in the water while you prepare the rest of the recipe, because
this is the only cooking the sprouts will get since we’re not doing a hot water
bath.
Combine vinegar, sugar, onions, peppers, mustard seed,
celery seed, turmeric and red pepper flakes in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Divide onion and red bell pepper among the jars. (The size
and number will depend on how big your sprouts are; I used 2 jars of less than
a quart each.) Drain brussels sprouts and divide among jars. Pour brine over
sprouts, covering as much as possible. Wipe rims clean and cover with canning
jar lids. Let cool completely before refrigerating.
Rating: Dave called them tasty little pickle treats and said
that next to roasting them with bacon, this was his favorite way to eat them. I
wouldn’t go that far, but they’re a not-bad treatment and a sweet/savory
counterpart on the plate to pork or chicken. I don’t think I’d go out of my way
to ever do the water bath version, but again, that’s the beauty of quickles:
You’re more willing to experiment.
This next recipe is a fine example of how freeing it is to make refrigerator pickles. I was intrigued by the gin/juniper combo suggestion in this quickle tutorial. The author outlined her standard formula for refrigerator pickles with which she's found success. I took one look at those ratios and knew they wouldn't suit me, as I don't like my pickles that sweet, but the flavor profile of the juniper-dill-gin was a winner.
Gin quickles
Adapted from food52.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 ½ pounds small cucumbers, sliced ¼-inch thick crosswise
2 ¼ cups vinegar
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 juniper berries
1 tablespoon gin
2 bay leaves
Method
Pack pickle slices in 2 pint jars (more or less, depending
on the size of your cucumbers). Divide dill among jars.
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, juniper berries, gin and bay
leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt are
dissolved. Cool for 5 minutes and pour over cucumber slices. Seal with canning
lids and let cool before refrigerating.
Rating: Very refreshing and tasty. Make great sandwich
pickles. I'd make these again.
The next recipe was more or less an experiment based on what was in the herb pots. I used the brine base from a Cooking Light quickle recipe I've made for years.
Lemon pickles
Ingredients
1 pound small cucumbers, sliced ¼-inch thick crosswise
2 fat strips lemon peel (a peeler works)
4 sprigs lemon basil
A generous dash of crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Method
Place cucumbers in 2 pint jars. Put a strip of lemon and 2
sprigs of lemon basil in each, tucking down into the cucumbers.Shake a bit of crushed red pepper into each jar and shake to incorporate.
Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil over medium
high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Let cool a few minutes and then poor
over cucumbers. Seal with canning jar
lids and let cool completely before refrigerating.
Rating: Very nice, bright flavors, and nicely balanced. Repeatable combo.
And another stand-by that I've blogged about before is the Fast-Favorite Dill Pickles from Epicurious. They're good as refrigerator pickles, but they're also a great gateway to canning. And that might be a good idea, since oddly enough my refrigerator is a little full of pickles right now.
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