I am a big
fan of preserving fruits, vegetables, cheeses, fish, and meats for future use.
One old-fashioned and too-often forgotten method of preservation is pickling.
Schiffer
Books offered me a review copy of Pickled Delicacies: In Vinegar, Oil, and Alcohol (Baumgartner, Hauer, Mahriner-Eder, and Obermayr. Schiffer Publishing,
Ltd., 2015) and I jumped at the offer because I am always looking for new ways
to put up seasonal and local foods.
I opened the
book to the middle and started reading. My immediate reaction was to go to the
front of the book and find out if this was a translation. Don’t get me
wrong, the English is perfect. It is simply that the instructions reminded me
of the style of European cookbooks, which made me love this book for that
reason alone. It is, in fact, translated from German. (Leopold Stocker Verlag,
2008.)
For anyone
who spends even a little time in the kitchen, these recipes are just right.
They aren’t laborious, and are easy to follow.
I like that
the book is divided into five kinds of pickling processes, even though only
three are listed in the title. Vinegar. Oil. Alcohol. Salt. Sugar. Maybe salt
and sugar are assumed, but salt is one of the best preservers available, and
sugared items certainly appeal to my sweet tooth. (Not all pickles are sour!)
Pickled Delicacies has
a great variety of ideas – from sweet, to sour, to salty, and tipsy – many of which are new to me. Different flavor
combinations, such as today’s pears in saffron syrup, will really make this book a
go-to when I want to create something out of the ordinary. It includes recipes
for fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and fish … and even one for quail eggs. The
book has no meat-based recipes (no corned beef, no ham hocks), but I don’t find that
a detractor.
I think many
of the recipes would make wonderful gifts. Note: Whether for yourself or for friends,
proper sterilization and sealing of the jars is important, though it isn’t
covered in too much detail.
I give this
book a thumbs up, mostly for its creativity. And, in the introduction, the
authors encourage the reader to experiment. These are people who are passionate
about their craft, and are encouraging to their readers to discover their personal creativity. No yields were given for these recipes but, with practice, that can be done through the cook’s intuition.
Pears in
Saffron Syrup
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Anonymous
November 15, 2015 at 4:55 pmMmmm….this sounds wonderful! I do love pears a lot. So, I do not have to "process" them in a boiling water bath? I have read that one always has to do that. I wish we had planted some pear trees 14 years ago when we moved to our farm!
It's not too late.
Growing up I remember helping my aunts and grandmother can fruit. I wish I had paid more attention to it but I was too young, I guess, to learn from them. I just remember being so HOT and they were, too. Or course it was done at the peak of summer/autumn and there certainly was no air conditioning.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2015 at 12:40 amHi, Caterina! If you wanted to keep these for a long time, they should be processed. Since it only made 2 pints, I didn't think it was worth firing up the kettle, as I know they will be gone before too long! They are resting peacefully in the fridge! I think you will live these!
Valentina
November 15, 2015 at 6:47 pmMy mouth is watering! Looks like a beautiful book and the flavors in this particular recipe are so lovely — and stunning!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2015 at 12:41 amThanks, Valentina! I really did enjoy all the different and unique recipes in the book!
Paola
November 15, 2015 at 7:30 pmI have never attempted to pickle fruit – these look fabulous – I might try with stone fruit, which is just starting to be in season now here in Australia
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2015 at 12:42 amI think "pickle" is an unusual word when thinking of fruit, Paola. "Preserve" or "put up" are the terms my family would use! I hope you find some pears to play with!
John - heneedsfood
November 15, 2015 at 8:42 pmAside from a quick method for onions, I don't think I've ever pickled anything. I did olives a couple of times, as well, but the second batch went wrong somewhere. Is there an olive recipe in that book?
And look and your gorgeous pears! I can almost smell them!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2015 at 12:44 amI remember your olives, John, and dream of trying them someday. These pears are definitely worth trying – the color alone is gorgeous, and then there are the aroma and flavor!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2015 at 7:09 amJohn – I just checked, and there is not an olive recipe within. If I find a good one, I will definitely share!
Cheri Savory Spoon
November 16, 2015 at 2:21 amHi David, sounds like my kind of cookbook, the pears sound amazing and would make wonderful Christmas gifts.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2015 at 7:10 amI think so, too, Cheri – although I think these will be gone by Thanksgiving!
Marcelle
November 16, 2015 at 9:22 pmOh David, I want this book too. I love to make bread and butter pickles and certain seasonal jams/jellies and I would love to learn more methods and recipes! Thanks for the review and your photos (as usual) are absolutely beautiful in this post!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 17, 2015 at 2:45 pmThanks, Marcelle – you are so sweet! Bread & Butter Pickles are my absolute favorite! It is fun to put things up for the future, isn't it?
Christina | Christina's Cucina
November 16, 2015 at 10:15 pmWhat a lovely review and recipe, David! I adore anything pickled in vinegar and many things in alcohol! At one time, I had 15 different kinds of vinegar in my kitchen. That's when I realized I might have a "problem", if you can call it that! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
November 17, 2015 at 2:46 pmOh, Christina – I am afraid to open my pantry to count the oils and vinegars I have. I already admitted to my salt problem on the blog! 🙂
Sippity Sup
November 17, 2015 at 5:17 pmPack me a peck of pickled pears! GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
November 17, 2015 at 11:35 pmAnd here I thought you were Peter Piper! Thanks, Greg!
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
November 17, 2015 at 5:27 pmI am really starting to love canning–there are some wonderful recipes out there if you go beyond the basic. I will have to pin this one, hoping for a good pear harvest in 2016.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 17, 2015 at 11:36 pmYes, Inger, there are so many things we can say having a pear tree like we had in Maine, but having limes, lemons, and oranges isn't too bad, on the other hand…
Nuts about food
November 18, 2015 at 11:32 amI love the idea of pickling and preserving foods and am totally taken by this book (pears and saffron???), but have never tried yet because I still need to get over the fear of sterilization and sealing, but am very tempted by this.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 18, 2015 at 2:04 pmThe sterilization is really quite simple, Fiona, but for this recipe you can simply refrigerate them for up to a month. I have done a lot of canning and, if you follow the directions, it is really simple and safe to seal the jars! Let me know if you want more info…
Nuts about food
November 26, 2015 at 11:45 amWill do when I finally decide to jump! Thank you
Cocoa & Lavender
November 26, 2015 at 1:56 pm🙂 – Happy Thanksgiving! Are you celebrating in Milan?
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
November 24, 2015 at 9:27 amDear David, "Eingelegte Köstlichkeiten in Essig, Öl und Alkohol" sounds good to me…and "Birnen in Safransirup" just look absolutely wonderful – great flavors, wonderful presentation – what a great book to own!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 24, 2015 at 2:58 pmHast du dieses Kochbuch? It is really full of wonderful ideas! We are saving the pears for tomorrow night's dessert with some excellent vanilla ice cream.