Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects

Do you relish the joys of hot toast spread with your own homemade butter and jam?
Love to dazzle your friends with jars and tins of choice goodies-all created by you?

The kitchen is a paradise for crafty cooks, and whether you're a newcomer to the realm of amateur artisanal edibles or a seasoned food crafter on the prowl for your next batch of appetizing challenges, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It has recipes galore for you (75, to be exact).

Projects range from perfect pantry staples (Butter, Crackers, Pasta) to festive giftables (Toasted Walnut Brandy, Lemon Curd, Peanut Butter Cups); some give quick gratification (Mayonnaise, Rumkirschen, Potato Chips), while others reward patience (Gravlax, Ricotta Salata, Kimchee). Practical prep-ahead and storage instructions accompany each recipe, several give variations (like Caramelized Onion and Thyme Butter — yum), and most share ideas on how to use it, serve it, and give it away.

Complete with color photographs and the accumulated wisdom of author Karen Solomon's years of food crafting, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It is your one-stop resource for turning your culinary inspiration into a pantry full of hand-labeled, better-than-store-bought creations

"tips so flavor-boosting..., they made us want to snub the squeeze bottles filling our fridges." Every Day with Rachael Ray

Food and crafting enthusiasts look forward to the weekends to create, experiment, and stock the pantry with handcrafted edibles and gifts. For creative urban dwellers, the kitchen is a workshop space, and Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects is its how-to guide.

This savvy collection of 75 recipes for creating homemade artisan foodstuffs features delicious projects easy enough to be completed in one to two days. Detailed instructions, prep-ahead tips, shopping lists, and optional extras outline the shortest route between crafty cooks and a pantry full of hand-labeled, better-than-store-bought creations.

Karen Solomon is a food and lifestyle writer and veteran culinary tinkerer and food crafter. She is the author of The Cheap Bastard's Guide to San Francisco, a contributor to San Francisco magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle, and a former editor and columnist for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She has also contributed to Chow — San Francisco Bay Area, the SF Zagat Guide, and dozens of Bay Area and national publications. She lives with her partner, son, and food-focused dachshund in (you guessed it) San Francisco, California. Reach her at www.ksolomon.com.

acknowledgments xi

introduction 1

1 munch it

CRACKERS, CHIPS AND DIPS

Basic Crackers, Breadsticks, and Flatbread 5

Baked Potato Chips 7

Fried Potato Chips 9

Cheese Chips 11

Classic Black Bean Dip 12

White Bean Dip 13

2 bottle it

ALL MANNER OF CONDIMENTS

Infused Oil 16

Basic Vinaigrette 17

Severely Hot (or Not) Sauce 18

Regular Ol Tomato Ketchup (but Better) 20

Orange Yogurt Dressing 21

Oregano and Cumin Dressing 22

Tahini Goddess Dressing 23

Buttermilk Dressing 24

Caesar Dressing 25

Mustard 26

Mayonnaise 27

3 brine it

PICKLES AND OLIVES

Pickled Green Beans 33

Olives 34

Stuffed Olives 35

Super-Fast Thai Cucumber Salad 37

Quick Pickled Daikon with Lemon 38

Kimchee 39

4 noodle it

EASY PASTA, THREE WAYS

Basic Pasta Dough 44

Simple Tomato Sauce 45

Meat, Cheese, and Spinach Filling 46

Ravioli 47

Lasagne 50

Tagliatelle 51

5 hook it

PRESERVED AND CURED FISH

Gravlax 54

Salt Cod 56

Smoked Trout 57

6 hunt it

PRESERVED AND CURED MEAT

Smoked Turkey 62

Bacon 63

Lard 67

Sausage Patties 68

Sausage Links 70

Beef Jerky 72

7 milk it

BUTER AND CHEESE

Butter 76

Yogurt Cheese 78

Queso Blanco 79

Ricotta Cheese 80

Ricotta Salata 82

8 jam it

PRESERVES, CURDS, AND FRUIT BUTTER

Strawberry Jam 86

Orange Marmalade 92

Apple Butter 93

Lemon Curd 95

9 sugar it

SWEET TREATS

Toaster Tarts 98

Marshmallows 101

Apple Fruit Leather 103

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies 104

Graham Crackers 107

10 freeze it

FROZEN CONFECTIONS

Mango and Lime Pops 110

Watermelon Pops 112

Arnold Palmer Pops 113

Chocolate Fudge Pops 114

Coconut Cream Pops 115

Burnt Salted Caramel Icies 116

Banana Cream Pops 117

11 unwrap it

MAKING CANDY

Senior Mints 120

Toffee 122

Coconut Almond Candy Bars 123

Peanut Butter Cups 125

12 drink it

HARD AND SOFT BEVERAGES

Jamaican Ginger Beer 129

Chai 130

Orange-Flavored Vodka 131

Orange Liqueur 132

Toasted Walnut Brandy 133

Winter Solstice Brew 134

Hot and Sweet Liqueur 135

Fruit and Nut Brandy 136

Potent Iced Tea with Lemon Cordial 138

Limoncello 139

Limoncello di Crema 140

Rumkirschen 141

index 142