Synopses & Reviews
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
Review
"tips so flavor-boosting..., they made us want to snub the squeeze bottles filling our fridges." Every Day with Rachael Ray
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
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.
Table of Contents
acknowledgments
xiintroduction 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