Pickling Cornichons

[Rob Roy]

I am growing my first lot of cornichons, but now wondering what to do with them regarding their pickling. Can anyone help?

[woolybanana]

There are many places to stick them, but.................[6]

[buelligan]

I had a little google and came up with this http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/article/15/17604 , hope it helps!  I used to have a recipe (Delia's Summer Collection I think), for pickled cucumber and onions (slices of cucumber and onion in a sweetish vinegar).  It really was fantastic!  Unfortunately, I have lent the book (and it's never been returned), I have tried googling for the recipe - to no avail.  Does anyone have a copy (and would they be willing to post the recipe here)?  I would love to taste that delicious stuff again..![:D]

[Pierre ZFP]

You could maybe adapt this recipie?

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/italian/giardiniere-pickles-italian-garden-pickles.html

 

[Clair]

Another suggestion from Delia' new website:

Pickled peppers and courgettes and a cucumber and onions sweet pickle (not Delia's though)

Cornichons au vinaigre picture recipe: la préparation des cornichons au vinaigre

[Pierre ZFP]

Great sounding recipies, I'm going to give them a go.

Coincidently, I was given a dozen 'posh' pickle jars last weekend so now I can fill them [:P]

 

[Cat]

Thanks so much for this thread!

I've just picked the first of my cornichons, but I wasn't quick enough to catch the blighters at  the teeny-weeny stage, and they are already between 2 and 3 inches long.  My only experience of pickles this size has been American style dill pickles (lovely) and mother-in-law's french pickled cornichons (not really crunchy enough).

Having read the recipes in the links, and explored a few more, I'll try salting them first, and then processing with hot brine/vinegar, and bottling them with garlic and dill (except that I don't have any dill to hand, so I'll use fennel fronds instead).

Fingers crossed.

[Polly]

Pickle them as soon as you can after picking.

First you need to get off the 'duvet' or soft fluff, either by rubbing the dry gherkins in tea towels or using a soft nail brush. Rinse & drain them.

Then salt them with gros sel, as for pickled onions, overnight, then rinse, strain & pat dry with new clean tea towels (!)

Put the gherkins into your sparkling clean sterilised jars

For 'plain' pickled gherkins, use either the cheap colourless white wine vinegar or a white tarragon vinegar, and just add a few peppercorns, a bay leaf or 2 & a sprig or 2 of thyme

You can add feathery fennel tops to the basic recipe, for example, to vary the flavour

I like mine a bit spiced up, so I add various selections of : mixed pepper berries, a couple of small dry red chillis, cloves, peeled garlic cloves, thyme, bay & coriander seeds.

Leave to mature for a few months. they should stay crisp and munchy for a couple of years, but sometimes for no apparent reason they god flabby - in which case tip them in the bin!

[Rob Roy]

Thank you Polly, and everyone else for the various links. I had Googled but didn't find those links! I'm also going to have another go at pickling some walnuts. Last time I tried them I used Hugh F-W's recipe but made the brine too strong and it made them too salty. It suprises me that pickled walnuts are not done here considering everything else they do with them!

[Pierre ZFP]

You could be a little late for pickled walnuts.

You have to catch 'em before the shell of the nut has hardened and you should be able to pass a needle or similar right through.

I make the mistake of getting them too late once and nearly broke my teeth on the result.

Sorry if you already know this, not trying to teach you to pickle eggs [;-)]

 

[Pierre ZFP]

[quote user="Cat"]

except that I don't have any dill to hand, so I'll use fennel fronds instead

[/quote]

So is that a case of 'A frond in need is a frond indeed? [:D]

(gosh this is a slow day.....)

[Cat]

More like "anise old port in a storm"

Sorry [:$]

[Rob Roy]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

You could be a little late for pickled walnuts.

You have to catch 'em before the shell of the nut has hardened and you should be able to pass a needle or similar right through.

I make the mistake of getting them too late once and nearly broke my teeth on the result.

Sorry if you already know this, not trying to teach you to pickle eggs [;-)]

 

[/quote]

Alas, I think you may be right [:(] Oh well, always next year.......

[splishsplash]

You can substitute cucumber with cornichons in this recipe, sliced thinly it's a very refreshing salad...

CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD

3-4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

1 cup sour cream

4 Tbs. cider vinegar

3 Tbs. sugar

sprinkle pepper & salt

finely chopped onions

Put all ingredients in big bowl .... Mix or shake.