Los Angeles - July 24, 2009

Cool As a Cucumber

Pickle Recipe from "The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook"

Burgers, buns, ketchup, and mustard. There’s something missing from this summertime picture. Pickles, we presume. And none better than Big Sur Bakery’s. The homey eatery on Highway 1 features the special (and easy) recipe in its new cookbook. We offer it to you with relish.

Big Sur Bakery Pickles

Ingredients
½ c. kosher salt
8 small to medium pickling cucumbers, washed and dried
1 qt. champagne vinegar
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 shallots, sliced
¼ c. kosher salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tbsp. hot red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves

1. Prepare cucumbers: Dissolve salt in 2 qts. hot water. Pour salted water into large glass container and submerge cukes. Put a plate on top to prevent them from floating to the surface. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Rinse.

2. Make brine: Put vinegar, garlic, shallots, salt, sugar, and 1 qt. water in a medium pot. Combine mustard and fennel seeds, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves in saute pan and toast over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the toasted spices to the vinegar mixture and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and let brine simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Place cucumbers in clean, dry glass or ceramic container and pour hot brine over them. Use a plate to keep the green guys submerged in liquid and place container in fridge uncovered. Leave until brine cools, then cover the container with a lid and keep for 1 week.

For good pickles, eat in a week. For great pickles, eat in a month.

The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook available at amazon.com or at your local bookstore. For more information, go to bigsurbakery.com.