Blogger Spotlight

Eat Boutique Pickles Ginger from Foolproof Preserving

DIY queen Maggie Battista from Eat Boutique makes pickled ginger and gives away a copy of Foolproof Preserving.
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Published Oct. 20, 2016.

Foolproof Preserving: A Guide To Small Batch Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Condiments & More is an exciting and fully illustrated book with a wide array of fresh and modern recipes for today’s home cooks. It takes the home cook by the hand and carefully walks them through the process of preserving (and toward success in the kitchen). Perfect for beginners eager to get started and for seasoned canners who want a new collection of foolproof recipes, the book opens with “The ATK Guide to Home Preserving.” It contains a comprehensive overview fully explaining the science behind preserving and pickling and the boiling water canning process (the only method used in the book); a troubleshooting section detailing common canning problems with tips on how to avoid them; and the DIY canning kit, which outlines the essential equipment you need to preserve food at home.


 

Spicy, sweet, and briny, pickled ginger has many uses outside of being used as a condiment alongside sushi. "I’ve been feeling ginger lately," writes Maggie of Eat Boutique. "Call it a call from fall or maybe from my warm, steaming broth and rice bowls. It’s also most certainly in my tea and now attached to every dish that needs a little bite via this recipe from the new cookbook Foolproof Preserving from my friends at America's Test Kitchen." 

Young ginger is the type we are most accustomed to seeing on our sushi boats, but we wanted to make a recipe using mature ginger. Mature ginger is readily available in grocery stores, and can be used in many applications. While young ginger root gets its color from the ginger's natural pink pigment, mature ginger may not always turn pink when pickled. 

Maggie of Eat Boutique uses a wide-mouth funnel to pack sliced ginger into jars.

To balance the pungency of the mature ginger and eliminate its tough texture, our recipe testers found that slicing the root thin against the grain and then giving it a quick boil did the trick. "The most awesome tip comes when they boil the just-sliced ginger for under a minute to take away some harshness, a must if you’re using mature ginger, and to wilt the slices so they tumble into the jar and succumb to the rice vinegar brine," writes Maggie. 

"When you make that brief blanch happen, something magical happens — you’re left with a pot of ginger broth that can be worked into soups. I added mine to a pumpkin and apple soup the next day." 
Our Foolproof Preserving Pickled Ginger should be refrigerated in its brine for four days to allow the vegetable to be fully pickled.

Like we said, there are many uses for pickled ginger. Maggie writes about a few of her favorites: "I eat a few slices between bites of rich dumplings, to cut some of the richness. I also put a few slices on top of fried rice, pho bowls, or alongside store-bought veggie sushi...But with a few slices of this homemade condiment, it feels like a homemade meal, really." With a homemade option for pickled ginger, you can spice up takeout sushi night. 

For the full reviewand more information about pickling gingersee the original post on Eat Boutique.

Canning at Home Made Easy

Foolproof Preserving

The art of preserving produce has come full circle, from grandmother’s kitchen to a whole new generation now eager to learn how. This detailed, step-by-step guide from the experts at America’s Test Kitchen is perfect for first-time and experienced canners alike. You’ll get 110 foolproof recipes across a wide range of categories, from sweet jams and jellies to savory jams and chutneys, pickles, vegetables, fruit in syrup, condiments, and more.  
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