Brine and dandy: Pickling the season's best produce

Now that we’ve defrosted from the winter, the return of warmer weather means the return of fresh local produce. Spring produce is already a feast for the senses—crisp, colorful, and bursting with freshness. But if you soak those tender veggies in a tangy brine, they suddenly become the star of the plate. 

Quick pickling is the easiest way to add brightness, crunch, and a punch of flavor to just about anything you’re eating, from grain bowls and sandwiches to salads and charcuterie boards to cocktails and desserts. In just a few minutes, you can turn humble radishes, asparagus, and snap peas into bold, zippy toppings.

There are a lot of recipes for pickled ingredients online, but to keep things simple, I like to work off of a simple formula: equal parts water and vinegar, 1/4 part sugar (by volume), and 1/16th part kosher salt (by volume). In more basic terms, that’s 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. 

The acid in the vinegar helps inhibit the growth of bacteria and allows the brine to rapidly infuse the produce with flavor. The sugar balances the sourness, and the salt enhances the flavor. Once you have the basic formula down, you can play around with different herbs and spices, vinegars, and sweeteners to create different flavor profiles. 

You can pickle almost any produce. There are only a few foods that don't pickle well, including leafy greens, melons, avocados, and bananas.

I'm sharing a few of my go-to pickle recipes below, but feel free to change them up and make them your own.

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

• 12 ounces sugar snap peas
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced in half
• 2 dill sprigs
• 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Place sugar snap peas, garlic, dill, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes in jar.
2. Heat water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt are dissolved.
3. Pour brine over peas. Make sure it's fully submerged.
4. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.
5. Eat within 1 month.

Pickled Fennel

Ingredients

• 1 large (or 2 small) fennel bulb
• Peel from 1 lemon (peeled in wide strips with vegetable peeler)
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Trim stalks and tough outer layers from fennel bulb. Cut bulb in half lengthways and remove core. Save fronds but discard the rest. 
2. Thinly slice fennel bulb using mandolin (about 1/8-inch thick).
3. Stuff fennel slices, lemon peel, and thyme into large canning jar.
4. Heat water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt are dissolved.
5. Pour brine over fennel. Make sure fennel is fully submerged.
6. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.
7. Eat within 1 month.

Pickled Blueberries

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh blueberries
• Peel from 1 lemon (peeled in wide strips with vegetable peeler)
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Stuff blueberries, lemon peel, and ginger into large canning jar.
2. Heat water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt are dissolved.
3. Pour brine over blueberries. Make sure blueberries are fully submerged.
4. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.
5. Eat within 1 month.

  

Tiramisu Coffee Chip Ice Cream Cake

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville Ice Cream, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Let me tell you a little something about moms. They want you to treat them to something special for Mother's Day, but they don't want to ask for it. And they especially don't want to clean up any messes.

Fortunately, I have the perfect recipe to help your mom feel extra special--tiramisu ice cream cake! It's easy enough for a child to make, but it's also really sophisticated and decadent.

Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert with three primary flavors: cocoa, mascarpone, and espresso. The name literally translates to "pick me up." And if there's one thing you need to know about moms, it's that we're tired and always need a "pick me up."

The base of the cake is a layer of lady fingers, also known as savoiardi. These are light, crisp sponge cookies in the shape of, you guessed it, a lady's fingers. Traditionally, the lady fingers are dipped in very strong coffee or espresso. But those are water-based liquids, and water can cause frozen desserts to become icy. The best way to prevent that is to make espresso syrup with sugar dissolved in equal parts water and mixed with instant espresso powder.

The next layer is Hudsonville Coffee Chip ice cream. This is a new flavor created for coffee fans. It's a creamy, coffee-flavored ice cream with dark chocolatey chips mixed in. The flavor combo is perfect for tiramisu ice cream cake.

It's very important to use high-quality ice cream in an ice cream cake, which is why I always use Hudsonville Ice Cream. Hudsonville is a Midwest company based out of Holland, Michigan, which is just about 3 hours north of Indianapolis. The company uses locally sourced cream and milk. The high-quality ingredients give it a creamier, silkier texture as it softens, rather than becoming icy or slushy. This is important because you need to soften the ice cream before layering it in the dessert.

The best way to soften ice cream is to take it out of the freezer about 15 minutes before you want to use it. Then scoop the ice cream into a large bowl and stir it gently with a spoon or spatula. This helps it soften evenly into a creamy, spreadable texture. Once the ice cream is pliable, stop. Too much stirring can break down the texture and make it icy once it refreezes.

Once you've finished layering the ice cream and lady fingers, place the loaf pan in the freezer and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. I highly recommend making this one day in advance so it has plenty of time to set. Or if you like to prep things in advance, you can make it up to one week ahead of time.

Before serving, I like to spread mascarpone whipped cream over the top and add a dusting of cocoa powder. Mascarpone whipped cream is more stable than regular whipped cream, so this can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Tiramisu Coffee Chip Ice Cream Cake

Yield: About 10 servings

Prep time: About 45 minutes

Total time: About 6 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the espresso syrup

• 4 ounces water
• 4 ounces granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons instant espresso powder

For the cake

• 1 (7-ounce) package lady finger cookies
• 1 (48-ounce) container Hudsonville Coffee Chip ice cream

For the topping

• 4 ounces mascarpone
• 6 ounces heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• Cocoa powder

Directions

For the espresso syrup

1. Heat water, sugar, and espresso powder in microwave or small saucepan until sugar and powder are dissolved.
2. Pour espresso syrup into shallow bowl and set aside.

For the cake

1. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to lift the cake out later.
2. Quickly dip lady fingers into espresso syrup, one second for each side.
3. Line bottom of loaf pan with dipped ladyfingers, trimming if needed to fit snugly.
4. Evenly spread 1 1/3 cup of ice cream over top of lady fingers.
5. Repeat 2 more times, alternating layers of lady fingers with ice cream.
6. Cover top with plastic wrap and freeze at least 6 hours or until completely firm.

For the topping

1. Add mascarpone to stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment (or in large bowl with electric beaters or whisk) and beat on medium-low speed for about 30 seconds.
2. Slowly pour in heavy cream and sugar with mixer running.
3. Once everything is combined, increase mixer to high speed and beat until soft peaks form.
4. Remove frozen tiramisu from loaf pan and spread mascarpone whipped cream over top.
5. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.

Easiest whole lemon blueberry cake

I have been intrigued by the idea of blending a whole citrus fruit into a cake ever since I first heard about the Sicilian practice of using whole oranges in cakes. I complete most kitchen tasks one-handed while holding onto a baby who likes to hang onto me like a sloth, so the idea of a cake in which I could dump everything into a blender was very appealing.

I had high hopes the first time I made a whole lemon  cake. It looked good! It smelled good! It tasted bitter. I thought that might happen because the white part underneath the skin--the pith--is indeed very bitter.

I almost gave up on the idea, but something in the back of my mind kept telling me it could work. So I tried it again and again and again. I finally developed what I think is the easiest whole lemon blender cake with lots of fresh lemon flavor and no bitterness.

The key is to use boiled Meyer lemons.

The bitterness in lemons comes mainly from compounds concentrated in the peel and pith. Meyer lemons have a thinner rind than other lemons. Additionally, boiling the lemons helps tremendously because heat breaks down the compounds that cause the bitterness.

The lemons will look like little deflated balloons when they're done boiling. Then let them cool before using them in the rest of the batter. You can do this the day before to save time.

A few more tips when making a blender cake...

Add the wet ingredients first (lemons, eggs, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract) and blend until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, thyme), and pulse. Just like with regular cakes, blend only until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth. Over mixing can result in a dense and tough cake. 

If you choose to use blueberries in the cake, toss them with a little flour before mixing them in the batter. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom when the cake bakes.

The most accurate way to ensure your cake is done baking is to check the internal temperature. The center should be between 200 and 210 degrees Fahrenheit.

I made this recipe in a Vitamix. A food processor will also work well. If your blender or food processor is unable to hold the wet and dry ingredients, blend the wet ingredients and mix separately in a bowl with the dry ingredients.

Easiest whole lemon blueberry cake

Yield: One lemon cake

Time: About 90 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 6 ounces Meyer lemons (about 3 small lemons)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (180 grams) full-fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Optional: 2 Tablespoons thyme leaves
• Optional: 6 ounces fresh blueberries mixed with 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the glaze

• 1 cup (110 grams) powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

For the cake

1. Put lemons in pot with cold water and bring to boil. Boil for about 30 minutes or until lemons look deflated.
2. A few minutes before lemons are done cooking, grease loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch) and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Drain and discard cooking water. Cut lemons in quarters and discard seeds.
4. Place lemons, skins and all, in large high-powered blender or food processor.
5. Add eggs, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla to blender and blend until smooth.
6. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and optional thyme. Add dry ingredients to blender and pulse until everything is just combined.
7. Toss the optional blueberries into the batter, and gently fold them in.
8. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth top.
9. Bake for about 50-55 minutes or until cake is golden and internal temperature registers around 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Then remove it from pan and let it continue to cool on wire rack.

For the glaze

1. Once cake is cool, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice. Consistency should resemble glue.
2. Drizzle glaze over top of cake.
3. Slice cake and serve.

Lavender lemon curd mini tarts

 

Spring is finally here, and I'm so excited to start baking with my favorite spring flavors once again, especially lemon and lavender. I love the combination of bright citrus and delicate floral flavors.

The recipe I'm sharing today couldn't be easier (dare I say it's foolproof), and it's the perfect recipe to keep in your back pocket and pull out for all the upcoming special occasions, like Easter, Mother's Day, baby showers, bridal showers, etc.

Lavender lemon curd is a twist on the classic lemon curd recipe, and it tastes like sunshine in a jar. Here's what makes this recipe different:

1) It doesn't use eggs or butter. I thickened the curd with cornstarch instead. This is great because you don't have to waste precious eggs, and it's vegan! Also, you don't have to worry about the eggs curdling if you overcook it. That also means you don't have to strain it!

2) I infused the curd with flavor by tying lavender buds in cheesecloth and stirring it in the saucepan while cooking the curd. There are two types of dried lavender buds you can buy: English and French. English lavender is for eating; French is for fragrance. So make sure you use English lavender. Oftentimes, the lavender will say "culinary lavender."

A few more notes about this recipe...

After you remove the curd from the stove, it may seem too runny, but it will thicken as it cools.

I like to add turmeric to lemon curd to brighten the yellow. A little goes a long way. You won't taste it, but it isn't necessary.

You can make and store the tart shells up to two days in advance, but it is best to fill them the day you plan to eat them.

There will be plenty of leftover curd which you can use on scones, as filling in cakes, as a pancake topping, etc.

Lavender lemon curd flower tarts

Yield: Makes about 28 tarts, plus leftover lemon curd

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

Necessary equipment

• Mini muffin tin
• Flower cookie cutter (about 4" to 4.5" in diameter)
• Cheese cloth
• Twine

For the tarts

• 3 pre-made ready to roll pie crusts

For the lavender lemon curd

• 5 large lemons
• 3 Tablespoons dried lavender buds
• 1 1/2 cup milk, cow or dairy-free
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)

Directions

For the tarts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Unroll pie crust and use flower-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many flowers as possible. Combine scraps, roll out dough, and cut out more flowers. Repeat process until you run out of dough.
3. Place dough flowers in every other cavity of mini muffin tin, gently pressing down in the center so they touch the bottom.
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and cool while you make lavender lemon curd.

For the lavender lemon curd

1. Use a microplane to zest lemons. 
2. Juice lemons until you have 1 cup juice.
3. Place lavender buds in center of cheesecloth. Fold and tie cheesecloth with twine.
4. Combine zest, juice, milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and optional turmeric in small saucepan and place lemon peel-lavender sachet in pan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to simmer and starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Check temperature. Continue to cook until mixture reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Alternatively, check doneness by dipping spoon in curd. If you can draw line on back of spoon and it holds, it's done.
5. Remove sachet from saucepan and pour lemon curd into heat-safe container. Refrigerate to cool.
6. When ready to serve, spoon curd into mini flower tarts and dust with powdered sugar. 
7. Store leftover curd in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Use leftover curd on scones, as cake filling, etc.

Rose and cardamom coconut pie

 My husband's birthday was the inspiration for the development of this rose and cardamom coconut pie!

There are several things that make this pie so special. The first is it doesn't have eggs! That's right, you don't have to fight anyone off to acquire eggs at the grocery store for this recipe. And a big benefit to not using eggs is that it's pretty foolproof. If you over bake it a little bit, you don't have to worry about the surface cracking. 

ALSO, it has a phyllo crust. So if pie dough is a barrier to you making pie, this is the perfect solution. Another great part about a phyllo crust is you don't have to parbake the crust, which you would normally need to do before baking a custard pie.

This recipe has rose water, and if you're unfamiliar with rosewater, it's important to know a little goes a long way. You can go from a pleasant rose taste to straight perfume very quickly. I'm pushing the limits a little bit with two tablespoons, but my husband LOVES rosewater. So if you're unsure, I recommend starting with one tablespoon, smelling it, and then reevaluating whether you want to add more.

Rose and cardamom coconut pie

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Time: About 90 minutes

Ingredients

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (106 grams) light brown sugar 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 400 milliliters unsweetened coconut cream
• 2 Tablespoons rose water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the crust

• 8 Tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Directions

For the filling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Spread coconut flakes in even layer on baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until coconut is golden brown. Remove from oven and pour into medium mixing bowl.
3. Mix flour, both sugars, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt with coconut flakes.
4. Whisk in coconut cream, rose water, and vanilla extract until just combined. Set mixture aside.

For the crust

1. Brush 9-inch pie pan with melted butter and place on baking sheet for easier handling.
2. Unfold phyllo sheets and cover with damp towel.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo in pan and gently press it into bottom and sides with edges hanging over rim. Brush it lightly with butter.
4. Turn pan slightly and place another sheet of phyllo on top. The edges of the two sheets should be slightly staggered and not match up. Brush with butter.
5. Repeat with remaining phyllo and butter, making sure to stagger the sheets so the phyllo is evenly distributed.
6. Scrunch the overhanging phyllo around the edges to form a ruffled lip and brush with butter.
7. Pour filling mixture into crust and bake until filling is set around edges but still a little jiggly in center, about 45 to 55 minutes. 
8. Let pie cool to room temperature and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Fried Dill Pickle Dip

 

For most people, the excitement around Super Bowl Sunday isn’t about the football game. It’s about excellent snacking opportunities. And obviously, everyone loves dips, but they especially shine on Super Bowl Sunday!

I guarantee you’ll see buffalo chicken dip, guacamole, and queso on Sunday, but let me introduce you to my favorite dip: fried dill pickle dip. It is the trifecta of tangy and creamy and crunchy. This dip has easy to find ingredients, and it comes together in about 15 minutes.

All about that base

A combination of sour cream and mayo is the best base! This makes the dip light enough to use with chips and lets the pickle flavor shine. A cream cheese-based dip is too thick and masks the pickle flavor.

Picky about the pickles

As someone who is VERY passionate about pickles, I have tried a lot of different ones. My two favorite pickles are the Kosher Dill Pickle Chips from Trader Joe’s and the dill pickle chips from Whole Foods. Grillo's Pickles and Claussen are also excellent, but they seem to be more expensive. Just make sure you grab your pickles out of the refrigerated section because those are usually the best quality pickles, and we need good quality pickles with a good brine for this recipe.

Dipadee-do-dah!

I recommend serving the dip with a sturdy chip so there's no breakage. Also, some crudités like carrots, cucumbers, and radishes would be great for dunking.

Fried Dill Pickle Dip

Yield: Makes 2.5 cups dip

Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the crunchy topping

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup (68 grams) panko breadcrumbs

For the dip base 

• 8 ounces sour cream 
• 6 ounces mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup (75 grams) dill pickles, small dice
• 1/4 cup (60 millilters) pickle brine
• 1 ounce ranch dressing mix
• 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the garnish

• Additional chopped dill, chives and pickles

Directions

For the crunchy topping

1. Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat.
2. Add panko and cook until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and pour into bowl. Set aside.

For the dip base

1. In medium bowl, stir together all ingredients of dip base.
2. Transfer to serving bowl and chill until ready to serve.

For the garnish

1. Before serving, top dip with panko and additional chopped dill, chives, and pickles.

Vegan BBQ sandwiches

I’m hopping on the Veganuary train and sharing a tofu recipe for a great vegan pulled pork substitute! “Great” probably isn’t a word you would think to use to describe a “meat substitute.” But I’m telling you, the barbecue flavor is spot on, and the technique I use makes the texture nearly identical to the real thing.

I think a lot of people don’t use tofu because they don’t know how to prepare it (do I need to press it?) and they think it tastes funny. But actually tofu has a pretty neutral flavor that is masked by the barbecue seasoning and barbecue sauce. Also, the preparation is truly foolproof using the box grater method. What’s that you ask? All I do is take a piece of extra firm tofu and shred it on the large holes of a box grater. Once the moisture from the tofu cooks out, the tofu shreds very closely resemble the look and texture of pulled pork.

You can pile the barbecue tofu in a bun and eat it like a pulled pork sandwich with slaw on top. Or you can use it in a taco or burrito or over nachos. It’s very versatile.

Vegan BBQ sandwiches

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the tofu

• 1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 Tablespoon barbecue rub (or 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder)
• 450 grams extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

For the slaw

• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

For the tofu

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix tamari, olive oil, and seasonings in large bowl. Set aside.
3. Pat tofu dry. Grate tofu on large holes of box grater over bowl with seasonings.
4. Gently stir to evenly coat tofu.
5. Spread shreds evenly over baking pan. Bake 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
6. Remove pan from oven and move tofu to medium bowl.
7. Pour barbecue sauce over shreds and gently stir to evenly coat tofu in sauce.

For the slaw

1. In large bowl, mix lime juice, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
2. Add red cabbage and cilantro to bowl and stir to evenly coat.
3. Prepare sandwiches by dividing BBQ tofu between four bottom buns. Evenly divide slaw over tofu and top with bun.

Recipe adapted from Up Beet Kitchen