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I’ve changed the name of this dish from Jean-Georges’ original recipe, Cucumber Marinated with Orange Peel, because I only used the orange zest to sprinkle on the dish before serving. What I kept was the marinating juice, Chinese-style. This was a great appetizer to another Jean-Georges recipe using fish.

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled, cut into strips
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 fresh Thai chile
orange zest
2 tbsp salt

1. In a bowl, toss cucumber, salt and sugar, and let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Toss in the vinegar, sesame oil and rice vinegar, and marinate for another 30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with orange zest before serving.

Related post/s:
Get your own copy of Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges
This was a great match with fish, Jean-Georges style

My mother doesn’t like the smell of cloves nor anise. When I use them, she never fails to tell me that they remind her of the dentist office. I’m not exactly sure what smell she’s referring to, but to me, the combination of cloves, anise and cinnamon, smell like the forest after a good amount of rainfall. Plus, I really like my dentist.

It had been raining the entire morning–so much for peak autumn season–so all I wanted was to stay home and cook something that would cheer up the kitchen. When I saw Seckel pears at the farmers’ market in Cold Spring, I bought a couple of pounds thinking of that smell.

Of all commercially-grown pears, Seckel pears are the smallest. I love them for their size and they look good preserved in a glass jar. I think preserved spiced pears are good with heartier dishes like goose, lamb and rabbit; the pears’ syrupy juice a nice complement to gamey meat and crusty bread.

Ingredients:
1 pound Seckel pears, peeled, stems intact
2 sticks of cinnamon
2 whole star anise
4 cloves
1 cup white sugar
3 cups of water, or enough to cover

1. Place pears in a saucepan and cover with water. Add the spices, uncovered, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered until they’re tender when pierced with a fork.
2. Allow them to cool in the syrup and then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Related post/s:
Me and pickling
Use your pears, but do less work

I can always count on Cameron to introduce me to something simple, yet presentable, in the kitchen. I’ve had figs before, of course, but their taste never jumped off my plate. At least until she served a mixed salad with them one night when I came over for dinner. It was a bright appetizer that started off an equally delicious meat dinner. After a recipe search, I bought my own fresh figs and preserved my own.

Ingredients:
12 pieces of fresh figs, washed, halved
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom, grounded
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

For the salad:
1 head of frisée, torn in smaller pieces
a handful of walnuts, crushed
a large chunk of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine all the spices with the sugar. Add the vinegar and stir until completely mixed. Add more sugar if it’s too sour to your taste, but it should be a perfect balance of tart, spice and sweetness.
2. Put the figs in a sealable glass jar. Pour in spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for a week. To make sure that the figs get equal treatment from the spice mixture, invert the sealed jar every day or so. They should be ready, and preferably consumed, after a week in the fridge.

Related post/s:
I love pickling and preserving

I’m going to be away for two weeks, so I thought I’d pickle again so that it’s ready when I return. At Fairway, they had some fresh Israeli cucumbers for sale. They were small enough to fit an old pickling jar I kept, so I picked up nine pieces with some dill and mustard seeds. This is totally not the Filipino style of pickling and I had to combine two other recipes I found on the Web until it sounded just about right to me. We’ll see in a couple of weeks!

Ingredients:
9 pieces of Israeli cucumbers, washed
1 bunch of fresh dill, washed and ends sliced off
2 tbsps mustard seeds
1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups of white vinegar
1 1/2 cups of water
salt

1. In a large bowl, submerge cucumbers in iced cold water for at least 2 hours. Set aside.
2. In a small pot, let the vinegar and water boil with some salt.
3. When ready to pickle, put half of the garlic and half of the dill at the bottom of the jar. Add cucumbers. Pour in the salted vinegar and water mixture. There should be enough to cover the cucumbers. Add the rest of the garlic and dill with the mustard seeds. Cover the jar with its lid and seal tightly.
4. Boil some water in a pot, large enough for the jar. When water is boiling, put the sealed jar and let it sit in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the jar cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the jar from the water and dry with a paper towel. Store in room temperature for a couple of weeks before opening.

Related post/s:
How do Filipinos pickle?
How do island people pickle?