French Cold-Pickled Cornichons

Ingredients
• 4 to 5 quarts (6 pounds) tiny fresh picked cucumbers, preferably no more than 1 inch long OR small cucumbers up to 3 1/2 inches long, small as possible sliced into 1/3 inch rounds
• 1 1/2 cups coarse (kosher) salt OR 1 1/4 cups pickling salt
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• 18 to 24 sprigs fresh tarragon (I only used fresh leaves)
• 6 large shallots, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon mustard seed
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves, optional
• 2 quarts white wine vinegar, more if needed

Wash cucumbers in cold water and remove any blossoms. Do not scrub as this tends to brush these small ones. Rinse and drain; mix with salt in stainless-steel or ceramic bowl. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Stir to keep the brine which forms well mixed. Next day, drain cucumbers and rinse them in 3 quarts of cold water and 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain and carefully wipe each cucumber dry with a soft cloth.

Scald and drain two half-gallon or 2 liter jars or crock(s). I only used one large hurricane jar. Divide all ingredients equally among container(s) by placing one layer taragon in the bottom on the jar, followed by a layer of cucumbers or cucumber slices. This should be followed by 1/3 or 1/2 of the spices, depending on how many layers you intend to have. Repeat untill all are added (but I'd say no higher than 2/3 of the jar. Pour in enough white wine or distilled vinegar to cover the cucumbers and seasonings by an inch or better yet, by 2 inches.

Cover the containers with airtight lids or two layers of plastic wrap, help in place with rubber bands. The idea here, is to keep the brine from rusting the metal jar lid. I used a Zip lock bag and a bail-top canning jar. Worked wonderful. Leave the pickles in a cool, dark spot for a month, after which they will be ready to use. Once the pickling is complete, you may want to pack the cornichons in smaller jars as gifts, or for easier storage. Be sure they are covered with the vinegar and the jar lids are treated the same. Smaller jars use a good strong plastic wrap like Glad. This pickle does not have to be sealed. Its the cold process crock method.

From: Katie E Green

French Pickled Cornichons

Ingredients:
• 2 lb (1 kilo) cornichons
• 1 cup coarse sea salt
• several sprigs fresh tarragon and thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
• a small handful of whole peppercorns
• 1-2 small hot red peppers
• 2-3 quarts (2-3 l) white vinegar, enough to cover pickles completely in jars
• 1/2 inch (15 mm) slice lemon, one for each jar

Wash cornichons rubbing briskly a few at a time to remove the furry edges. Put in a large colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let sit overnight in the sink or over a bowl to collect the liquid. Drain & dry the cornichons with a clean dry towel. (Rubbing is preferable to rinsing as some salt remains.)

Place cornichons in any sized clean jars with tight-sealing lids. Place herbs around the pickles, adding slivers of peeled garlic cloves, several peppercorns, and a hot pepper, if desired, per jar.

Fill the jars to the top with cold vinegar straight from the bottle.

Lay a lemon slice on top and close the lid tightly. Shake once or twice and put on the back of a shelf or in the corner of a counter for a week or so. Taste the pickles as often as you like. They change in crunch and piquancy as they absorb the brine. They will be done in about a month or two.

From: jkain@world.std.com (Jodie Kain)

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