Pickle Cotton Candy
Pickle Cotton Candy
Ingredients
Granulated sugar
Pickle brine (store bought is fine)
Pour an indeterminate amount of sugar onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour a few splashes of pickle juice onto the sugar and mix until the sugar resembles wet sand.
Spread the sugar out on the baking sheet and let sit overnight so that it can dry out completely.
The next day, stir the sugar around and crush any large clumps into smaller pieces. You could probably use a mortar and pestle for this, but don’t crush the sugar so fine it becomes powdered sugar. This will release the spirit of sugar, which is similar to the spirit of cream from last time, but even more malevolent. Seriously, don’t mess with this one unless you’re a trained professional.
Hooray, now you have pickle sugar! Use your cotton candy machine as indicated by the manufacturer to create mysterious clouds of vaguely pickle-esque confectionary that are sure to confuse and delight your friends.
BONUS: here’s how to make fridge pickles! These are NOT shelf stable, so for food safety reasons, be sure to keep refrigerated and enjoy them within a week or so of pickling.
Fridge Pickles
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Ingredients
10 pickling cucumbers, sliced lengthwise or into rounds
4 ½ c water
½ cup white vinegar
4 ½ Tbsp salt
Dill
Garlic cloves, whole and smashed
Black peppercorns, whole
Bay leaves (optional)
In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, and salt over low heat. Stir until the salt is dissolved.
In a few glass jars, add a small bunch of dill, a few garlic cloves, 4 or 5 peppercorns, and a bay leaf. You can play around with what you put in the mix. Add some spicy peppers or red pepper flakes for a kick, bump up or tone down the garlic, or add some turmeric (since Fabrice literally always guesses this ingredient.)
Jam as many cucumbers as you can fit into the jar. No, I’m serious—add a few more. It’s not like you’re trying to put a bird into a cage or anything, just shove them in there.
Pour the brine into the jar until everything is covered. Fill as close to the top of the jar as you can.
Put the lids on tightly, invert a few times, and throw in the fridge for a few days to a week before enjoying. Remember, these are not shelf-stable and should be eaten within a few weeks or they could go bad.