Description
The first canning manual and cookbook authored by Michelin-starred chef and Vie restaurant owner Paul Virant, featuring more than 100 recipes
Pairing science with art, Paul Virant presents expert preserving techniques, sophisticated recipes, and seasonal menus inspired by the award-winning fare at his restaurant, Vie, in Western Springs, Illinois. Imaginative tangy jams, brandied fruits, zesty relishes, cured meats, and sweet and savory conserves are the focus of the first half of this book, while seasonal menus pairing these preserves with everything from salads and cocktails to poached fish and braised meat compose the second. Brandied Cherries used in Cherry Clafoutis, or as a garnish for the Beer-Jam Manhattan, are a sweet reminder of the summer harvest. And the Chicken Fried Steak with Smoked Spring Onion Relish anticipates warmer days when you’re still deep in winter.
Alongside recipes and menus, Virant draws on his extensive technical knowledge and experience to provide detailed and comprehensive guidelines for safe canning practices, testing pH, pressure canning, water bath processing, and storing. But no matter how precise the science, Virant never forgets the art in each handcrafted preserve and thoughtfully developed recipe. His unique approach re-imagines seasonal eating by harmonizing opposite or unusual partnerships: the brightness of summer fruit may be tempered with the earthiness of meats and winter produce, or the delicacy of spring vegetables might be enriched by the robust herbs and spices more typical of fall. The Preservation Kitchen not only demonstrates and instructs, it encourages and explores the limitless possibilities of capturing the seasons in a jar.
Table of Contents
1 • Introduction: Capturing the Year in a Jar
5 • Principles of Safe Preserving
13 • Part One: In the Jar
Pickles, relishes, and other acidified preserves • 15
Jams, marmalades, conserves, and butters • 55
Bittersweet preserves: aigre-doux and mostarda • 87
Fermenting and curing: sauerkraut, Salted Produce, and cured meat • 105
Pressure-canned preserves • 121
127 • Part Two: At the Table
Spring:
Early Signs • 133
Spring Supper • 139
An Earth Day Gesture • 147
At Last, Al Fresco • 155
Summer:
Lazier Days • 165
Grill Out • 173
A Midsummer Meal • 183
On the Farm • 191
Happy Hour Interlude • 207
