The Story of French Spicy Pickling Mix

Thinking of French food brings to mind foods like baguettes, macarons, crepes, or even foie gras. These foods are beautiful, subtle in flavor, and provide a great deal of comfort for anyone eating them. The soft winds of a Parisian street table at brunch can almost be tasted in a croissant. Spicy food is probably the furthest thing from your mind when you think about French food, but it shouldn’t be.

Deep in the cooking world of French cuisine, there is a quiet hum that is beginning to surface and that hum sounds like the word “spicy.” Examine for a moment, the cornichon, a French gherkin that has a signature sour spiciness that may otherwise seem out of place in French cuisine. Used as a garnish, these are paired frequently with cheese or dishes that are heavy on cream. This type of pickle is only a little spicy though. Don’t be fooled- these aren’t the kind of pickles that will overwhelm your mouth, just give you a subtle kick. Most would describe these as sort of spicy pickles that are mostly sour.

So we figured we would come up with a spicier version of this type of pickle, inspired by the classically French cornichon. Our pickling mix has the traditional peppercorns, but we also add in some red pepper flakes to increase the spiciness a little bit.

What's in it?

The French Spicy Pickling Mix is hand blended with Red Pepper Flakes, White Peppercorns, Whole Clove, Dried Thyme, Rosemary, Coriander Seed, Organic Bay Leaves (crumbled), and Marjoram.

Flavor Profile

French Spicy Pickling Mix has a nice flavor that translates to the mouth as heat at first and then slightly herbaceous as the heat fades. The white pepper and red pepper flakes give it a nice warm bite.

Where to Use

Use in the pickling of small cucumbers, beets, carrots, or anything else you want to have a spicy flavor with a French flair.

When pickling, we like to boil the vegetables until they are tender and then drain. Refill your cooking pot with vinegar, salt and sugar. Add the spicy pickling spice mixture and bring your vegetables to a boil again for 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Once cooled, pour your vegetables and brine into sterilized jars and seal. This is an easy pickle brine recipe that anyone can replicate. Use vinegar as your liquid to get the best results in your pickling endeavors.

Pickling spice mix isn’t only for pickling. It can also be used to add flavor to soups and stews in much the same way that it adds flavor to the vinegar for pickling. Beans and rice dishes can also benefit from this French spicy pickling spice mix.

Helpful Hints

When using this pickling mix, it is best to wrap it up in a cheesecloth or a small sachet and then boiling it in the pickling mixture. Remove the sachet or cheesecloth from the pickling liquid before adding your vegetables, don’t let the spices age with the vegetables.

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