Wedges of Asian pear blanched until just tender and covered with a hot white wine vinegar and mirin brine with lemon zest and pickled ginger.
Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is part of the collection’s pickled batch and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.
Ingredients
- Zest of 1 lemon, pared off and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pickled ginger
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 pounds Asian pears (about 2 large), or any sweet, firm pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1½-inch wedges
Directions
Key ingredients
- Combine the lemon zest and juice, ginger, sugar, salt, vinegar and mirin in a 2-quart saucepan and set aside.
- Bring a second pan of water to a boil. Add the pears, lower the heat to medium and cook until they turn white and are just fork-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and pack into a sterilized 32-ounce jar.
- Bring the brine to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour it over the pears to cover completely.
- Lid the jar, cool completely and refrigerate. Ready in 3 days, better after 5.
Notes
Source Adapted from Karen Solomon, “Pickled Asian Pears with Lemon,” Saveur.
Refrigerator only The source contradicts itself on keeping time (2 weeks jarred in the fridge, and elsewhere about a month with the color changing after 2 weeks); 2 weeks is used here. It also mentions boiling-water canning for a one-year shelf life, but gives no tested jar size or time, so that option is left out: this is a refrigerator pickle.
Serving On its own, on a chicken sandwich, in an arugula salad or with blue cheese.
The photo The photograph is Saveur’s own photo of this recipe.