The Great Pickle Experiment.

Last Friday, a friend mentioned this rogue pickle concoction she'd experienced while working at a restaurant in her younger days: cucumber slices and blackened jalapenos (stripped of their skin), mixed with standard-issue white vinegar and ground black pepper, and left to marinate a few days.

She said it was outstanding.

We decided to each do a version with slightly upgraded ingredients and report the results. Photos are mandatory. Here we go:

I start with two cucumbers, cut for pretty.


Then blacken a (HUGE) jalapeno under a broiler (or on your grill, or on top of your gas stove), and wrap it in a dish towel for several minutes to help ease the skin off. I've never been entirely sure why you should remove the skin, but I suspect it's because it tastes like burning.


Peel off that skin and discard the top stem. Slice, if you want (I did).

The idea struck me to build on the smokey flavor, so I toasted 2 tablespoons of tellicherry black peppercorns over a medium heat until they were glistening and fragrant. Then I crushed them to death.


I layered everything in a jar - four layers (cucumbers, black pepper, jalapeno, repeat) - and topped with a simmered brine made from 1 cup rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons of miran, a crushed garlic clove, and 1 cup water to dilute. (let the jar cool to room temp before refrigerating)

I have to say, these pickles need to sit for two full days, at least. They are exciting right out of the pot, but very strong. When trying them the first time, I had to cut the acidity with other pickles. After two days, however, they have mellowed to a nice even heat and the miran has blended with the rice wine and other flavors to bring it all down a peg.

Nice.