jar of gold

my apartment successfully smells of vinegar. let me rephrase that, my apartment reeks of vinegar and i have successfully made pickled apples. not that vinegar smells poorly, but if you have ever heated up vinegar before, you will remember that the aroma lingers for an incredibly long time afterwards. days even. this is not the point. the point is, pickled apples are delicious! the first time i had pickled apples was at my favorite portland restaurant, ned ludd. i highly suggest you take a road trip to portland simply for the pickle platter at ned ludd. until then, here in seattle, i recently discovered that wonderful folks at essex in north ballard have created a pickle platter that rivals ned ludd's (pickled huckleberries! holy smokes)... now i have a local dealer for my pickle addiction. 

i'm on a recipe testing mission, organizing a menu for the next seattle underground market event on december 16th. you haven't heard of it? well it's a secret, so i don't blame you. but now that you know, tell all your friends to sign up for the "secret" event to get the "secret" details. what is it? an underground food market with 40-ish vendors (local home cooks, artisans, aspiring business owners and the like) who sell small bites for under $5. most dishes cost 2 or 3 bucks, so you get to go around to all the tables and try all sorts of fun foods! it's a blast and quite the culinary experience!

the last event was a bit lacking in savory vegetarian options, so i felt compelled to throw my name in to become a vendor for this month's brunch edition market. i'm very excited about the little bites i will be offering, so be sure to stop by and visit me at my drumbeets table!! note, pickled apples will be on my menu. 

jar of gold - golden delicious apples pickled with golden raisins and golden beets

1 large golden beet

1 cup water

2 firm golden delicious apples

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 teaspoon white peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

1/2 cup golden raisins

peel and thinly slice the golden beet into 1/8 inch rings. simmer beets submerged in 1 cup water in a small covered sauce pan until fork tender, about 30 minutes. remove beets and place into a quart-sized canning jar. add vinegar and sugar to the beet juice water and simmer until sugar is dissolved. let cool a bit while you thinly slice your apples into 1/8 inch rings. don't bother coring your apple, just tap the seeds out from the rings as you go. fill you jar with apple slices, raisins and spices and then pour in your vinegar mixture. you may have a bit extra liquid, but be sure to submerge everything in the jar. refrigerate for at least 8 hours. the apples are best after 2 or 3 days - still crisp, but full of flavor. after that, the apples will get a little bit more mushy. great with spreadable cheese, hard cheese, or perhaps as a garnish to a meat or fish entree. 

come visit me on the 16th! look for the girl with the veggie tattoos... just be sure to sign up online for the event so that you receive the secret location details!!