The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-Doux by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy

  • Crème fraîche

    from The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-Doux The Preservation Kitchen by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy

    • Categories: Sauces, general; French; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: heavy cream; buttermilk
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Pickled celery

    • stacymarkow on July 31, 2020

      Recipe didn't make enough brine to fill 4 jars, only 3.5

  • Pickled cherry bomb peppers

    • babyfork on August 25, 2015

      These are great and simple to put up. Won a blue ribbon at the 2015 Marin County Fair for them. Great to use in making the Saveur recipe: Grilled Rib Eye with Sweet-Hot Pepper Sauce.

  • Caramel apple jam

    • rittingerv on January 18, 2026

      Tasty jam, although I did not care for the texture of the shredded apple, so I puréed it, which made it more like an apple butter. The thyme and black pepper are barely noticeable.

  • Blueberry aigre-doux

    • stacymarkow on July 31, 2020

      Made 6 half-pint jars, not the 5 specified in the recipe. Had a quite a bit of liquid left over.

  • Pressed eggplant

    • Poyma on June 01, 2013

      Notes on end result: I really wanted to love this recipe. At the end if the process the eggplants still seem to have a raw quality that I find Im not especially drawn to. Notes on equipment/Process: I dont have the grape/apple press referred to in the book. But I do have a vintage gouda press. It isnt as precision, but seemed to do the job. I squoze the eggplant using my body weight.

  • Garlic conserva

    • danibattle on January 28, 2022

      This stuff is absolutely awesome. I have made it a couple of times and it is very versatile and very moreish.

    • danibattle on January 28, 2022

      Fantastic. A bit of a time consuming process to peel the garlic then pressure can, but ?? worth the effort.

  • Pickled leek stuffing

    • meggan on November 19, 2012

      Unfortunately, this went seriously awry when I made it for 30 people the other night. First, the recipe does not say how many people it serves and so I doubled it but then it was overflowing my largest (9-qt!) dutch oven. There is a layer of cheese on the top so when I opened the lid, I did not immediately see that under that layer, there was a bread soup! I furiously chopped up two more loaves and threw them in and tried to quick roast it. The result was bland and thank god we had tons of mashed potatoes.

  • Cranberry aigre-doux relish

    • meggan on November 19, 2012

      I used this for cranberry sauce at Friendsgiving and it was good. If is a very good not so sweet alternative to regular cranberry sauce

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Reviews about this book

  • Seattle Weekly

    Each recipe includes a table of recipe ingredients--listing amounts in weight, volume and percentage. At the bottom of each recipe are also serving suggestions, referring you to a recipe...

    Full review

  • Food in Jars

    ...an incredible book for canners who want to expand their preservation habit beyond their traditional jams and pickles. Particular gems in this book include chapters on Bittersweet Preserves...

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 1299183298
  • ISBN 13 9781299183292
  • Published Apr 03 2012
  • Format eBook
  • Page Count 304
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Ten Speed Press
  • Imprint Ten Speed Press

Publishers Text

The first canning manual and cookbook authored by a Michelin-starred chef and restaurant owner, Preservation Kitchen reveals a world of endless flavor combinations using revolutionary ideas that bring homemade preserves deliciously to life. 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. Preservation Kitchen not only demonstrates and instructs, it encourages and explores the limitless possibilities of capturing the seasons in a jar.

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