Latvian-style Pickles from Imants Minka

 

[Yes, I've not reviewed anything in a couple of years.  I've intended to, but never got around to it, until....]

I went to Kalamazoo for the Kalamazoo Latvian Association's annual Christmas Bazaar, where all things Latvian are available to look, touch and taste. Some of the items were only available via pre-order, but many others had tables setup as vendors.  I was there as a helper for the Czechbox Bakery, which is my wife's cottage-food bakery.  If you haven't seen or tasted authentic Latvian fare, this is the place to be in southwestern Michigan!

My Dad's Latvian Style Dill Pickles with Zing are true Latvian style pickles.  Hand-crafted by Imants Minka from a recipe his father started, these are as close to the "real thing" without stepping into the Fermentation barn in the Riga Central Market in Latvia (and if you haven't gone, you NEED to go!).  So yes, they're authentic, but what does that mean?

These are not fermentation style pickles, but rather like a "fresh-pack".  Imants said they're close to a "cold pack" recipe.  The cucumbers are chopped and packed fresh, half of the brine is cooked, and the rest is basically cold water.  This is the first big taste you get: fresh cucumber, complete with the crunch you'd expect.  The Bazaar was on December 2nd, so if you look at the label, these little babies were only in the jar for a few days...about as long as I could hold off before cracking open the first jar (yes, I bought 2!).

The second flavor is GARLIC.  Latvians love two things, garlic and dill, and these pickles have lots of both.  Because the garlic is a more dominant flavor, it crashes into your palette first.  The rest of the dill, herbs and goodies at the bottom of the jar add just enough flavor to really make these shine.

As Imants Minka explained, he has been tweaking his father's recipe for years now, and I think he's got it down.  He's added just a little bit of red pepper flake to give these little gems a touch of heat, or as he terms it, "Zing!", that you notice only after the other flavors have hit your tongue.  Not enough to classify as a spicy pickle (like some of the "burners" I've reviewed earlier), but it adds just a bit of nice-spice kick to bid you goodbye to your bite.

So...watch the KLA page for their next sale, and pre-order a jar or three of these wonderful pickles! Say Hi to Imants when you pick them up!

Freakin' Pickles Bread & Butter

As we were driving back home from a weekend vacation in the northeast corner of the lower peninsula of Michigan, we passed through the small town of Au Gres ("Aw-grey"), we stopped at Freakin' Pickles right on US-23 (103 E. Huron Road, Au Gres, MI, 48703).  The shop is alot like a wine-tasting room, in that you're invited to taste their varieties before you buy. It was fun to sample the varieties! 

Anyway, given my July experience with their Xtra Hot Garlic pickles, I had to stop and try.  One of the varieties we bought were the Bread & Butter variety that I'll be reviewing now.  We also bought their Old Fashioned Dill and Thick & Sweet varieties that I'll get to in upcoming reviews.

Freakin' Pickles are all crinkle-cut slices, and all have a very nice crunch.  The Bread & Butter have a nice vinegar and sweet balance, which makes them very munchable.  The brine is not the usual thick and syrupy consistency, but rather, a thinner, water-consistency brine, which give them a "fresh pack" impression.

One thing I noticed only after finishing half of the container, is that there are no "bits and pieces" in these very tasty bread'n'butter sweets.  The flavor is certainly there, so perhaps they're made with the normal onion, mustard seed, etc that one would expect, but later removed???

The cucumber flavor comes through very clearly, which reinforces the "fresh pack" impression you get.

These are pretty mild on the vinegar front, so you can eat them as-is, put them on a sandwich, or enjoy them just about any way imaginable without getting "pickle tongue" or tired of the flavor.

One of my favorite ways to use bread'n'butter pickles is to make a left-over meatloaf sandwich on white bread with Miracle Whip and top it with pickles.  My wife's step-dad ("Mop" - My Other Pop) taught me this concoction, and it's a simple, yet delicious way to use up some leftover meatloaf.  Thanks, Mike!

Anyway, I'm very pleased with the two varieties of Freakin' Pickles so far, and look forward to cracking open those 2 remaining tubs in my fridge!

Freakin' Pickles' Xtra Hot Garlic

These come my way via my "friend" Brian, who brought them back for me from a Traverse City trip he recently took.  He kept snickering while telling me about them and his trip.  In normal people, this might have raised some red flags, but then again...I review pickles.

I'm not normally one to really have a "process" of reviewing these things, but over time, I've learned that there really are 3 or 4 "phases" of a review: first impressions, second impression, "munch-ability" and the can-I-finish-the-jar phases.  Usually, by "munch-ability" phase, you have a pretty good idea of the last phase.

First impressions: When you open up the plastic container, you immediately get a whiff of GAHLICK!  Yes, these have garlic in them, and in substantial quantities.  They are a fresh-pack type of pickle, much like Claussen pickles, so you also get a very cucumber-y freshness along with it.  Visually, you can tell there's lots of goodies packed in there: little shreds of what looked like onion (but was actually garlic), a lurking jalapeño and what I originally thought was a little orange pepper for color (we'll get to that in a bit).  First bite was crunchy and the brine was very much like a Claussen pickle with that lighter vinegar and salt-water flavor.  There was a boatload of garlic flavor and a nice tinge of heat.  "Xtra Hot", I thought...meh...maybe for the faint of heart, but I've had hotter.  The crinkle cut slices are great for munching and trying out pickles...for a review, fer-instance!  Note that the brine level didn't completely cover these first impression specimens...

Second impression:  After a non-threatening first impression, I went back later that evening to munch a few more.  Now, the slices were more submerged in the brine.  Lesson learned: never make judgement on spice levels until you've eaten one that's been lurking in the brine.  BANG!  Yep.  They're "Xtra Hot"!  And, yes, have GARLIC in them.  What appears to be some kind of happily clear, non-threatening brine turned out to be a devilishly transformative solution adding lava-like heat to these innocent cukes!  Wow!  I looked on the ingredients panel a little closer and Lo-and-Behold, after "Fresh Jalapeños" there sat "Fresh Habeneros" smirking back at me.

OK, so far, the 1st and 2nd impressions have varied wildly.  "Munch-ability" is a bit more suspect...

After 12 hours or so for the ashes that were my tastebuds to dissipate, I figured I'd try for that munching goal.  The 1st and 2nd impressions came together, and while the searing heat didn't disappear, I'd have to say that these were still very munchable, although in quantities that will probably eliminate worries of the container ever getting too close to room temp.  My last goal post, I think will have an answer of Yes, we'll be finishing these babies off, albeit rather slower than most.

These are probably the only pickles that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the McClure's spicy pickles or Harrold's Texicun Derned Hot pickles on the heat side of things.  The garlic content is undeniably high and ever-present.  On flavor they're very good, but because of the boldness of both garlic and heat, they have a "one-trick-pony" profile about them.  This isn't a "bad" thing, but it's a "what is" quality.

I looked on their website, and Freakin' Pickles has (at this time) 14 varieties and surprisingly, a number of retailers across Michigan that handle their brand. I'm down in Monroe regularly for band rehearsals, and Hi-Lite Market carries them, as well as a number of other local food products (shameless promotion: my wife sells a seasoned salt, Grandma Kuehnlein's Secret Recipe, at Hi-Lite).

So, Brian Ottum remains a true friend, not just a food prankster, for bringing me back a unique pickle to enjoy and review.  Brian is an accomplished nature photographer and astronomy imager and loves to teach and mentor folks on his passions for the heavens and capturing their beauty.  You can find his work at AstroPicsDaily on Instagram and his tutorials and sky tours on YouTube.  Thanks, Brian!

 

Kroger Hot & Sweet Snackers

Kroger Hot & Sweet Snackers

Heat, Sweet and Cheap!

Those three words really sing for me.  Kroger's Hot & Sweet Snackers make an excellent replacement for the excellent Premium Selection Spicy Bread & Butter variety.  Premium Selection is another Kroger Co. brand, so apparently Kroger has a relationship with a great pickle maker (or at least somebody who makes really great sweet-hot pickles).

Heat.  Yep.  These have some kick, but nothing that's going to abuse your taste buds.  The warm feeling they leave on your tongue that combines with the nicely Sweet and a balanced amount of vinegar/sour flavor.  All-around balance of sweet, sour and heat.  You can munch on these enough so that Kroger ought to put a warning label on the side, or sell them as 2-packs.

As you can see in the photo to the right, there's plenty of goodies in there...mustard seed, onion slices, and plenty of red chili peppers.  All of the stuff that you'd expect from a premium jar of pickles.

On the label, they point out that there are no artificial flavors, dyes or use of high-fructose corn syrup, and once you opened the lid, it was clear they meant it. The light color of the cucumber was actually a little odd, as there's usually a more yellowy color that perhaps is from that dye?  

The crinkle cut worked well, and set expectations that you quickly realized as a crunchy bite.

Lastly, these were the Kroger store-branded pickles, and had a price to match...I wanna say $2.59?  For such a nice presentation, flavor and crunch, what a deal.  The pickle department at the Kroger company has certainly done their job--I now have a number of their varieties that are not only as good as the national brands, but in most cases exceed the flavor, quality and value.

 

Meijer Bread & Butter Chips

 

Meijer Bread & Butter Chips

In the infinite universe of pickle selections your travels often take you to places you seldom frequent and you can find varieties and brands that you wouldn't ordinarily seek out.  Well, due to a weird pandemic shortage of Solo Almond Filling (for Gretchen's bakery), I found myself in a Meijer store on the other side of Ann Arbor (about 15 miles west).  Since I was in a grocery store, and had located the last 2 cans of the stuff for 25 miles, I dug out the shopping list and found we were out of bread'n'butter sweet pickles.  

If you're not familiar with the Meijer chain, they're a Grand Rapids, MI based chain of everything-stores, they're positively monstrously large buildings with a full grocery store, department store, hardware store and outdoor gardening store all under one roof.  When we were growing up, they were a novelty and were known as "Meijer's Friendly Acres".  No kidding!  I detest getting anything in that store because every visit is 45 minutes, regardless of how much stuff you're picking up.

After a 10 minute search for the pickle aisle, I found them, but didn't find any chunk-style bread'n'butter pickles, like we prefer in the Kroger store brand.  I hadn't tried Meijer's offering, so I picked up a jar of their "chips".

They're crinkle-cut, and seemed to have plenty of the mustard seed and onions that other store brands often skimp on.  Upon opening the jar, the pickles were sticking out above the brine level, so I figured those couple might be a little on the limp side--they were.  What I didn't expect is for most of the jar to be pretty limp.

The flavor was good, though; not too sweet, and a tad more vinegary than I was expecting.  You "grow into" the vinegar strength, although there's enough there that you won't have to worry about burning through a jar of these.  Like the McClure's pickles, the vinegar acts as a brake on things, although, McClure's pickles set the bar.

These are good muncher pickles to have "straight up" on the side, but would also be an excellent sandwich or burger topping.  The "not too sweet" character puts 'em up there.  I made a burger and had these on top and they worked well.  They'd be perfect on a meatloaf sandwich!

Lastly, they weren't that expensive...these ain't no $9 pickles.  I think they were around $2.39 for a decent sized jar.

Vlasic Zesty Bread & Butter Chips

 

Vlasic Zesty Bread & Butter Chips

I'm always on the lookout for a kick of flavor, whether it be something unusual, or a little added heat.  My favorite dill pickle remains Vlasic Zesty Dills (which I just realized I've never reviewed!), so when I saw that they've applied the Zesty formula, to their bread'n'butter pickles, it was like a moth to a flame.  In looking for the Zesty Dill review, I noted that I have a fair number of sweet-and-hot varieties in there, so apparently, I've developed a taste for them.

In spite of the rather bland labeling (the Zesty Dills make it abundantly clear they're "zesty"), you immediately notice there's something different about them because the brine is a darker, yellowish color. If I had a guess, it would be due to the red pepper bits in there, or perhaps the abundance of mustard seed.  With all pickles, I popped them in the refrigerator to chill them down--warm pickles just don't cut it in my book.

First bite exhibited all of the hallmark Vlasic crunch.  You really have to give Vlasic credit for doing that so well.  Initial flavor doesn't give you much hint that this is a "zesty", but by the time you're done munching with that first chunk, you notice there is indeed some heat in there.  Great balance of sweet and vinegar, although its possible some might think they're a tad on the sweet side.  After a few chunks, enjoying the sweet heat, the heat starts to accumulate.  It's not "heat-sweats" type of heat like McClure's or Harrold's, just a nice simmer.  I found it took about 10+ minutes for the heat to dissipate from my palate, which tells me the heat is probably from some spice or pepper source that is high in oil, as oil heat usually lingers.  There weren't any visible "heat sources" in the jar, like jalapeno pepper or those little Thai "meal-enders", like I've found in the Private Selection hot/sweet varieties.

Overall, I like these for a good sweet-hot snacking pickle.  The heat will build up gradually enough to put the brakes on finishing a jar, but won't singe your tongue either.  Unlike Famous Dave's these aren't as vinegary, so you won't get the "pucker-up" effect either.  For topping a meatloaf sandwich, they'd be pretty nice, but I think the nod would have to go to Dave's for that use, as the extra vinegar flavor would work really well.  However, since Vlasic is a national brand, you shouldn't have any problems finding them in your neighborhood grocery store.  You really can't go wrong with any Vlasic pickle, though...good crunch, balanced flavor and great availability.

Famous Dave's Signature Spicy

 

Famous Dave's Signature
Spicy Pickle Chips

Well, its been a while, folks, but Covid-19 has brought about all sorts of digging up of old relics, and here we are...another pickle blog entry!  

Today's foray is largely due to a trip to CostCo, where they had the gallon-sized jar of Famous Dave's Signature Spicy Pickle Chips in quantity.  They looked great in the jar, but if I didn't care for them, I didn't want to be eating them until next Easter.  So, this week's grocery run found a smaller jar in my cart.

I gave them a few minutes to chill, but not enough to really do the job right, but I was worse than a cat, and I had to crack open the jar.

The label says that they have a "unique blend of sweet and heat" and I think they hit it on the mark.

Sweet. Yep, they are sweet pickles, in the bread'n'butter variety, but nicely, they're not over the top.  I munched on a half-dozen of them, and didn't get the sweet-gag that you can sometime get.  DANGER: this is an addictive quality!

Heat. Yep, after the half-dozen chips or so, there was some heat buildup, but not in an unpleasant way.  The heat tended to stick around for about 5 minutes, but nothing to sweat about (literally!).

Unique Blend. I think the "unique blend" is probably the Sweet, with the Heat combined with a lick of vinegar, so that all 3 flavors are experienced for a pretty tasty combo.

Applications.  Clearly the folks at Famous Dave's have a few other culinary strengths, as their ribs are, well, "famous"...or at least in places I'm not.  This hints that they may just be putting things things on the side, or on top of their more "famous" entrees and sandwiches.  The sweet+heat+vinegar flavor would go great on something that needed dressing up, like the classic leftover meatloaf sandwich, or floating on top of a load of cole slaw on a Memphis-style BBQ beef--hey!  Dave might have thought of that one already!?

In any case, I liked these things and look forward to munching on them and trying them out as toppers.  Nice job, Dave!  Now...if we can talk about getting you to open a rib joint near Ann Arbor....

Bloody Mary Pickles!

Well, this is a change-up...pointing at someone else's ideas!

This one came to me via a Facebook post, and it looks good.  Note that they use Vlasic Zesty Whole Dills...the spears are my go-to favorite pickle if I can't find something more exotic.

Bloody Mary Pickles

Back from pickle-hiatus!

I'm just going to do a quick check-in and say that I haven't forgotten about the Pickle Reviews blog.  I've only stumbled on a few varieties here in SE Michigan that I haven't reviewed, but with this Covid-19 thing, it means there's more time to look around and try stuff in the normal "high standards" of the Pickle Review blog.

Hang in there, stay safe and healthy!

-Jeff. :)

Miss Kim's Dill Pickles

Miss Kim's Dill Pickles

I'm back!

Never on a pickle-hiatus, but just got out of the habit of posting.  I have a backlog of photos, but I'm afraid I'd have to re-buy the pickles to give them a fair review.  Oh darn...

Last weekend, we were at the Saline Farmer's Market, and found Miss Kim's Pickles at one of the vendor tables.

They're made in a licensed kitchen, which is something you need to be aware of at Farmer's Markets.  It was reassuring that they had a serial number and a Use-By date on the label.

Firstly, since I was eye-balling the label anyway, I noticed that there are only a few ingredients: cucumbers, vinegar, salt, dill, garlic.  They need refrigeration, for sure, but the short list was pretty reassuring, and telling, given the simple, straight-forward goodness inside.

Miss Kim's Dill Ingredients

The other thing that was a little different is that these are dill slices instead of spears or wholes as one might expect.  Evidently, Miss Kim envision these things on burgers or sandwiches before simply munching on them.  Each slice, though, had full flavor, since it touched the brine and garlic/dill flavors directly.

As far as taste, these were very similar to Claussen Deli Dills, but a bit less garlic-y. Very good crunch and the little slices made them easy to munch on.  I wish I had more to talk about, but these are simply well-balanced deli-dill pickles.

Simple and straight-forward is a good description, and whattaya know, its right on the label!

Grillo's Pickles

Sometimes, life is full of surprises.  OK, most of the time. A couple weeks ago, I get an email from Miles McAlpin from Grillo's Pickles out of Cambridge, MA. He asked me if I'd be willing to review his pickles.  Since they're not readily available here in SE Michigan, I said, "Sure!", and a week later (they ship on tuesdays), I had a box of pickles on my doorstep.

They came packed very securely, with rubber bands holding the lids on in case of any accidents.  As pictured on the left, they're clear plastic "tubs" to let you view the goodness inside.  Visually, that's a good move, because you see all of the big slices of garlic, the dill weed and the beautiful cucumber spears inside.  There was a little tab to remove before you could pry the lid up, but otherwise, they were remarkably tightly sealed...it took some coaxing to get the lids off!  More about the lids later...

Grillo's Pickles are what I'd call a "deli-style", fresh-pack type of pickle, similar to what the Claussen national brand does.  They need to stay refrigerated, because they are 100% natural and contain no preservatives.  The ingredient panel pretty much confirms this...6 ingredients total, including the brine ingredients.  Government regs aside, they really don't need the label...you can see and taste what's in there.

Grillo's Italian Dill Pickles.
Note the garlic slices!

Open the lid, and you see the cukes, obviously, but then the slices of garlic, the dill weed and...grape leaves!?  First bite is crunchy and the first thing that you notice (like you'd notice a 2x4 to the head) is the garlic.  They are "Italian" dill pickles, and the garlic really underscores what they mean.  Its certainly not objectionable, but its not disguised.  Once the flavors start blending you notice that the dill smooths some of the punch of the garlic into a briney, herby goodness...and prompts another bite.  I went through 2 of these spears without even flinching. They have a unique flavor, which I have to give credit to the grape leaves...I have a feeling they take the bite out of the garlic's punchiness, but that's just a hunch. 

The brine is about what you'd expect of a "deli" dill...water, vinegar and salt in pleasant proportions, so that you taste the vinegar, but it doesn't whack you upside the head, like our benchmark McClure's brand. I think this makes these pickles very "munchable", so that you can go through 2 or 3 without noticing.

The second jar Grillo's shipped was their "HOT" variety. After Harold's "Derned Hot" variety, I've approached "hot" varieties with a newfound respect. Grillo's HOT variety are the nice kind of hot, not the mean kind.  Flavored with strips of jalepeno pepper (see the picture below), it provides them with a little extra peppery zing, but you can still munch on these 2-3 at a time without needing an ER handy.  As with the normal pickles, these have loads of garlic and dill and have all of the wonderful qualities of the original Grillo's.

Grillo's "HOT" variety. Note the
jalepeno slices and garlic!

For about 2 weeks now, I've really been enjoying both varieties and only regret that its taken me this long to write up the review for these excellent pickles.  They have great crunch, the right brine and present their flavors without hitting you over the head with them. The Hot variety adds a little heat without detracting from the basic goodness and flavor of the originals.  It was really nice seeing whole sprigs of dill rather than a few choppings at the bottom.  Slices of garlic ensure that the garlic flavor gets into the pickles and adds its own "hotness" to even the normal variety.  I really loved these pickles and will need a refill when I finish them up.

A word about the lids on these jars... I mentioned before that they were difficult to get off, and as Miles suggested, need a "heavy weight on one side of the jar and the lid will click right into place." I tried this and indeed it works.  I found that firmly pressing down with your palm on the edge and then pulling the bottom part of the jar up to the lid was what it took to click it into place.  Miles said that they "have discussed changing the jars but these ones are the best we can do at this stage".  The jars are made of fully recyclable plastic and seem pretty reusable, so I can appreciate their efforts to be environmentally responsible yet keep a lid on costs.

Right now, Grillo's is not (yet) a national brand, so getting a jar or four might be a mail-order affair.  The good news is that Whole Foods has picked up their brand in stores in New England, the Atlantic states and in the Gulf coast South.  They've even made it as far west as Ohio.  If you're in one of those areas, check their stock list.  If you're not, run, bike, or drive straight over to your hometown Whole Foods and ask them to stock Grillo's Pickles. If you want to make points with Grillo's and your humble reviewer, pester the living daylights out of the Ann Arbor, Michigan Whole Foods to carry them. ;)

Bravo, Grillo's, becoming one of my new favorites!

* * * * *

Grillo's Pickles, 1075 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139  http://grillospickles.com

Bubbies Kosher Dills

There are 2 ways to pickle something, and most everything I've reviewed to this point has been pickled in vinegar.  The other method is to let natural lactic bacterias ferment and produce lactic acid, which does the pickling.  This is the more traditional method and results in a much different flavor of pickle.  Local entrepreneurs have been starting whole businesses based around lactic acid fermented food, one of my favorites, The Brinery, here in Ann Arbor.  Their products have become so popular that local gastropubs and even Zingerman's have started using their products.

Anyway, we were shopping at Hiller's and noticed the odd name, Bubbies, on a jar of refrigerated pickles.  They appear to be of the lactid acid (LA) variety, due to the cloudy liquid inside.  Bubbies even puts it on the lid: "Its the cloudy brine that makes it 'Bubbies'". Lots of nice herbs and mustard seeds were in the bottom, as well as the expected amount of garlic for a Kosher-style pickle.  They're around $5.50 at Hiller's, so they were a bit on the expensive side, but in the end, they're probably worth it.

One of the drawbacks to the LA method seems to be a lack of crispness in the pickles.  Bubbies are probably remarkably firm and crunchy for an LA pickle.  Perhaps "crunchy" is a bit of an exaggeration.  Due to the time it takes to ferment, its tough to keep the pickles from getting soggy and soft. Bubbies have a very dominant garlic and dill flavor with the "slightly skunky" flavor you get from natural fermentation.  These pickles weren't spicy like Harold's or even Vlasic Zesty, but had lots of flavor.  I'd characterize them as "full flavored" since all of the flavors lingered on your tastebuds a while--no flash-in-the-pan spike of flavor here.  The flavor is, in fact, very well rounded, but it really didn't "hit home" for me, until I was into my 2nd pickle.  There is some red-pepper flake in there, to give them just a touch of peppery flavor.  Nice!

To wrap things up, Bubbies Kosher Dills are pretty tasty, with very full flavor, but don't judge them on the first or even second bite.  Give 'em a pickle or two trial, since they kinda grow on ya!

Harold's Texicun Gormay Pickles

Harold's Texicun Gormay Pickles
Derned Hot

We had a friend up from Texas, who as we soon found out, has a taste for the hot stuff.  Didn't think twice about it.  Should have.  She was visiting relatives in Ohio, so she was able to pick up some gifts for use for having her over for a few days of her stay.  

She knew that I'm a pickle addict and brought a jar of Harold's Texicun Gormay Pickles.  Red flags of fire should have lept up at me when the label had 2 categories, "Purdy Hot" and "Derned Hot" and the latter was checked.

First, Shannon recommended that we chill the jar.  Apparently, these things are particularly sensitive to temperature and get soggy and limp when warm.  I think most pickles probably do this, but some hold up better than others.  As a side note, I returned the favor by introducing Shannon to McClure's Spicy, which she really liked, but gave me egg on my face when they weren't as crazy-crunchy as I'd reviewed.  Chilling helped those too, so its probably a safe bet to chill your pickles as a matter of course.

Harold's pickles came in a jar that was pretty much a Mason jar, complete with the separate seal and outside ring--just like Mom used to use.  Definitely gives it a "crafted" quality.  The first thing you notice (aside from "Derned Hot") is the beautiful red color of the chilis inside and the chunks of garlic and mounds of seeds on the bottom.  I'm not precisely sure what those seeds are, but if I had to guess, I'm going to say they were hot pepper seeds.  Why?  Let me make this clear:

They are DERNED HOT!

McClure's are spicy, but can't hold a blowtorch to these babies.  Shannon thought they were "pretty hot" because she could only eat "3 or 4 before I had to quit".  I ate one, and the initial dill and garlic flavors hit you first--really tasty, in fact.  Next, you taste the pepper, and its pretty zingy.  However, what you're tasting is the initial effect, and it builds very quickly to overcome the niceness and bring you to a full sear.  Seldom do I do the hot pepper cough, but with these, it came easy.

Now, the trouble is, I can only eat one, so its taken a few days to get a feel for the true flavor of the pickle.  They are yummy, but the heat really reigns you in.  If I buy a jar of my own, I'm going to have to go with the "purdy hot" variety to step it down a bit.  The crunch and flavor came through, but they had some stout competition from the heat.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Birthday Booty!

Thursday was my birthday, and as you can see in the photo, my wife has been reading this blog closer than I'd thought. What a surprise!

Thanks, Gretchen, for topping off a good day!

The Raven's Club's new fare

My wife, Gretchen, and I joined friends at The Ravens Club in downtown Ann Arbor.  They specialize in "classic cocktails" and have gourmet eats to compliment the cocktails.  I ordered a Hemingway Daquiri, made with overproof Rum and grapefruit that was simply delicious and refreshing.  Gretchen ordered a Dark N Stormy, made with some hair-growing ginger beer and rum that was equally delicious and had serious staying power.  We had a homemade chorizo and cornbread appetizer (served with a sunny-side-up egg on top!) while one of the other couples ordered a cheese plate, which came with...a homemade pickle.  Slightly sweet, with visible dill leaves and mustard seed.  Very good crunch, probably an 8 out of 10 on the McClure's crunch scale (my benchmark for crunchy pickles).  Since it wasn't my plate and was only offered a taste, it wasn't a very extensive taste test.

Our waitress was surprised (tickled?) when Gretchen mentioned (bragged?) to her that I write a blog about pickles and that the Ravens Club should consider getting these things more prominently on the menu.  The waitress went back and apparently talked to a manager and a bit later, they both came out with an impromptu pickle plate!

The Ravens Club impromptu Pickle Plate,
with one of their homemade sweet dills,
pickled red onion and
pickled jalepeño peppers.

The plate was explained as something they were considering including as part of their regular appetizer menu.  It included half of one of their sweet dills, some pickled red onion and pickled jalepeño peppers.

Sweet Dills.  As you can see, they're a pretty rustic-looking pickle, but with lots of mustard seed and dill clinging to the pickle.  What you see is a half-pickle, but the edges sorta curl a bit due to the loss of some water during the pickling period in the middle of the cucumber itself.  There's no "musty" taste to these, so they seem like they're a vinegar pickle.  The brine obviously has some sugar in it to give it a very lightly sweet flavor.  If you combined a fresh dill pickle with a bread'n'butter sweet, you might have a good idea of the flavor.  The manager gave me the card of the managing partner with the chef's name and the manager's name and contact info on it, and invited me to inquire about the recipe...I think it'd be interesting to know what they did with them.

Pickled Onion. Next to pickles, onion is one of my very most-favorite flavors, so combining them in a pickled onion draws me in like moths to a light.  Crunchy, and full of onion flavor, the flavors have been tempered by what seems to be the same brine that the pickles use, minus the dill and mustard seed.  Sweet, crunchy, savory all combine to create... yummy!

Pickled Jalepeño peppers.  These looked like pretty ordinary jalepeños, but like the onion, they were pickled in the lightly sweet Ravens Club brine.  Heat was a concern, but it was largely dependent on how many seeds the slice of pepper had...the more seeds, the hotter it was.  Some in our party, who grabbed pieces that had very few said that it was not that hot at all and the pepper flavor blended nicely to produce a nice "kick" after the crunchy-sweet pepper taste.  If you picked up a piece with more seeds, you still get the crunchy-sweet pepper taste, but the heat really lingered on past your bite.  All in all, a nice contrast to the onion and pickle choices.

Needless to say, we had a great time at The Ravens Club, with its wood, brass & leather "old money" cozy feel, eclectic cuisine and upscale cocktails and spirits.  Prices are a little higher than we were prepared for, but the food and drinks were prepared with care and served in a cordial and professional manner suiting the mood of the establishment.

Thanks are well-deserved for Chef Frank Federan, Jon Tipton the General Manager and our fine waitress, Lizzy!

The Ravens Club
207 S. Main Street * Ann Arbor, Michigan * 48104 * 734-223-7132
http://www.theravensclub.com

Farmer's Garden by Vlasic - Zesty Garlic Chips

Farmer's Garden Zesty Garlic Chips

I've seen Vlasic's new Farmer's Garden at Kroger for a few weeks now, and some friends had their Deli Dills (very yummy), so being the zesty-heat fanatic, I dove into a jar of their Zesty Garlic Chips variety.

As you can see, the appearance of the jar is very "homey", as if granny canned these babies last summer.  The mix in the bottom is a combination of ripe banana peppers, crinkle-cut carrots and chunks of garlic.  The chunks of pickle are pretty thick cut, and while not as crisp as a McClure's dill varieties (my crunch "standard"), these are probably middle-of-the-road: some crunch close to the edges, but much softer in the middle.
The brine is mild and reasonable, and frankly, what I'd expect from an experienced national company like Vlasic.
Finally, what I've been saving until last, the pickle flavor: GARLIC!!!  These are very tasty, very garlicky pickles, and while they're "zesty", they're not a hot variety--just full of well-rounded flavor.  Yes, there's some pepper taste to them, surely to qualify as "zesty", but they're a happy kind of zip, not menacing.
The only thing I didn't like about these was the fact that I'm going to have to wait to taste the yummy goodies at the bottom of the jar!  Its reminiscent of the toy in the box of breakfast cereal, and as an adult, positively maddening.
Great job, Vlasic!  Keep 'em coming!

Safie's visits Brighton CostCo!

They actually let me near the table...

Happy New Year and welcome to 2013!!  Hard to believe this is the 4th year I've been doing this blog.

While on a routine CostCo run, we ran across a sample table where Safie's was giving out samples of all of their varieties of pickled goodies.  Safie's Specialty Foods is a Michigan company located in Mt. Clemens, a northeast suburb of Detroit, and has special weekends at CostCo and sells regularly at area stores such as Meijer and Whole Foods.  

Pickled Beets.  These are our first experience with Safie's, which we tasted at Detroit's famous Eastern Market farmer's market.  Wow!  Perfect blend of sweet and sour and not mushy or vinegary like some pickled beets can get.  Sometimes pickled beet recipes have heavy doses of cinnamon or other single flavors--not Safie's--the balance of spices and flavors are really good.  My only gripe is that the pieces are pretty big and can be difficult to get out of the jar!  From there, they seem to make it into your mouth just fine, although smaller cut size would help.

Hot & Zesty Garden Mix.  Pickled cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower and yellow peppers with some heat thrown in .  Like all of Safie's offerings, the vinegar taste is just right, as compared to cross-town rival, McClure's, which can be very bitey.  The cauliflower was still firm and just this side of crunchy...perfection.

Pickled Asparagus.  Asparagus is a Michigan favorite, as it grows wherever you find wet but sandy spots all over the state.  Pickled asparagus is a great way to enjoy it year round, and Safie's did a fine job.  Not too much spicing, and just the right vinegar lets the subtle flavor of the asparagus come through.  Safie's uses relatively young asparagus, so you get none of the big, nasty fibrous chunks that are sometimes served.  And again, its still firm enough to have a little crunch.

Dill Pickle Beans.  Safie's makes 2 varieties, regular and Hot & Tangy.  They only had the regular variety this weekend.  In a nutshell, nice crunch, great flavor and good vinegar strength.  Gotta get me some of the Hot & Tangy...

Old-Fashioned Bread & Butter Pickles.  A nice amount of sweet and lots of "goodies" in the jar make these very tasty, and everything you'd expect out of something labeled "Old-Fashioned".  Nice crunch, too...sometimes B&B pickles can be pretty mushy.

Deli-Style Dill Pickles.  The dill and garlic flavors really come through in these.  They weren't as crisp as I'd have expected, but the flavor was really nice.  The jars on their website are alot more colorful and appetizing than what they served at the table, so I'm not sure I was getting their absolute best to sample...nonetheless, flavor was still very good.

Safie's has a bunch of other jarred goodies in their product line.  If you get a chance, you gotta check out this gem of the Great Lakes state.  Do NOT pass up the pickled beets--they're positively perfect and the best I've ever tasted.

Carny Pickles! (and Sriracha sauce)

45th Parallel Carny Pickles

During a quick visit with relatives, at a morning run to the Cops & Donuts bake shop in Clare, MI for donuts and coffee, I noticed a refrigerator full of offerings from the 45th Parallel Pickling Co.   Move over, custard stick, I have to check these out!

The 45th Parallel Pickling Co. is based in Okemos, MI (about 80 miles south near the state capital, Lansing), and many of the recipes are from a former cop-mom, so there's a police theme for the products sold in the Cops & Donuts shop in Clare.  Its a fun place with lots of police paraphernalia,  newspaper articles and props.  They even have a red Michigan State Police "bubble" light from the top of MSP patrol cars.  The shop was founded by retired policemen and has done well over the years. 

First, all of the varieties in the case all looked delicious, so the decision on which to purchase wasn't easy at $7.99 a jar. The most eye-catching variety was a spicy combination of cauliflower and brussel sprouts called "Zombie Parts".  They were pickled with sweet peppers and onions and had sriracha sauce added into the mix for the spice.  "Police Pickles" were a garlic-dill sliced variety, but what caught my eye was the jar of "Carny Pickles".  These were spicy bread'n'butter variety pickles with the same sriracha sauce added for the heat.  The cucumbers were ripple-cut and had a fresh cucumber flavor, but with a hint of the garlic-y hot sriracha.  Bits of onion and sweet pepper are in there as well as the normal celery and mustard seed floating about.  The flavor was very refreshing, but with an "afterbite" of the sriracha peppery taste.

Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce

For those not familiar with sriracha sauce, its basically hot-pepper and garlic sauce that's usually found in asian restaurants.  Its special because it doesn't have the strong vinegar taste of Tobasco or Frank's Red Hot sauces, but rather, the flavor of the crushed fruit (peppers) dominates the flavor.  Its hot, but very flavorful and completely wonderful on Mi Fung noodles, pizza or even bratwurst. The Huy Fong brand is my favorite and I've even found it at Kroger, usually for about $3.75 a bottle. If you're new to sriracha, just start with a few drops--a little goes a long way.

Oh yeah...the custard stick was fantastic!

Kroger Candied Dill Spears

Kroger Candied Dill Spears

Aren't the holidays fun!?  Its a time when you get to sample everyone's latest recipes, family favorites and the little treasures you find at the grocer.  This year, pickle fans, was a pickle at the center of attention!  Gretchen was responsible for putting together a relish tray and went to Kroger to stock up, and while the standard sweet gherkins, green and black olives, bread 'n' butter sweets made it to the tray, everyone was surprised by the Candied Dill Spears in the tray.

Wait-wait-wait!!  Candied Dill ??  Yepper, you read right. To come right to the point, in place of the clove flavor we're all used to in normal sweet gherkins, or the bread'n'butter flavor, they used dill instead.  Its an unexpected little zing at the end of your bite.  The pickles are thoroughly infused with the sweet syrup, as other sweets are, but the dill flavor combined with the sweet'n'briney flavor is definitely unique.  The crunch is fantastic, and very much reminds me of my grandparents' 14-day sweet pickles.  I suspect they've gone through a few cycles of alum to get that crunch.

These are definitely yummy little treasures, but they're to be savored one at a time--I don't think anyone will be pounding through a jar of these in short order.  They're totally unlike any pickle I've had before, and I'd highly recommend picking up a jar.

Claussen Hot & Spicy Spears

Claussen Hot & Spicy Spears

I was in Kroger today and saw this new variety in the meat section next to the other refrigerated Claussen pickles. The fire-red label caught my eye (take note, marketeers!), and I had to have a look.  I've liked Claussen Deli Dills for their crisp crunch and unique flavor, and lately have had a thing for a little heat and spice, so $3.79 and a trip home, and I was set to give them a try.  Oh, if you have a Kroger card, they're only $3, so really, not even all that expensive!

As you can see in the picture, the bottom is layered with garlic, mustard seeds, herbs, dill and red pepper chunks.  Yummy!  The spears all look nicely cut and very uniform (take note, Vlasic, yours have been slipping lately).  The whole package is very inviting.

First, because they're Claussen deli dills, they're nice and crunchy, as we'd all expect.  They've got that Claussen flavor, heavy on garlic that will seem very familiar.  After the fist bite, there was a little heat at the back of your throat, but nothing terribly impressive.  My initial thought was that Claussen's interpretation of "hot" was a bit subtle and a little disappointing compared to the smack on the head that Vlasic Zesty's give you.  However, after the 3rd bite, the hot & spicy artillery caught up with the garlic scouts.  These things have a healthy punch afterall!  The heat is very nice, and not at all overpowering.  They're slow to throttle up, but never get wild enough to be objectionable.

I have to admit to eating a couple, putting the jar back, and then 20 minutes later, going back to the fridge to try another.  And, 20 minutes later, going back for another.  Hrm...seems they're mildly addictive...nothing on the label indicates such... ;)

I think Claussen hit a home run with these.  If you're in the mood for a Claussen Deli Dill, but want something with a little kick, the Hot & Spicy variety will fit the bill.