Pickled Summer Fruits

I'm a big fan of Alton Brown, and I consider him one of my top chefs, alongside Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain. Given my interest in pickling, this recipe is an obvious choice for me. It’s a sweet pickling method. You can use the pickled fruits to enhance desserts, top pork chops, or simply enjoy them by themselves. I doubled the recipe.

Annotated Cooking Notes: Since there is no salt, there is no need to go to a full boil on the liquid, just simmer until the sugar dissolves.

Ingredients

1 Bartlett pear, thinly sliced

1 red plum, seeded and quartered

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, slivered

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1 sprig fresh mint

Directions

1. Place the pear, plum, lemon, and fresh ginger in a bowl. In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves.

2. Place the fruit mixture into a spring-top glass jar and add the sprig of mint to the fruit. Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the fruit, filling the jar to the top.

3. Cool the pickles, then refrigerate for 2 days up to 1 week before serving.