New Cookbook: Well-Preserved

I’ve never put anything up—that is, preserved it to eat later. Then I picked up Eugenia Bone’s newest book, Well-Preserved, and thought I’d give it a try. Well-Preserved, which got a glowing write-up in today’s New York Times, is a conversational cookbook that explains in detail (and without too much science-speak) all means of preserving, from pickling to smoking to water-bath canning. Bone’s instructions looked easy and her recipes, like fried ricotta balls with apricot-amaretto jam, too good to pass up.

I picked cherries in wine, which infuses Bing cherries—just now in my supermarket—in red wine reduced with cloves and orange zest. After finding an inexpensive cherry pitter, preparing four pounds of cherries and scouring for stray pits, the process went smoothly and swiftly. I had only to boil the jars and wash the red juice from my fingers. The preserved cherries are proudly resting, like little rubies, in my kitchen. They’ll be perfect alongside grilled beef tenderloin or duck (Bone’s suggestions), spooned over vanilla ice cream or served straight with whipped cream. 

Eugenia’s a busy woman. Not only does she scour the greenmarkets and put up enough to feed her family year-round, she’ll be publishing a holiday food diary in our December issue. I can’t wait!