R.I.P. Gourmet

I really thought I would be spending my Monday morning recapping the wonderfully ridiculous International Pickle Day festivities. Instead, we were called into an emergency meeting to learn of Gourmet's demise.

It is with heavy heart that I share the news of Gourmet's folding--nearly 70 years after its inception. The mission of the magazine has always been to open readers' minds to culture through the lens of food.

Unfortunately, America prefers fast, cheap, and easy. Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, Top Chef. The latest flashes in the pan are steering us towards instant this and 30-minute that. No style, no substance.

pickle girl is all vinegar on this sad day.

Chef Recipe: Andrea Reusing's Pickled Pumpkin

Happy October! This fall season brings a pickle worthy of its own theme song. When Gourmet.com reported that One Ring Zero was composing a tune based on these pumpkin pickles by Andrea Reusing, I could barely dial farm-to-fork favorite, Lantern Restaurant, quickly enough.

Special thanks to Andrea Reusing of Lantern Restaurant, for sharing this pickled pumpkin recipe.

Pickled Pumpkin
Use small, organic pumpkins or squashes. Before peeling, taste their skins; if they are tender, they can be left on.

3 pounds pumpkin, cut into thin moons or chunks

Brine:
5 fresh Thai chilies, split in half lengthwise
1 small piece of unpeeled ginger, thinly sliced
6 cloves peeled garlic
10 white peppercorns
2 quarts unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
1 ½ cups mirin
2 ½ cups white sugar
½ cup kosher salt

1. Combine the brine ingredients in a non-reactive pan and bring the
mixture to a simmer.
2. When the sugar is dissolved, add pumpkin and cook gently, checking frequently, until the pumpkin is just tender.
3. Cool in liquid and refrigerate.