I went in to the very homey cheese and snack shop Bklyn Larder a few weeks ago in search of another list item: pickled cauliflower. The girl told me that the cauliflower was in the process of being pickled, but they had pickled carrots which I was assured tasted the same as the cauliflower since the vegetables take on the flavor of the pickling liquid. But I refused and, with fear in my heart that another list item may have slipped away, I said I would come back.
Well, I called, I came, and I conquered. The pickled cauliflower had finally made it back on their shelves! I do want to say that the place is adorable (if a little overpriced). It’s owned by the same owners as Franny’s, which is down the street and has great food and interesting pizzas. At Bklyn Larder, you can get unique sandwiches, chocolate, cookies, oatmeal, cheese, and pickled vegetables.
I bought the 10-ounce jar of tiny pieces of cauliflower floating in a brine of what looked like thyme, garlic, and peppers. This was something to savor and enjoy at home.
So over the course of three days, I ate the cauliflower and realized the girl was probably right. The flavor was all brining fluid. It was vinegary (it burned my throat on the first swallow), savory, spicy and garlicky. I mean, cauliflower in general has a pretty bland flavor (and let it be known, it’s my least favorite vegetable just because it’s so boring) so it was nice to have all those other intense flavors soaked into it.
It was a strange, but healthy snack that was nice to keep around the apartment. I don’t know if it would replace pickles with my turkey sandwich, but if I had some pate or liverwurst, this would be a great accompaniment. And either way, it feels good having won another list item!
Would Bklyn Larder’s Pickled Cauliflower make my Top 100 of the year? It’s not something I’d normally keep around the house but am glad I tried it and if it was cheaper, I might even try it again. But it still only gets a 6 out of 10.
