Stacie

I'm assuming you're looking for something in the sour French style. It won't be quite the same if you can't get access to real Cornichons but you can come quite close.

Here's one version from "The Joy of Pickling" by Linda Ziedrich. She points out that the thin skins of these tiny cucumbers make them very perishable, so they should be processed the same day you pick them.

Recipes for these vary a lot. It's common to add garlic, cloves and/or thyme. Red wine vinegar is often used by the French, even though it's less attractive, because the flavor is excellent. Cider vinegar can also be used - basically any 5% acidity vinegar.

About 1 1/4 pounds 1 1/2-2-inch cornichons or 1 to 1 1/2-inch American-type pickling cucumbers
3 tablespoons pickling salt
4 shallots, peeled
1 bay leaf
2 tarragon sprigs
10 black peppercorns
2 small dried chile peppers
About 2 cups white wine vinegar

1. Wash cucumbers gently, rub off the tiny spines if you're using cornichons, and remove the blossom ends. In a bowl, mix the cucumbers with salt. Let stand 24 hours.

2. Drain the cucumbers. Rinse in cold water and pat each one dry. Pack the cucumbers into a sterile 1-quart jar, interspersing among them the shallots, bay leaf, tarragon, peppercorns and chile peppers. Leave at least 1 inch headspace. Fill the jar to the brim with vinegar. Cover the jar tightly with a nonreactive cap, preferably one that is all plastic. Store the jar in a cool, dry, dark place.

3. The cornichons will be ready to eat in 1 month and will keep well, unopened, for about 1 year.

Here's a slightly different version from Helen Witty's "The Good Stuff Cookbook."

2 to 2 1/2 quarts (about 3 pounds) freshly picked tiny cucumbers or gherkins, as small as possible
3/4 cups coarse kosher salt or a generous 1/2 cup pickling salt
3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
About 10 bushy sprigs (4-6 inches long) fresh tarragon
3 large or 5 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons whole peppercorns, black or white
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice, optional
3 whole cloves, optional
4 cups white wine vinegar or more if needed

1. Cover cucumbers with cold water and wash, being careful to remove any remnants of blossoms; do not scrub them roughly. Rinse and drain. Mix gently with the salt in a ceramic, glass or stainless-steel bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave them for 24 hours at room temperature, turning them occasionally in the brine that forms.

2. Drain the cucumbers, then swish them through 2 quarts of cold water mixed with the distilled white vinegar. Drain the cucumbers again, then wipe each dry gently with a soft cloth.

3. Scald and drain 2 hot, clean quart jars or a half-gallon jar or crock. Dividing the ingredients equally, layer the cucumbers and seasonings in the containers, starting with a few tarragon sprigs in the bottom. Pour in enough white vinegar to cover the pickles by at least and inch - two inches if possible. Cover the containers with their caps or with two layers of plastic wrap, held in place with rubber bands.

4. Leave the pickles in a cool, dark spot for a month. They are then ready to use. At that point they may be packed into smaller jars, together with the seasonings. Sealing isn't necessary, but the jars should be covered snugly and stored in a cool, dark cupboard. With care and luck, cornichons will keep for a year; if assaulted by light and/or heat, they will tend to soften after a shorter time.

These are the traditional pickles. Some American tastes find them too sharp. Here's a slightly
milder "Americanized" version from Joy of Cooking's "All About Canning and Preserving." It's also processed.

5 1/2 pounds cucumbers, 1 1/4- 1 1/2-inch long
8 cups water
1/2 cup salt

Prepare cucumbers; clean, cut off blossom end but leave 1/4-inch of stem. Make a brine of water and salt. Pour over the cucumbers. Place a plate on them to submerge and let stand at room temperature 12 hours. Drain, rinse and drain again. Dry in a towel. Tightly pack in hot jars, adding to each pint:
A few sprigs fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
5 white peppercorns

Combine in a saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring until salt is dissolved:
5 1/4 cups cider vinegar
4 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup canning salt
Pour the hot vinegar solution over the cucumbers in the jars. Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Process pints for 10 minutes, quarts for 15 minutes.

Another recipe can be found on the site I've linked to below.

Carol

Leigh

I think originally they were meant as a piquant contrast to rich meats, like pate, so they really shine with bacon-based appetizers, that sort of thing.

Carol

I think that I am going to go with the joy of pickling recipe, I am nervous about the others with not processing.

Stacie

Stacie

Stacie--cornichons are not typically processed, but stored in a cool pantry or refrigerator. The Joy of Pickling recipe doesn't call for processing. Did you use the Joy of Cooking one instead?

Leigh

Like Leigh said the recipe calls for straight vinegar that I used so didn't worry about the brine. But thanks to your advice in the past, I always check the taste of the brine for my dill pickles befor pickling:)

Leigh,

I used the Joy of pickling recipe. I did decide to use the NCHP recommended pasturization method for pickling since they were in a total vinegar brine.

Stacie