Is Putting Pickles on a Sundae Taking Sweet and Sour Too Far?

Try one or all of these recipes at your next gathering to keep the spirit of Picklesburgh in mind all summer long.

Nestled on top of a soft bun with fresh tomato, shredded iceberg lettuce and a slather of mayonnaise, the chicken makes a great sandwich. Katerininamd/Shutterstock

PITTSBURGH—One of the best things about summer is that it’s peak season for every kind of food festival. In Pittsburgh, one of the biggest and most beloved is Picklesburgh, which since 2015 has wowed crowds looking to get their brine on with its wide embrace of all things pickled and fermented.

This year’s festival on July 16-19 will include more than 50 vendors selling a wide array of pickle-forward food products and other merchandise on two of the city’s Sister Bridges—Roberto Clemente and Andy Warhol—plus Market Square and Fort Duquesne Boulevard. Guests will find everything from snacks, sauces and jams to pickled cocktails, pickle pizza, pickles on a stick, dill-flavored jerky and chocolate-covered pickle spears.

If you wander home with a jar of locally made pickles, or just are inspired to do something a little different with the kosher dills already sitting on your shelf, we’ve got a few suggestions.

Pickles get their crunchy texture and zesty flavor from the brine they’re soaked in—a mixture of salt, water, spices, and sometimes sugar if the pickles are sweet. Too often, the salty liquid that acts as both a preservative and flavor enhancer is tossed after all the pickles are gone. Instead of washing it down the drain, why not use it to tenderize one of the most finicky pieces of meat—boneless chicken breast—to make a fried chicken sandwich?

As for the pickles themselves, a crunchy dill spear can do so much more at mealtime than serve as a sidekick for burgers. Tossed in a punchy vinaigrette with other crunchy summer veggies, pickles also can be the base for a crisp, satisfying summer salad. In the recipe below, we combine chunks of dill pickles with sliced onion and fennel tossed in a mustard-y dressing.

Or maybe you’re intrigued by unique desserts. Candied in sugar, already-sweet bread-and-butter pickles can make an unexpected but super tasty topping for a simple bowl of ice cream. And the hot sugar mixture the pickles are cooked in can be spooned onto a piece of parchment to create pickle-infused hard candy used as a crunchy garnish.

Try one or all at your next gathering to keep the spirit of Picklesburgh in mind all summer long.

Brined Chicken Sandwiches

PG tested

Makes 8 sandwiches.

Chicken breast can be tricky to cook to perfection because it’s such a lean meat. One way to keep the fillets nice and juicy is to give them a leisurely bath in brine. This Picklesburgh-inspired recipe nails it with a combination of pickle juice and buttermilk. The acid and salt in the pickle juice tenderize the meat while the buttermilk works to keep it moist.

Nestled on top of a soft bun with fresh tomato, shredded iceberg lettuce and a slather of mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s, which is twangier than other brands), the chicken makes a great sandwich. Add sliced pickles for an additional briny flavor, and maybe a slice of melty cheese or piece of bacon.

• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika
• Pinch (or 2) cayenne pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 8 burger buns
• Shredded iceberg lettuce, for serving
• Mayonnaise, for serving
• Sliced tomato, for serving

Make brine by combining pickle juice and buttermilk in a large zip-close bag. Add chicken and squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible, massaging the marinade into the chicken. Make sure it’s tightly sealed, then refrigerate for 4-12 hours.

When ready to cook, whisk together flour, salt and spices.

Remove chicken from marinade and allow excess to drip off. Dredge in the seasoned flour, pressing the flour tightly onto the meat. Let the coated chicken rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before cooking so the coating sets.

Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees. Fry the chicken in batches for about 6-10 minutes per side, or until deeply golden brown and an internal meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Remove from pan and let the chicken drain on a wire rack before making the sandwiches.

To serve, slather mayonnaise on the top and bottom half of each bun. Stack in this order: bottom bun, chicken, tomato, shredded lettuce, and top bun.

Recipe Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Crunchy Pickle Salad

PG tested

Serves 4.

This fresh and crunchy salad pulls together in minutes, and goes with just about anything you might throw on the grill this summer. The original recipe calls for toasted walnuts but I subbed honey-roasted pistachios. I also used a jar of baby dill pickles instead of later-harvested big dill pickles and fennel fronds instead of fresh dill.

• 1/2 cup toasted pistachios
• 4 whole dill pickles, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons pickle brine
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced and rinsed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium fennel bulb, tough outer layers removed, thinly sliced crosswise
• Chopped fennel fronds
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved into thin strips
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for optional drizzling

Whisk pickle brine, vinegar, mustard, honey, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl.

Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Let sit to allow onion to soften slightly, at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

Add pistachios, chopped pickles, fennel, chopped fennel fronds, and Parmesan to dressing and toss to coat.

Transfer salad to a large shallow bowl or platter and if desired, drizzle with oil.

Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com

Candied Pickle Sundae

PG tested

Makes about 1 cup candied pickles.

This recipe is best made with pickle slices, but I had only whole sweet gherkins on hand, which I sliced thinly on the diagonal. The result was candied pickles that looked exactly like Heinz’s iconic green plastic pickle pins. I used the leftover melted sugar mixture to make hard candies as a garnish, but that’s optional.

• 1 cup sliced sweet bread-and-butter pickles
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Combine pickles and sugar in a large saucepan with water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the melted sugar starts to brown and caramelize, about 20-25 minutes.

Using tongs, carefully remove pickles from the sugar mixture to a sheet covered in parchment paper (the melted sugar will be VERY hot), and allow to cool.

To make pickle-infused hard candy, carefully spoon teaspoons of hot sugar mixture onto the parchment and allow to cool and harden.

For sundaes, scoop vanilla ice cream into a bowl and top with candied pickle pieces and pickle-infused hard candy. Serve immediately.

Recipe by Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette