What Are Juniper berries and How Can I Use Them?
If juniper berries have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 60 recipes to try them in.
| In Chinese: | 杜松子 | |
| British (UK) term: | Juniper berries | |
| en français: | baies de genièvre | |
| en español: | bayas de enebro |
Recipes using juniper berries
There are 60 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Pork Hock with Pickled Sweet Red Pepper
I like this sour flavor. The best over buckwheat, but all is fine when over rice, potatoes, noodles, or just with lettuce mix. You may use pickled grilled red pepper.
Garlic & Fava Beans Soup
A soup which is a combination of Mediterranean garlic soups with a 17th century East European fava beans soup. Quite good.
Pork Shoulder in Chanterelle Sauce over Buckwheat
Pork shoulder in chanterelle sauce over buckwheat: tender pressure-cooked pork in a fragrant wild-mushroom sauce with herbs, spooned over nutty buckwheat. A rustic, comforting Eastern European plate.
Pork Ribs in Sour Cabbage
Nothing new under the sun, just my rendition of very popular dish in Eastern Europe, inspired by various cuisines of Carpathian Mountains. Cooked quite quick in a pressure cooker.
Pickled Salmon as Appetizer (Gravad Lax style)
An easy way to create a tasteful appetizer, similar to the way it is done in Scandinavia or Northern Germany. Preferably you want to use wild caught salmon when it is available or catch-it yourself. The usual caveats when you deal with fresh fish apply. Process it immediately. I had good experience with wild Alaska sockeye salmon which is frozen for a while before it comes into the shop.
Spinach & Long White Radish Soup
Spinach and long white radish soup: a clear beef broth scented with juniper and tarragon, loaded with daikon, potato, and spinach, brightened with lemon and turmeric. An unusual, fresh spring bowl.
Spring Beet soup (Polish Botwina)
There are hundreds versions of this very Polish soup. Here you have an original proposition of mine. I used to cook it on the base of my favorite duck and chicken stock. The cream is a must to create wonderful pink color. Optionally you may add a quarter or a half of hard boiled egg to your bowl. By the way, I change my recipe sometimes, for instance by adding dried California prunes instead of sugar, or by adding some white vinegar instead of lemon juice.
Spring Cabbage with Mushrooms, Frankfurters & Shrimps
for fans of spring cabbage and untypical combinations..
Cabbage with Gin & Juniper
Steamed cabbage wedges finished in butter with shallots, juniper berries, savory, and gin. An elegant, aromatic side dish that turns humble cabbage into something extraordinary.
Southwest Riblets
Southwest riblets baked in a mole-inspired sauce with ground red chiles, unsweetened chocolate, juniper berries, tomato paste, and apple cider vinegar. A smoky, complex, slightly bitter glaze on tender pork back ribs.
Roast Quail with Juniper Berries Iii (Quail)
Pan-roasted whole quail stuffed with pancetta, sage, and juniper berries, finished with a gin and white wine pan sauce. A masterchef-level wild game main course in 30 minutes.
Wild Pig on Sauerkraut
Roasted pork shoulder on sauerkraut with juniper berries, grated apples, white wine, and bay leaves. A hearty German-style pork and kraut dish with deep, rustic flavor.
Wild Pig on Sauerkraut
Roasted pork shoulder on sauerkraut with juniper berries, grated apples, white wine, and bay leaves. A hearty German-style pork and kraut dish with deep, rustic flavor.
Green Chili Stew
Green chili stew with lamb shoulder, poblano peppers, crushed juniper berries, and shredded lemon zest. A New Mexico-style chile verde with tender braised lamb in a thickened chicken broth.
Potato Pancakes with Juniper
Potato pancakes seasoned with crushed juniper berries and orange zest, fried golden in butter and oil. A crispy, aromatic twist on classic latkes with just 6 ingredients.
Kip Filet with Sherry Sauce
Grilled chicken fillet marinated in sherry, soy sauce, and crushed juniper berries, sliced thin and served with a glossy sherry pan sauce. Dutch-inspired with bold, aromatic flavor.
Fiery Chili Soup
Fiery chili soup with seared lamb, white hominy, green and red chili peppers, and crushed juniper berries. A hearty, spicy Southwestern-style stew simmered until the lamb is fork-tender.
Roasted Squab with Corn & Chili Sauce
Roasted squab with corn and chili sauce: juniper-scented birds roasted rare, served with a smoky bacon, chili, and corn-cob sauce sweetened with maple syrup.
Pheasant with Black Olives
Pheasant with black olives sears and roasts boned pheasant breast and thigh, served with a deep wine and bone-stock reduction studded with black olives and tomato. An elegant wild-game main with Provencal flavors.
Bakers Oven
Wine-marinated lamb shoulder layered with potatoes, onions, and butter, slow-roasted in a traditional German Romertopf clay pot. Rustic European comfort at its most elemental.
Smoky Lamb Chops in Red Wine Marinade
Tender lamb rib chops marinated overnight in red wine, crushed juniper berries, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil, then grilled until charred and smoky. Serve with olives and charred pepper skewers.
Red Cabbage & Apples
Slow-braised red cabbage with apples, juniper berries, caraway seeds, and malt vinegar. A traditional German-style side dish simmered for nearly two hours until silky and sweet-tart.
Snippets of Venison
Snippets of venison marinated in cider with juniper berries, seared pink, and served with sauteed mushrooms in a garlic sour cream sauce. An elegant way to use venison trimmings.
Choucroute Garnie
Alsatian choucroute garnie: pork shoulder, knackwurst, Polish sausage, and bacon braised slow in sauerkraut, white wine, and juniper berries. Serve with boiled potatoes and sharp mustard.
