Obsessed: Pink Himalayan Salt

Obsession is...well, maybe a bit extreme but I am in love with this salt! Is it TMI if I tell you that I like to let a few course grains dissolve on my tongue, one by one? Maybe it is TMI but it's too late now. Maybe I am deficient in something? This salt is abundant in many trace minerals and I'm sure that my craving for it is just my body trying to helping me out. But let's forget about my recently developed salt dissolving habit and get back to pure flavor making magic!

I add it to everything I make and it makes everything taste better, way better. Bland chicken salad? Not anymore, when you add a dash of this. I look at this salt as magic dust for food, enhancing everything from grilled steaks to plain green leaf lettuce salads tossed with olive oil. Don't forget everything else in between from homemade french fries to warm salted caramel brownies. It's a simple ingredient that my kitchen just can't do without! It's a great salt to have in the pantry or at the table. (Or in my case, a few grains around, just to snack on. Lol.) Enjoy taking your favorite dishes to new levels with this pink magic dust.

White Chocolate Bark: 2 Ways

Do you ever get excited about a food product? Or is it just me? lol. I saw a box of Maldon smoked sea salt at a food/cooking supply shop and was so excited, as soon as I found it, I started walking, maybe even skipping, towards the register and midway, I thought to myself, "I came here for something!?" What that something was, I managed to forget with the box of smoked sea salt in my hands, sweaty hands at that, lol. So all these ideas came to my mind and this is one of them, or two of them. For all you salty and sweet fans, you have a flaky smoked salt with the bite of fresh ground black pepper and a raw pistachio bark and a crushed spicy gingersnap cookie and smooth caramel bark with flecks of smoked sea salt on it. Hope you enjoy! Happy weekend everyone!

  

• 1/2 pound bulk white chocolate, (you can use milk or even dark, I was in the mood for a super sweet chocolate.)
• raw pistachio nuts, (not roasted)
• fresh ground black pepper
• smoked sea salt
• 7 caramel squares
• 1 ginger snap cookie

Begin by chopping up the chocolate, so it melts easier. Using a double-broiler or a pot with a metal bowl over it, pour the chocolate in, using a spatula to stir and speed along the melting process. Less water is always better when using the second method and use a pot holder, to handle the metal bowl, it can get pretty hot. Have a large cookie sheet set up with a sheet of parchment paper on it. Once the chocolate is melted, pour the chocolate in one block or two, depending on if are making the chocolate in one way or both. (Spreading out to an 1/8th of an inch or thicker if you like.) If making both barks, keep a small space between the poured chocolate.

Below is the cause of my sweaty palms! Are yours sweaty too or is it just me? If you want to make your own smoked sea salt, which can be fun, here is a recipe (I used some of it on the gingersnap & caramel bark) but just a warning, make it on a really sunny day while you use the grill. Brrr...

Begin the fun, sprinkle the pistachios, fresh ground black pepper and sea salt on the chocolate!

Melt the caramels with a drop of water in a heavy bottomed pot, stirring with a spatula until melted. Drop spoonfuls of caramel on the chocolate and sprinkle the crushed gingersnap cookie over the chocolate and caramel. Finish it off with a sprinkling of smoked sea salt. Let the bark cool in the fridge, until firm about 15 minutes. Break up the chocolate and enjoy!

Cedar Smoked Sea Salt

A rushed day, sometimes equals a rushed dinner. And sometimes those are the best, a simple thrown together meal like a warm, soft, yet crusty baguette topped with good unsalted butter and smoked sea salt. This can be a really nice appetizer also, especially when you serve the salt left right on the plank, so everyone can salt their own buttered piece of baguette. The smoking gives the salt an ever so delicate aroma of  cedar and mellows out the sting of the salt. This is perfect to use instead of your usual sea salt to give your food a slightly delicate smoky flavor. Enjoy!

• 1 cedar plank
• 2 tablespoons sea salt

Have your plank submerged in water, for a minimum of an hour. (Don't forget that your planks are reusable.) Heat up your grill to about 500 degrees. Have your grill gloves on, a water filled spray bottle, and long tongs nearby. Take extra caution when smoking the salt, they start popping, once they get really hot. I would suggest wearing safety goggles, better safe than sorry. You can crush some of the salt if you would like smaller pieces. Place your plank on the grill for 3 minutes, flip and place your salt on it, in one thin layer. Occasionally, stir with a fork. Smoke for 10 minutes or longer. If the edges start burning, spritz with water. Keeping an eye on the plank is best, as it can catch fire easily. Please take all precautions necessary. Once your salt is smoked, take the heat off, but you can let the plank sit in the grill, until it cools. Remove with tongs and store in glass container to retain flavor.

Pan-Roasted Sea Salt with Rosemary & Dried Mushrooms

There are times that I just crave SALT! And this time, I really wanted to experiment with flavoring the salt. And thought that adding fresh rosemary, lemon zest and dried mushrooms would make it interesting. And it did, making it smoky and adding a depth to the salt. Here is a list of what you need...

• 3/4 cup Mediterranean sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• zest of one lemon
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried mushrooms, I used what I had on hand, (champignon)
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
• 5 cloves
• a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, or more depending how much you like

 I was super excited getting the ingredients and then I realized, I don't have a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. So almost in a barbarian style, I started crushing the salt with a wooden spoon, I really went at it!  I imagined being in Tuscany, sun beating down on me as I crushed my salt by hand, but my fantasy got interrupted as salt spilled to the floor, ruining my daydream. To your salt, you want to add your chopped rosemary, fresh ground pepper, the lemon zest, the crushed red pepper flakes and crush and mix away, (great for getting frustrations out.) I imagine using a spice grinder would work better though, lol. (Our kitchen is really small, so I just have the bare essentials) Give your coriander seeds and cloves a good wack, not to totally crush them, just to open them up, to release their flavors, add to your salt with the mushrooms. Pour your salt in a pan and on high heat, stir your salt and the smell of the rosemary and cloves will be amazing! I kept it on the heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, and when cool, remove your mushrooms and cloves. Chop the dried mushrooms fine, or use a spice grinder and add back to your salt. Taste it and see how you like it, adding accordingly. I ended up adding some more fresh rosemary. Enjoy!



Still crushing...