The Salt of the Earth

A lot has been said about salt, besides the one about Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt. Paraphrase: You are the Salt of the earth, if you lose your saltiness, what then have you become?  An old wives' tale speaks of throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder to ward off bad luck. Thomas Keller says that the most important lesson for any chef (or home cook for that matter) is how to properly salt your food in cooking. Many chefs say that the best ingredients for enhancing flavor in a dish are salt and vinegar. Personally, I'd add fat to that list but that would be very non-PC. Except here. Thanks, Charlie!

My dear friend Audrey and I had a lunch in France yesterday. Well, ok, we weren't actually in France, but we took our time in a friendly Bistro talking, sharing stories for about 4 hours. That is the way to really appreciate a meal with friends. They had great music playing, great artwork and a nice aquarium to get lost in.

Audrey and I were having our belated Christmas/Birthday lunch. Her Birthday is in the same week as Christmas, so I used to wrap her Birthday presents in Pink and Blue so that they would be Separate From Christmas Gifts!  This year her present was in lavendar, thanks to Cristy, and her Christmas gifts were not even wrapped -- I don't do the retail Christmas anymore. I bought a hand carved Nativity in Bethlehem when I visited Israel back in the early 90s and that's the only decoration I bring forth.

Anyhoo, back to salt... I have at least 6 different salts in my cupboard, Fleur de Sel, Regular non-french sea salt, hickory smoked salt, you get the idea. Audrey is so fantastic! She gave me a box of salts!! I was opening each one, saying OMG! They have cute names but great ingredients I can't wait to try.

Santa Salt

 

Pure Ocean Salt, Rosemary, Pink Peppercorns

Suggested uses: Vegetables, Pasta, Eggs, Popcorn, Beef, Poultry, Seafood, Butter, Olive Oil, Shortbread, Salads

Rosemary Salt

Pure Ocean Salt, Rosemary
Suggested Uses: Spring Vegetables, Tomatoes, Eggs, Pasta, Fish, Pork, Lamb, Beef Poultry, Vanilla Ice Cream (if only) Shortbread, Grilled Corn, Popcorn







Magic Unicorn Salt  (great name and great ingredients)

Pure Ocean Salt, Celery Seed, Rosemary, Granulated Garlic, Smoked Paprika, Lemon Juice Powder
Suggested Uses: Anything. It's Magic.






Friends Forever (my favorite name and it smelled wonderful)

Pure Ocean Salt, Granulated Honey  -- there are no carbs listed so it must not have any!!  =)
Suggested Uses: Popcorn, Sweet Potataoes, Lemon Chicken, Spinach Salad, Carrots, Ice Cream, Fancy Drinks


Just like compound butters, you can make your own salt combinations with spices and herbs. Why not give it a try?

See you soon.