Salt: Not So Bad After All

Just like we learned that fat won't kill you, it's time for a reality check on salt. A timely rant from Michael Bauer -- in the don't-believe-everything-you-see-on-TV-especially-the-TODAY-show department.

Breakaway Salts with Eric Gower

Berkeley-based Eric Gower has long been one of my favorite cookbook authors. His first cookbook, The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen, has become a staple in my collection as he looks at new flavors, ingredients, and twists on traditional Japanese cooking. His newest book, The Breakaway Cook, explores more dishes and techniques and applies his global "flavor blasts" to dishes we eat every day. (He also has a terrific web-site complete with TOCs, recipes, and more info.)

In his newest book, he explores crusts, salts, and other unique add-ins like his current favorite -- maccha, a rich powder made from the entire green tea leaf providing an intense and complex bitterness with depth. How does he handle salt? He flavors it, of course. His website offers several recipes which all start will sel gris or another sea salt for unique flavors at your fingertips. You can also prepare these ahead and put them in jars or salt boxes for original gifts. From Eric's Breakaway Cook:

Maccha Salt: Powdered green tea plus salt. The stunning color bestows an ethereal beauty to foods. The slightly bitter tea marries beautifully with egg yolks, tofu, onions, and even chocolate. Read more about maccha.

Tangerine Salt: Dried pieces of tangerine (or orange) plus salt. Adds tangy, fruity, citrus notes to food. Try it sprinkled on roasted chicken, vegetable side dishes (especially beets), light pastas, shrimp, grilled fish, and omelets.

Lavender Salt: Dried lavender buds plus salt. Excellent on lamb (both as a salt rub before cooking, and a sprinkling afterward), salad greens, heirloom tomatoes, and avocados. Adds a floral, herbaceous touch.

Smoked Paprika Salt: Smoked, finely powdered paprika and salt. Use it when you want a smoky, powerful, earthy blast of flavor. Great on potatoes, fried rice, and grilled meats.

Kaffir Lime Salt: Leaves of the Kaffir lime tree plus salt. This salt infuses a Thai-like flowery headiness to dishes. Works well on poached eggs, seafood, corn on the cob, and steamed rice.

Saraga carries Kaffir lime leaves and they can be frozen. (Eric notes he keeps a bag in his freezer.) Use them like bay leaf to give a subtle citrus flavor to just about anything. Penzey's spices on 82th should have smoked paprika. In the summer, I usually find gorgeous lavender at the famer's markets. And I've become terribly interested in maccha and am looking forward to experimenting with it in the coming months. Eric (who I know from the WeLL) is currently experimenting with maccha-like powders from other teas, so look for more coming. (Westernized maccha with black tea. Tea truffles! Tea-flavored creamy mousses and desserts! And even black teas with meats. Ooooh, there are all kinds of ideas!)

Oak-Smoked Chardonnay Sea Salt

The latest trend for gourmands? Salt! All sorts, not just pricey French fleur de sels are hot these days including everything from Himalayan pink to Hawaiian orange and black. These salts gain their vibrant colors and slight flavor variations from minerals both in natural salt flats and saltwater seas. Foodies are even learning to make their own flavored and infused salts.

My latest treat? Fumee de sel -- sea salt flavored with smoke from French chardonnay barrels. The smoke creates an intensely flavored grey salt with a smokey flavor and aroma from smoldering chardonnay casks. It's perfect for a quick sprinkle over mushroom cream sauces, potatoes, seafood, poultry, and even Caesar salad with anchovies. It's also spectacular as part of a salt and pepper crust for steaks and in Bloody Marys. I found mine at Williams-Sonoma where they call it "salt smoke" instead of "smoked salt", neither of which sound as exotic as "fumee de sel". (Thanks to Karl Benko for the pointer. He found it first!)

Easy Project: Flavored Salt

While it may sound redundant, you can add flavor to salt. My current favorites? Lemon with thyme, lime with tarragon, garlic and rosemary. You can find expensive "blends" everywhere from Penzey's to Oakleys, so I always feel an even bigger sense of accomplishment when I make them on my own. You can experiment with various salts, but I usually start with regular kosher salt, a fleur de sel (French sea salt), or even rock salt for a grinder depending on what I'm working with and when I'm using it. Here are some options:

These may not be the most formal rules, but they seem to be what I've discovered so far:

1) I like working with a little moisture. Fleur de sel is often moister than regular salt, but citrus zest and fresh herbs also add some moisture to your salt. You don't want it to clump, but it needs a bit of moisture to infuse the flavore.

2) Crushed or minced fresh herbs work. Small bits are fantastic for adding a bit of moisture to salt and letting the flavor infuse.

3) Citrus zest is perfect. Just the right amount of moisture, good color and a lot of flavor. It's also a great way to use leftover zest or fruit -- just use your microplane to add some to salt in a small dish.

How to make your own flavored salt? Put 1/4 cup of kosher salt or fleur de sel in a small dish. Add 1-2 tsp of fresh herb or citrus zest and mix. Put the flavored salt in a small jar or bottle and use as needed. If you're using a salt grinder, you can add dried herbs and zest (like dried orange peel) to your rock salt for a bit of added flavor. (I have one grinder with a dried lemon peel and thyme.)

As you see more gourmet salts (like pink and black) hitting the market, play around with them! Some will have smokier or more mineral flavors pairing better with herbs. You can also find the small spice jars at places like Cost Plus World Market which are great for storing salts for use.