"A Spoon Full of Citrus Basil Helps the Tequila Go Down..."

Seems like you can’t turn the TV on without seeing a highly-exuberant chef taking a blow torch or dry ice to their food in attempt to create the next best freaky fare.  This is all done in the name of molecular gastronomy, the science meets art meets food movement that is quite hot among chefs and restaurateurs these days.

Some may be a little cynical about this movement, preferring their potatoes mashed and not freeze dried and chiseled into flakes.  Hey, I may even be one of those cynics—but when it comes to booze, these molecular gastronomy folks know what’s up.

No bad day is immune to the healing powers of a good margarita, and if you are lucky enough to have an excellent margarita, well, those can pretty much prevent a bad day from happening anytime soon.

That’s why when I heard about these crazy little concoctions from world-renowned chef Ferran Adria, as mentioned in A Day at ElBulli, his impressive book that chronicles the life and times of his famous restaurant in Northern Spain that quite possibly started the entire science-art-food scene, I couldn’t help but drool a little: Margarita with Salt Foam.

Yes.  Salt foam.

It doesn’t get more magical than that.

The ingredients for the foam are really simple, too.  Well, provided that you have Lecite on hand.  Chances are you don’t, though, and that you’ve never heard of it—I certainly hadn’t.  It’s an emulsifier, and you can get it online.  www.tienda.com calls it “A natural soy lecithin-based emulsifier, ideal for making airs.”  Making airs?!  At a little less than 60 bucks for about 10 grams of the powder, it’s really up to you if making airs is important to your margarita.

At the very least, it’s worth a try.  And it can be used for other types of situations where you want to turn any sort of watery substance into an airy substance.  I’m on a mission to seek out those other types of situations.

Back to the salt foam, here are the ingredients:

250 g water
35 g unrefined salt (try our Murray River or Sel Gris)
1 g Lecite

And yes, you’ll want to definitely measure these quantities out.  Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl with a hand mixer, and watch the foam form.  Scoop it up with a spoon, dollop on your drink, and voila—one serious margarita.

So light, so perfectly salty, so airy!  Who ever thought “making airs” could be so tasty?

BUT in case this prep work is too much work for you, we would highly suggest just skipping the foam, and instead try our Citrus Basil salt on the rim of your margarita glass. Just use a slice of lime to coat the edge of the glass, and then in a shallow dish run the edge through a heaping spoonful of Citrus Basil. Pour in your margarita and get ready for some SERIOUS flavor!

Garlic Shallot Rocks it Out On Popcorn

Does anything inspire more awe than the humble little corn kernel that pops into a delicious snack with the help of  heat?  I just think it’s one of earth’s greatest (and tastiest) snacks (it isn’t half bad for your health either)!

Let’s be honest, though–what makes popcorn really delicious is the salt.  But don’t even think about grabbing a salt shaker of commercial-grade table salt to use on these precious little gifts of yummy flavor.  A snack like popcorn deserves better than that!

Try one of Beyond the Shaker’s premium gourmet salts on your next batch of popcorn with a bit of melted butter to help it stick.  I promise you will not be disappointed.  Here are some of my favorites for popcorn:

• Citrus Basil.  It’s pretty much perfect in every way as the deep tones of citrus combine with unrefined sea salt and a touch of basil, for a light, crisp flavor.
• Windy City Celery.  Organic mustard seed, jalapeno, and natural sea salt really bring the best out of popcorn.  Delicious!
• Chef’s Blend.  A little unrefined salt, a little gourmet pepper, a lot of taste.
• Garlic Shallot.  Ah, YUM!  Beautiful tangy earth tones practically leap into your mouth as the zip of organic garlic and shallot mix with gorgeous salinity.  Need I say more?

So grab your kernels, a little oil, a pot and pop away.  Marvel at the wonder of popcorn, and sprinkle on some Beyond the Shaker salts.  Enjoy!