If you follow this blog or live in the Chicago-area, you may be familiar with an incredible food competition that Beyond the Shaker participated in on March 26, 2010 called “Odd Pairs“. We previously wrote about our culinary entry into Odd Pairs, but as a short recap, the event is sponsored by two local food companies, Bean & Body and Crop to Cup with the intent to match small midwest food companies (restaurants, suppliers, caterers, etc.) with each other to create a signature odd pair dish. Past combinations included Pre-Season Croatian Olive Oil from our friends at Fino Products paired with rich handmade vanilla ice cream from Nice Cream in Chicago. Sounds odd, eh? Well it tasted unbelievably great. This is the type of pairs that are unexpected and yet yield a delicious result, and it is exactly what the Odd Pairs evening is all about (ok, there is usually music and other stuff too, but the primary purpose is food).

The competition in the latest iteration of Odd Pairs this Spring 2010 was crazy-good (and I am not just saying that because we won – nice try though!). The participants included Ineeka Tea (Dearest Ineeka, love your tea. And your new tea beer product. Sincerely, Beyond the Shaker. PS, also dig your website), Glazed Donuts Chicago (name says it all – in Homer Simpson voice, “mmmm…donuts”), Swim Cafe (wonderfully original food), Das Foods (caramels and some stellar suckers), Great Taste Cafe (socially conscious and inventive – Beyond the Shaker is doing a salt tasting with them in April, so look out for it), Ginger Bliss (amazing ginger sodas), Goose Island (internationally known, Chicago-based brewery) and L2O Restaurant (nationally acclaimed, cutting-edge food featured on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations.”

See?! I wasn’t virtually (metaphorically) pulling your leg when I said there were some heavy hitters of the Chicago culinary scene at this event. And Beyond the Shaker was fortunate enough to be paired with FIG Catering, a Chicago-area caterer that I really cannot say enough about….our contact at FIG was Molly, and her creativity and ability to build flavor seems almost limitless. She is the brilliantly deranged inventor of our Odd Pairs entry- Beyond the Shaker salt infused, savory marshmallow croutons to be floated in a silky spring time carrot soup.

The trio of marshmallows included roasted garlic shallot (with Beyond the Shaker Garlic Shallot blend), ginger wasabi lemongrass (with our floral Everest Wet Salt), and bacon fumee de sel (with our Fumee De Sel)…uh, yeah, bacon marshmallows. In my informal observations, I think the bacon infused with smoked salt was the most popular marshmallow for people to try, but the Everest Wet marshmallow was the crowd favorite. People seemed to be drawn to it because the salty ginger and lemongrass paired so well with the springtime carrot soup.

Anyway, at the end of the night, after probably dishing out 100+ servings of this creation, Beyond the Shaker and FIG were announced as the favorite and awarded the highly coveted “Tastemaker” award. The judge was a personal favorite of mine, Cleetus Friedman from City Provisions in Chicago (and a former Odd Pairs Tastemaker). Yes, Beyond the Shaker is a Tastemaker and that is why I have that goofy smile in the picture above (goofier than normal at least). Fun evening and of course we thank everyone that screamed their hearts out for our Odd Pair. If you can get an invite to the next iteration of this event, you should beg and plead, as it is truly one not to be missed.

As a final note, to top it ALL off, we heard an amazing Russian folk choir (Golosa) at Odd Pairs, which just fit in perfectly with the night. These guys and gals are sure into their art, and it shows with incredible vocal expression. Great stuff.

We are forced to ask the question, is the culinary world ready for savory, salted, marshmallows? This quandary arises as a result of Beyond the Shaker’s invitation to participate in Odd Pairs, a Chicago-based food competition. Odd Pairs brings together some of the most exciting, small scale, food producers in the Midwest by pairing them together with the goal to develop a single culinary dish that highlights, in an ‘odd’ way, the culinary specialities of each participant. The invite-only event is attended by restauranteurs, food bloggers, chefs, and other culinary folk in the regional food industry. The upcoming Odd Pairs event is on March 26th from 7-9pm with a special media/VIP mixer at 6pm at 2023 West Carroll Avenue, Suite 401, in Chicago.

Some of the participants in March will be Ineeka Teas, Das Foods, Goose Island Brewery, Fig Catering, and of course, Beyond the Shaker. At the end of the evening one team is awarded the coveted Tastemaker prize for having the most popular Odd Pair. During the October 2009 Odd Pairs, NBC Chicago’s DC Crenshaw was one of the celebrity judges.

Odd Pairs is hosted by two amazing Chicago companies, both of which are friends and business-mentors to Beyond the Shaker, Crop to Cup and Bean and Body. Previous menu items from the event included Smoke Brisket Slider with Fig Earl Grey Preserves (from Goddess and Grocer & Rare Bird Preserves) and Black Bean and Banana Empanada with Blood Orange Infused Olive Oil (from Simone’s and Sonoma Farms).

So what the heck does all this have to do with savory, salted, marshmallows? WELL, Beyond the Shaker was fortunate enough to be paired with FIG Catering and its wickedly brilliant Chef Molly. During our first brainstorming event, Molly uttered two words that might forever change how we view that fluffy little white confection – “SAVORY MARSHMALLOW.” There was no denying that this was certainly an odd pair; marshmallows in their natural state are the furthest from the savory as could be imagined. It was suggested that a successful odd pair would be one that captures the imagination by flagrantly defying expectations. In this way, we are expanding the culinary diction by forcing a break in the bounds of what can (and should) be combined to produce a tasty food item.

I met with Molly last week after she had a chance to explore some of the most popular Beyond the Shaker salts in the comfort of the FIG Catering kitchen, and WOW did she push the envelope. Although I had a dinner later in the evening, Molly slapped around my culinary expectations with savory marshmallows each made from avocados, garlic, tomato and ginger. Purely because we could, Molly also decided to torch the heck out of a avocado marshmallow to discover what flavors would emerge (as you can see, we did not have fire safety in mind as a first priority when this was done on a wood table, but it was all in the name of righteous flavor so that made it OK).

We also tried some delicious spiced aztec hot cocoa with a Hot Habanero Salted Marshmallow and freshly fried tortilla chips (seen in the picture above). But the overall winner was this amazing organic carrot soup that Chef Molly concocted. To this we added several different savory marshmallows based on the flavors that harmonized with the soup. The savory marshmallows would melt as they were stirred into the soup creating a creamy explosion of salt and yum (get your mind out of the gutter). Our goal in this tasting session was to derive a single menu item for the upcoming Odd Pairs event, and it was clear to us that a combination of organic carrot soup and savory, salted, marshmallows was the ticket. Our offering would include three different types of flavored marshmallow to allow the taster to experiment with the delectable culinary options.

And so, our final menu item is as follows:

Organic Springtime Carrot Soup With Trio of Savory, Salted Micro-Marshmallow Accoutrements including, Roasted Garlic Shallot Salted Marshmallow (based on the Beyond the Shaker Garlic Shallot Salt), Ginger Wasabi Lemongrass Salted Marshmallow (based on the Everest Wet Salt), and Smokey Bacon Fumee de Sel Marshmallow (based on our Fumee de Sel).

We are incredibly excited about this event, and will keep you updated as preparations continue as we take Odd Pairs by storm.

I don’t always have time to prepare an exquisite, gourmet meal during the week. But I do love to eat and frozen pizza doesn’t always do it for me.  Although I love fresh produce (see here and here), I often rely on frozen ingredients for quick, easy meals.  One of my favorite freezer staples is individually vacuum sealed fish fillets.  Now, stop right there gourmet critics/snobs.  I know fresh fish looks better, tastes better and probably is better for me and the environment.  And I strive to do better with my food choices, diet, carbon footprint and sustainability contribution.  But sometimes life gets in the way and I still need to eat.

Here is my favorite, 15 minute gourmet, weeknight meal: Citrus Basil Tilapia with Sauteed Broccoli (or other frozen green vegetable).  Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil.  Defrost two frozen tilapia fillets.  On one small plate, pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (I prefer local or organic dairy products-yummy).  On another small plate, combine bread crumbs with Citrus Basil salt.  I use a ratio of about 3 parts breadcrumbs to one part salt, but you should combine to taste.   Dip the tilapia fillet in the milk, followed by the Citrus Basil breadcrumb mixture, and lay on the tin foil lined baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining tilapia fillet.  Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

While the fish is baking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan.  When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add frozen broccoli or green vegetable of your choice.  Cook until heated through, but not soggy.  This should take no longer than the fish.  I like to season with Garlic-Shallot, but French Herb, Herb Garden and Chef’s Blend are all great options.

Voila, dinner is served.  Sometimes I add rice or a green salad, but often fish and veggies is plenty for a healthy, quick meal.

Mmm, brussels sprouts (not brussel sprouts, as thought by many). This poor vegetable is loathed by millions of children who are forced to choke it down before being rewarded with dessert. But this disrespected member of the cabbage family has recently been updated to celebrity status. Instead of an overly boiled staple served with equally overcooked pot roast, brussels sprouts are experiencing a renaissance.  Take, for example, Iron Chef Michael Symon and his new Detroit restaurant, Roast.  I could go on and on about the virtues of this fantastic, meat-centered restaurant, but this post is about the vegetables.  One of the non-meat stars on Chef Symon’s menu is the fried brussels sprouts side dish.  Deliciously crispy and slightly sweet, these crispy treats are well salted, almost like mini-cabbage fries. 

I experienced my rebirth with brussels sprouts last Thanksgiving.  The grocery store featured brussels sprouts on the stalk, and I couldn’t resist this cool looking veggies.  After exhaustive research, I settled on a recipe that combined sauteed bacon, apple cider vinegar and shredded brussels sprouts.  The salty bacon, combined with the sweet, cabbagey brussels sprouts and the tart and tangy cider vinegar…this will be a new, permanent fixture on the Thanksgiving table.  But after Thanksgiving, I forgot about brussels sprouts.  Until two weeks ago.

While strolling through the Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning, there they were.  These perfect, tiny, green orbs.  They were much smaller than the fall brussels sprouts, but they looked equally delicious.  And a wonderful sauteed brussels sprout dish sounded like a great compliment to pork or chicken off the grill.  I took my precious little globes of goodness home with me to experiment.

First up, sauteed.  I couldn’t resist the lure of bacon.  The bacon/brussels sprouts combination is so enticing.  Chop two to three slices of bacon and cook until the fat has melted and the resulting bacon bits are crispy.  Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.  Start by chopping off the ends, then slicing the brussels sprouts in half from top to bottom.   Lay the brussels sprouts cut side down in the pan with the bacon fat, adding olive oil if there is not enough bacon fat left for all the sprouts, and cook for three to five minutes, until the cut sides are brown and beginning to carmelize.   At this point, I season generously with one of the milder salts.  For me, Murray River is the go to.  I love the light, flaky, texture and perfect salt flavor.  It melts quickly into a dish and isn’t overpowering. Add about a cup of water to the pan, cover and cook until the brussels sprouts are tender to the tooth, but not mushy.  At this point, I uncover the pan to let the rest of the water boil away, add the bacon bits back in and quickly splash of about a tablespoon of apple cider in the pan, tossing the sprouts to coat.  Finish with more Murray River or Garlic Shallot for a little extra crunch (Bolivian Rose provides a delicious crunch, too!)  This is such a tasty side dish, my mouth is watering.

The following week, I wanted to try something different.  Both Ina Garten and Mark Bittman’s How to Eat Everything have roasted brussels sprouts recipe.  Roasting is very simple and requires less attention than sauteing.  This time, I started with olive oil in an oven proof pan, and again laid my brussels sprouts cut side down in the pan for three to five minutes.  Once they started to carmelize, I added about five cloves of garlic and put the pan in the oven at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes.  Your cooking time will vary tremendously based on the size of the brussels sprouts, but the goal is dark and crispy on the outside, tender and delicious on the inside.  Salt generously with a Beyond the Shaker salt that compliments the crunch; I like Himalayan Pink or peppery Chef’s Blend.  For a salty, smoky treat, Alderwood Smoke is a fantastic choice or you can spice them up with Hot Habanero.  You can dress this dish up a little with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar, but they are truly perfect just simple and salty.

One of my culinary obsessions (besides salt!) is the Farmers’ Market.  The bounty of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats inspires me to get in the kitchen and experiment with new ingredients. Vegetables that I ordinarily find less than appealing call out to me as they sit in large piles, overflowing the folding tables at our local Farmer’s Market. One of the vegetables that I ordinarily eschew on my plate is zucchini. Typically, zucchini is part of some mixed vegetable medley served by a restaurant that doesn’t particularly care about its vegetable side dish. This zucchini sits limply and blandly next to a delicious protein that has been lovingly crafted by a caring kitchen staff. Then the vegetables, as an afterthought, are steamed, seasoned with a few dried flakes of thyme and shipped off to my plate, to be pushed aside for the food I actually want to eat. The lack of seasoning combined with a mushy, watery texture…ugh, zucchini.

      Yet somehow I forget all of this when I see the beautiful, green zucchini recently harvested by a favorite local farmer. Suddenly zucchini looks appetizing and enticing, and I must buy several of them because how can I live without zucchini?!?! Then I get home, unload my bags and survey the results. Wait, zucchini? I don’t even like zucchini. What was I thinking? Okay, deep breath.  Time for a pep talk:  you are a fairly competent home cook…it’s just a vegetable..you know how to make it delicious. Just because some restaurant steams it to death doesn’t mean I have to treat it with such disrespect.

    With trepidation, I slice the zucchini into rounds and cut it into quarters. Tasting it raw, I realize this is a delicious, crunchy, slightly sweet vegetable that has suffered an injustice at the hands of the ubiquitous vegetable medley. Now, it is up to me to remedy this travesty and treat this lovely green squash with respect and admiration. I heat some olive oil with fresh, minced garlic and added about two teaspoons of Garlic Shallot Salt. I let a little of the salt dissolve in the oil, but there were still plenty of salt crystals remaining to add the crunch I desired. Once the oil reaches a nice temperature where the garlic was sautéing, but not burning, I add the zucchini and sautée it for about five minutes. I wanted to retain the crunchy texture, but still infuse it with the garlic, salty goodness. During the last minute of cooking, I added about two teaspoons of butter, a little more Garlic Shallot Salt for good measure and a few sprinkles of fresh thyme from my garden. The result? A glorious vegetable side dish with little resemblance  to the mushy abomindation I knew as zucchini.

     This zucchini tasted fresh and firm, with a little extra crunch from the Garlic Shallot Salt and a smooth, succulent mouth feel from the butter. I am converted. Bring on the zucchini! Since that first experiment, I have followed the same cooking method described above with French Herb Garden instead of Garlic Shallot Salt. Reserve all of the salt for finishing the dish rather than adding some at the beginning of the cooking process. The thyme, lavender, rosemary and black truffle add a tremendous earthiness to the zucchini. This side dish is delicious with simple broiled fish or grill pork chops.  This cooking method has served me well during a summer of zucchini.  I’m so happy there is still time left in the zucchini season; I have more salts to try!

So simple and yet so yummy – that is the philosophy behind this uber-flavorful lunch recipe that really requires very little time or effort. The trick of course is the use of Beyond the Shaker Garlic Shallot salt with its organic garlic and shallot which adds a pungent zing to the sandwich and also a delightful textural element with the crunch of salinity.

There is one special piece of hardware you need for this sandwich, which is a panini press. These are sold at Target, Walmart, or just about any other major home store or you can get one on Amazon (this is the one we use).

Your other option is to just skip the special hardware and use a two skillet method whereby you have the sandwich in a buttered pan on the stove, and then you heat the bottom of another skillet which you use as your ‘press’ on top of the sandwich. Make sure to put a little butter on the top of the sandwich too before you apply the other skillet (see why an actual panini maker is easier!?!?).

The ingredients for this sandwich include:

1 tablespoon of Garlic Shallot (you can add more to taste)
2 slices of your favorite mild cheese (we used swiss for its nutty flavor)
4-6 leaves of spinach
2 leaves of arugula (you can use any lettuce really, but we like the slight spice of arugula)
1 piece of flat bread (really any type of flat pita works)
3 slices of turkey lunch meat (obviously you can skip this if you want or try another protein)

To make this sandwich all you do is place your ingredients in the bread (on one side) top with the sprinkle of Garlic Shallot, fold the bread over, and place it in your pre-heated panini maker (we used the ‘high’ setting because we were dang hungry at the time). Check the sandwich often as you want to stop cooking it when the cheese begins to hint at melting out of the bread – about 5 minutes of total cook time. We then waited a minute for the cheese to cool before we cut the sandwich into strips. The Garlic Shallot infuses all the ingredients with an amazing flavor, and the salts retain their crunchy texture which is a delightful treat as you mow through this sandwich. Enjoy!

Foodies love to predict trends for the upcoming year – what chefs will serve in their restaurants, what the masses will cook at home. For the last decade, one trend continues: globalization and variety. Americans are becoming more adventurous and embracing cuisines from around the world. They are experimenting with exotic produce, fish, spices and seasonings at home. 2009 sees the increasing use of spices and seasonings inspired by international cuisine to bring some variety to our daily meals.

Try the following exotic blends and wet salts from Beyond the Shaker to shake things up!
-Hot Habanero Blend: Bring the flavors of Mexico to your kitchen with this blend that includes several types of chilis (including habanero) and cilantro for a burst of heat and flavor. Use of Hawaiian Black Lava and Red Alaea salts bring bountiful salinity, incredible texture, and a radiant color to the blend. Try it on snapper, chicken, tacos, salsa and more.
-Citrus Basil Blend: G’day mate! This blend uses Murray River salt and lemon myrtle, both hailing from Australia.  Combined with other organic citrus ingredients, this blend tastes great on chicken or any grilled white fish.
-French Herb Blend: Combining the best of France’s herbs from the Provence region (rosemary, thyme, basil, and lavender) with truffles and Fleur de Sel, recreate romantic cuisines with these timeless flavors reminiscent of the foods found on the coastline of France. Great on sole, poultry and in butter sauces. Put on your apron and channel your inner Julia Child.
-Everest Wet Salt: Using Himalayan Pink Salt, kafir leaves, lemongrass and wasabi, get a taste of Asia with this wet blend.  Great for lightly seasoning sushi fish, ahi tuna or even poultry, get ready to climb to new heights with your dining experience!

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!