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!

My friend Steve makes a hell heck of a good great chicken on the BBQ grill. His secret is something I have seen on TV many times, but never in person. An open beer (in the can) is used as a stand for a whole chicken, and the chicken then sits on this little hops-filled throne while cooked in a gas or charcoal grill. Steve swears he has tried every beer under the sun, and the cheaper beers work the best as long as they are not the ‘lite’ or even ‘light’ version. Of course the beer not only works as a way to secure the chicken in an upright position, but it also provides steam and flavor that permeates the chicken.

Recently Steve made his famous whole chicken for me using Chef’s Blend as a rub for the outside of the bird prior to grilling. He cleaned the entire chicken first, then hand dried it, rubbed it with olive oil and liberally applied Chef’s Blend to the chicken’s skin (more than just at typical rub, he actually applied force as he pressed the Chef’s Blend onto the outside of the chicken). He then opened a can of a beer I only thought was available at ball parks, took a swig, and sat the whole chicken on the beer in an upright position. This whole set-up then was placed in a pre-heated grill to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. Obviously your time may vary based on the heat of your grill and size of your bird, but the goal is to have a very crisp skin and of course cook the chicken entirely through (always take care to make sure chicken is properly cooked). The steam from the beer kept the chicken very moist as it cooked away. Steve checked on it periodically, but mostly left the chicken alone as to keep the steam inside the bbq to work its tasty magic.

Once the chicken was done, he pulled it out and let it ‘rest’ for another 10 minutes with a bit of aluminum foil draped over the top to keep the heat focused on the bird. He then carefully pulled the chicken off the top of the beer can and threw the can away (it had served its purpose, but take care that when you do this at home you are mindful the beer in the can is still boiling hot). Once we carved into the chicken it was clear that this method was brilliant since everything bit was moist and full of flavor. The crispy skin melted in your mouth with the taste of the Chef’s Blend adding a salty/spicy kick.

As a side course, Steve paired some potatoes which were prepared with Windy City Celery salt to boost the terrific flavor. The recipe was easy — cut up Yukon Gold potatoes and put them on tinfoil. Splash on some olive oil, butter, parsley and Windy City Celery salt. Throw this whole thing on the grill. Remove when the outside of the potatoes become crispy and remember to reposition the potato pieces often to have them cook evenly. Delicious and easy.

Anyway, Steve showed me once again that a fantastic meal does not require a lot of time, ingredients or even special skills. Having the right salts on hand makes a huge difference and transformed this dinner from good to absolutely amazing. We are anxious to explore more of the ‘beer can’ method and welcome your comments/experience notes.

Salt and summer. Sunny weekend afternoons. And summer drinks, of course. It just all goes together perfectly. For me (and my statistically insignificant and 100% unscientific poll indicates most people in this world feel the same way), the quintessential summer drink is the tangy margarita (on the rocks) with a salt crusted rim. The salt balances out the bitter tartness of the lemon and lime in the margarita, and provides the perfect refreshing flavor, especially on steamy hot days. Interestingly, sodium is an essential nutrient that is lost when we sweat (here is an article from a website for runners that sums up how it all works). In fact, if you look at most exercise drinks, they contain higher than expected sodium content as part of the ‘secret recipe’ that helps athletes regain electrolytes lost during strenuous activity.

Why this background is at all interesting to us, the informed and hungry salt consumer, is simply a question of the manner in which the margarita evolved to its in enlightened state for which we now get to enjoy it. How did this seemingly perfect drink take the prescribed format we have come to expect? Perhaps the margarita is so delicious and refreshing during hot summer months because this is when our bodies physically crave salt the most. It is said that some deep wired parts of the ancient human brain developed to instinctually drive us to consume items that our bodies require to stay healthy (or alive). Our own evolution allowed the reinforcement of this survival instinct by rewarding us with a pleasurable experience when we eat/drink something that keeps our bodies working in good order. Of course I have no idea if this is the actual reason behind why margaritas taste so dang amazing, but it is fun to theorize a mind/body justification for why we love them so much.

Margaritas are really the beginning of the ‘rimmer’ craze. Restaurants and bars have gone into overdrive offering different sugar, salt, and even chocolate options for every drink you can imagine. And we are rewarded with tasty combinations that add further complexity to those cocktails we already know and love. The term ‘rimmer’ makes complete descriptive sense and yet, simultaneously, I think we can all agree it is also an unfortunate name. Really I do not have a better option (yet), and I doubt I have much sway with the rimmer/bar/restaurant terminology community anyway, so RIMMER it is!

The picture above is from a beautiful new patio bar in Chicago at the Trump Tower called “16″ (it is on the 16th floor of the building). This is a play on the classic margarita with a touch of coconut flavored rum.  But the real excitement is on the rim, as it is crusted in a mixture of fleur de sel and dried flaked coconut.  The blend draws out all of the flavors in the drink and leaves a wonderfully refreshing after taste. Drinks that we have been enjoying this summer with Beyond the Shaker salts include strawberry daiquiris with a Citrus Basil rimmer and Bloody Mary’s with Hot Habenero or Windy City Celery along the rim.

It appears that rimmers are here to stay, and although the term is slightly strange, the resulting flavor is not to be ignored. We love this rimmer trend, and we plan to continue to push the envelope with matching great drinks with Beyond the Shaker premium gourmet salts and blends.

Sitting here writing up a new recipe for the use of our Herb Garden Blend in a salt bake application, I got to thinking about the ‘recipe’ as its own genre of writing in literature. The purists in the crowd are probably rolling their eyes, but seriously, why don’t we think of recipes in a different light? Maybe it is because these are directions or instructions, like assembly of child’s bike or setting up some software on a computer. But then that begs the question, why do we even hold these writings in such low regard?

Perhaps I look at the mere recipe differently now that I have written and collaborated on so many, but really, any guide, instructions, directions, FAQ, or other ‘documentation’ contains at least a modicum of creativity which may be of interest to the wayward reader. Will I ever curl up on cool fall evening with the instruction manual for my Pro-Shox treadmill? I cannot really envision this situation, but perhaps if the manual was written in a different way, or there was some extrinsic entertainment value outside of just instructing me on how to tighten the treadmill belt…then maybe I would be more inclined to reach for this particular ‘book’. Simply writing these recipes has taught me that the author must be cognizant of the purpose behind the recipe, which then of course influences the approach toward the task. If my entire goal is to clearly describe for another person how to use several ingredients to create one final unified product, than that is of course completely different from an aim of entertaining the reader. During the recipe writing process, I am also thinking about my audience, and what they hope to gain from reading this recipe. More often than not, when compiling these recipes, I find myself writing for the reader, which is a departure from my own personal creative writing process.

Anyway, I do believe there is more here, and it will become increasingly clear as I draft, edit, revise and complete more recipes. For now, I am simply struck by the fact that until this point in time, I never thought of the recipe (or any directions or manual, for that matter) as anything more than a means to an end. Do A, B, C and D, then you end up with Z. Personally, the act of performing A, B, C and D, always had plenty of entertainment value, and maybe this is why I enjoy shows like “How it is Made” that highlight the steps of creation. Methodology and process are critical to the art, but they seem to be lost when we only focus on the final product. Half the fun of cooking and the discovery of a hobby-chef in the kitchen is about the process. Heck, the truth is most people reading this blog or purchasing Beyond the Shaker premium gourmet salts, probably do not have to cook their meals to survive, but instead could just buy already prepared food. We cook at home and for other people because of something more than just mere sustenance and survival.

So what was once just a rote, almost numerical equation, becomes a trip through possibilities, adventure, success and sometimes failure. And we cook more, refine our process, educate ourselves, and hopefully improve. Along the way we learn not only about cooking, but about creation and we derive some entertainment from the whole of it. At least that is the goal.

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!

A friend of mine has a serious love affair with turkey–not the country, but the poultry.  She just can’t get enough of it.  Delicious, nutritious, and available–what more could a girl ask for, really?

She told me, though, that she wishes she could relish in “Thanksgiving Turkey” more than just once a year, but that she just doesn’t have the time or the determination to spend days slaving over a whole, roasted turkey.  And can you blame her?  Most of us grew up watching the trials and tribulations of a holiday turkey dinner our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles suffered year after year: the undercooked bird, the overcooked bird, the near-tragic deep fryer mishap, the sloppy brine bucket.  Why would anyone want to take  on that kind of trauma?

Well, because it at the end of the day, it really is delicious.   And comforting, too.  So I decided to help my friend out and find an everyday, easy version of Thanksgiving turkey–that’s what friends are for!

It didn’t take me long to find this recipe.  What attracted me most to it was 1)the very simple ingredient list, 2) the fact that it didn’t involve a whole turkey but rather turkey breast (which is about 10x more manageable that a big, ol’ bird), and 3) a brine!

Brines are flavor-infusing, juiciness-producing, culinary assistants, and giving your turkey (or other proteins) a nice, long bath in a brine will ensure the utmost tastiness in your dish.

So I sent it along to my friend, and she gave it a whirl.  The result?  Pure joy.  It’s so easy and delicious, that she makes it on a weekly basis.  I gave her a fun little tip, though.  Brines usually call for a hefty amount of salt, so why not experiment?  Throw some blended salt into the mix to try out different flavors.  Fumee De Sel for a rich smokey flavor,  Hickory Maple for a sweet, barbecue-like flavor, or even Citrus Basil for something innovative and fresh.  Or try a large granule Pure Foundation salt like Himalayan Pink. As always, the flavor possibilities are endless, and it keeps that turkey dinner exciting and new.

Needless to say, my friend is forever thankful for the advice (and so are her tastebuds!).  Now she can have stress-free, flavorful turkey whenever her little heart desires it.  Gosh, helping people reach their culinary dreams can be so satisfying!

Last night we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the Traverse City area – Trattoria Stella, and the star appetizer (and perhaps the overall favorite of the evening), were these perfectly seared bay scallops. Prior to them being devoured by the hungry diners, I snapped a picture of them with my iPhone. Putting aside that the camera on the phone really does not do these delectable little morsels justice, hopefully the incredible seared tops of each scallop can be seen.

The trick, to the flavor and marvelous color was apparent from the first bite – salt. Specifically, my guess was the use of a mineral rich flake salt, like our Sel Gris, and then searing on one side with lots of butter. What we all enjoyed the most was the salty crust that formed on the seared top of the scallop. The trend in cooking scallops seems to be to undercook them, which most likely stems from a fear of overcooking them into rubbery little pucks.

However, the chef found absolutely the ideal sear – a delicate crispy crust of salty-buttery goodness. When we cook scallops at home, we usually flip them over halfway through the cooking process, but that is more a reflection of our amateur chef status than the ideal cook method. The scallops at Stella’s restaurant were only seared on one side, which really made for the ideal crust.

We have tried, with our Salt Chef, using the Truffle Wet Salt and the Chanterelle Vanilla on seared scallops with tremendous success. The flavor profiles of these salts matches well with the briny seafood taste. In terms of usage, we found that the the Truffle Wet can be applied prior to searing the scallops, but the Chanterelle Vanilla is better as a finishing salt added to the tops of the scallops just prior to serving. Either way, we encourage everyone to give scallops a shot in your own kitchen – since they really are not that hard to prepare, especially when you use the right salts!

I just made the most fabulous chili using Beyond the Shaker’s Hot Habanero Blend! And it’s healthy too..if you are on Weight Watchers and using the point system there are only 6 points per cup if you follow the recipe. It’s called Nick’s Chili because my Dad came up with the original.

Nick’s Chili

Saute together in 2 tablespoons of olive oil: 4 large onions (diced), one red pepper (diced) and 6 stalks of celery (sliced). Saute them until they are translucent–about 15-20 minutes. Add a little of the Beyond the Shaker Chef’s Blend (a tantalizing mix of the finest unrefined salts blended with several types of cracked pepper) while they are cooking –be conservative with the salinity now because you will be adding more later (she says with a salty grin)…

Add 3 pounds of ground turkey and break it up in the pot until it is in small pieces and cooked through.

Add two large cans of whole tomatoes that you have roughly chopped plus the juice from the can.

Add one can of beer and simmer for one and a half hours (don’t cheat! Time is key here so the flavors can mix and mingle).

Now for the magic! Add between 2 teaspoons (for mild) up to what ever you think you can stand of the Beyond the Shaker Hot Habanero Blend! The flavor, color and texture of this salt really takes a great Chili recipe to the next level…

Add about 3/4 cup of salsa –medium or hot

Add two drained and rinsed cans of kidney beans.

This chili can be topped with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped olives or crushed Fritos–just remember to count those points too!

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!