the complete guide to cooking with gourmet salts - the new … · 2014-09-01 · the complete guide...

The Complete Guide to Cooking with Gourmet Salts

• Easy & Delicious Recipes

• Over 100 Fast Tips!

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The Complete Guide to Cooking with Gourmet Salts Guide

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Hot Habanero Salt

• Mexican-style seafood marinade (add the blend to lime juice and toss in a ziplock bag with firm fish or shrimp)

• Sprinkle on the top of crab cakes (for extra flavor add bell pepper to a traditional crab cake recipe)

• South of the Border Salad (mix blend with lettuce, diced avocado, green onion, romano cheese, refried beans, a squeeze of lime and a touch of vinegar)

• Mexican-style barbeque sauce or rub • Tamales (add to dough mixture or cheese filling) • Rim the glass of a frozen lime margarita • Sprinkle on baked chicken breast just prior to serving • Add to cream cheese and generously spoon onto baked potatoes • Mixed into traditional Mexican rice • Dust over homemade nachos • Add to the top of cream of cauliflower soup with a drizzle of olive oil • Spicy compound butter (combine salt with softened butter and chill

for later use on crusty toasted bread or with grilled vegetables) • Huevos rancheros (combine salt blend with chopped tomatoes and

garlic, and puree in blender until smooth. Simmer in sauce pan that includes cooked onions. Fry eggs in a separate pan and plate the cooked eggs over the tomato mixture for serving)

HOT HABANERO CHICKEN TACOS

This is a super simple recipe and it really highlights the power of the Beyond the Shaker Hot Habenero Salt to add a kick of spice plus some tantalizing color and texture to almost any meal. The black lava salt in the Hot Habanero stands up well to liquid and heat, and so it retains a bit of its crunchiness throughout the cooking process. We guarantee this dish will put a smile on your face as the aroma waifs through your kitchen. COOKWARE YOU WILL NEED

• One non-stick large sauté pan • Wood spoon or heat resistant spatula

INGREDIENTS

• 3 to 4 generous tablespoons of Beyond the Shaker's Hot Habanero Salt • 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil for cooking, preferably vegetable or canola (you can also use

substitute butter to give your chicken a richer flavor) • 1 fresh green bell pepper seeded and trimmed, julienne sliced (basically in strips) • 1 fresh red bell pepper seeded and trimmed, julienne sliced • 1 medium sweet onion, diced (into little cubes) • 1 small lime (seeded) • 1 tablespoon of white vinegar • 2 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into even-sized strips (you

want them to finish cooking at the same time) • 1 packet of your favorite soft or hard taco shells • As many fun toppings as you can think of to add to your tacos

DIRECTIONS

1. Using the large sauté pan add the oil (or butter), peppers and onions, sauté on medium-high heat until translucent (we like to add the onions first to an already hot pan, let them cook for 30 seconds or so, and then add the peppers).

2. Add chicken and vinegar (this heightens the tangy flavors) to the pan, and when chicken is almost fully cooked (most pieces should be white all the way through...feel free to cheat and take a piece out of the pan to test), evenly spread the Hot Habanero Salt through out the pan to really add the knock-out blow to your tacos.

3. At this point lower the heat and allow the Hot Habanero-goodness to seep into the entire dish (about another two minutes or so). Keep stirring as not to allow the chicken to become too dry.

4. Right before you are done cooking, squeeze the lime juice into the pan. Put your taco shells in a pre-heated 400 degree oven on a baking sheet for 1-2 minutes (be careful as not to 'cook' the shells...you just want to toast/warm them).

SERVING SUGGESTIONS Have any number of fun toppings waiting for your tacos to be built in an assembly-line fashion with the shells first, then the Hot Habanero Chicken, followed by, refried beans, sour cream (substitute plain non-fat yogurt if you would like), corn cut from the cob, finely shredded cheese (try a crumbled blue cheese for something different), lettuce, diced tomatoes, or anything else you can think of. Don't worry...the Hot Habanero flavor will shine through no matter what toppings you throw at it!



Citrus Basil Salt

• In the cavities of seeded tomatoes with olive oil (try cold or baked until soft) • Sprinkled on smooth skin melon, like honeydew or with juicy watermelon • On the freshly sautéed soft-shell crabs • In a brining mixture for chicken or fish steaks (1/2 cup of Citrus Basil, 1/4 cup

of white sugar and 6 cups of water) • Sprinkled on a vinegar-based coleslaw • Atop a potato and gruyere cheese gratin • Added to creamy artichoke dip • Mixed with olive oil and drizzled over steamy pasta • Sprinkled on deveined shrimp prior to grilling • On steamed cauliflower or broccoli • As a finishing touch to steamed white asparagus • In gingerbread or ginger cookies • On fried smelt or perch • Add to sliced brussel sprouts and olive oil prior to roasting • On sliced and well matured McIntosh or Golden Delicious apples • Atop poached eggs (or really on any egg dish) • Sprinkled on seafood risotto as a finishing touch of flavor • Use on the rim of a margarita glass or shot of tequila

CITRUS BASIL TILAPIA WITH SAUTEED BROCCOLI

This is a great 15 minute gourmet, weeknight meal: 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.

Try rimming your Margarita glass with Citrus Basil Sea Salt for a deliciously refreshing beverage!



Alderwood Smoke Salt

• Almost any slow roast that calls for bacon or liquid smoke • Grilled shrimp • Roasted potatoes • Creamy homemade tomato soup • Dry rub for pork ribs • Grilled Swordfish • Smoked Sea Scallops (adjust this recipe to use the salt to prep

the scallops rather than smoking) • Pulled pork • Smoked duck breast • Grilled eggplant • Smoked chicken pasta • Jambalaya

ALDERWOOD SMOKED BEEF BRISKET

Alderwood Smoke has the inviting aroma of a smokeyard and works the same way. If you're slow cooking or smoking meat or fish, substitute the our Alderwood Smoke for Kosher salt and you get the smokeyard flavor with hours less of work. INGREDIENTS

• A five-pound beef brisket • 1 tbsp. Pure Alderwood Smoke - I like to break the Alderwood Smoke into smaller

pieces • 1 tbsp. each of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder • 1/2 tbsp.each of cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper • 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

• Mix together and rub into the brisket. • Use a mix of soaked hickory and mesquite chips to smoke at 225 for 10 hours. • Wrap in tinfoil and let sit for at least an hour before carving.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS Carve the tender brisket and serve! The result is a beautifully cooked brisket with layers of rich flavors from the rub.



French Herb Salt

• Sprinkle on seared halibut • Add to freshly made French fries • Heap onto a plate of olive oil for an amazing dip sensation • Atop a spinach salad with shaved romano cheese and a

squeeze of lemon juice • Sprinkle on a yellow tomato gazpacho • Add to skinless chicken breast before roasting • Mix with red wine vinegar and olive oil for instant salad dressing • Finish a simple avocado and beet salad with this blend and a

squeeze of lime juice • Combine with ground chuck prior to forming burgers • Sprinkle on steamed new potatoes • Add to gnocchi with freshly grated parmesan • Finish grilled sea bass or trout with this blend • Sprinkle on Italian couscous with butter and flat-leaf parsley

ABOUT HERBS AND SALT

One of the most popular ways to augment the flavor of salt is through the use of blended herbs. Indeed, dried herbs and salt are a regal pairing, both logical and yummy. During our taste tests with our Salt Chef, we were delighted to be introduced to the fancy-pants "herbes de provence" hailing from the countryside of southern France. We quickly learned that there is excellent justification for Mr. Herb D. Provence to be wearing such exquisite trousers! This enchanting herb combination possesses incredible depth of earthy-green flavor, capturing the very essence of happy little herbs flourishing on a sunny French hillside and depositing those flavors right into your mouth. It is really that good. So without question, we needed to have our Salt Chef craft a blend around the almost-religious experience of flavor we discovered in herbes de provence. As background, although the exact mixture and proportion of ingredients in herbes de provence varies between suppliers, we chose a combination that included oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, fennel and, importantly, lavender flower. Franco-culinary purists argue that a true herbes de provence must contain lavender flower as this helps bind the flavors and aromas of the other ingredients into a single taste sensation. Of course, the only salt we would ever imagine blending in a jar with these divine herbs is the luxurious fleur de sel, especially since all of these ingredients are native to France (so they speak the same language, if you know what we mean). For a final act of panache, our Salt Chef blends in black truffle panko that adds both extra depth of flavor and a satisfying crunchy texture to this already amazing blend. As with most of our salt blends, the aim was to make French Herb a highly versatile agent of flavor, and so we encourage the hobby chef and cooking enthusiast to think "outside the shaker" and try this salt on a wide variety of dishes! For instance - in a late night act of culinary craziness, we made grilled cheese with thick cuts of heirloom tomato and a sprinkle of this salt right in the oozy cheese center. Wow, was this amazingly good! It also proves that the flavors of this French Herb Blend can really stand up (with style) to almost any application. Try it with most any chicken or fish dish or atop raw vegetables, and you will not be disappointed.



Garlic Shallot Salt

• Zesty poultry marinade • Porcini mushroom risotto • Crusty buttered bread that is oven toasted • Creamy chicken and rice pilaf • White bean stew • Popcorn (add the Garlic Shallot to melted butter and drizzle) • Quinoa • Stir-fried green beans with slivered almonds • Almost any roasted vegetable • Grilled swordfish steaks • Chilled beet soup • Thickly sliced tomatoes • Chicken rice soup • Shrimp scampi • Marinara sauce • Creamy garlic pasta • Baked potato • Grilled corn on the cob

GARLIC SHALLOT SALT

Garlic salt. Onion salt. Most of us have an old bottle of these “seasonings” lurking in our cupboards—a combination of factory-processed salt, cheerless little “onion” or “garlic” fragments, anti-caking agents and, maybe even, artificial flavors and colors. These beige-ish powders are an uninspiring substitute for what we crave when we reach for these seasonings- poignant, glorious, intense and maybe even bad-breath inducing, FLAVOR! It is time to take a stand in the name of that thing we hunger after by recycling these garlic/onion posers, and making room on your kitchen shelf for our scrumptious Garlic Shallot Blend. Fragrant and seductive, organic garlic and shallot tango on the palate cheek-to-cheek with delicate fleur de sel and powerful Himalayan Pink salt. The fleur de sel melts on the tongue conveying magnificent essence of garlic and shallot, while the Himalayan Pink lingers to provide a satisfying finish. This gourmet blend will make you a believer in premium organic herbs and spices that have been expertly dried, since their flavor is so much more ‘fresh’ than the alternative. Open the jar and take a moment to inhale the mouthwatering aroma. The natural creamy-pink color of this blend further enhances the experience, but the incredible flavor will make you a true believer that this salt is destined to find its way into almost every meal. This premium salt blend is incredibly versatile and truly all purpose (especially if you love the flavor of garlic and shallot as much as we do). Try garnishing risotto or rice pilaf with Garlic Shallot. Roasted chicken or firm white fish, such as halibut or swordfish are sensational sprinkled with Garlic Shallot Blend. And this blend goes way beyond finishing; the robust flavors can stand out even after cooking. Build flavors for soups and sauces, such as chicken noodle soup, vegetable barley, marinara sauce or creamy garlic alfredo.



Hawaiian Black Lava Salt

• Zesty poultry marinade • Porcini mushroom risotto • Crusty buttered bread that is oven toasted • Creamy chicken and rice pilaf • White bean stew • Popcorn (add the Garlic Shallot to melted butter and drizzle) • Quinoa • Stir-fried green beans with slivered almonds • Almost any roasted vegetable • Grilled swordfish steaks • Chilled beet soup • Thickly sliced tomatoes • Chicken rice soup • Shrimp scampi • Marinara sauce • Creamy garlic pasta • Baked potato • Grilled corn on the cob

WHOLE RED SNAPPER BAKED IN A SALT CRUST From Epicurious.com

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. You can substitute any fish of similar size, such as striped bass or sea bass, for the snapper in this recipe. The salt crust seals in the juices, making for an incredibly moist fish. Serves 4. INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds coarse salt • 1 cup water • A 2-pound whole red snapper, cleaned, leaving head and tail intact • 1 lemon • Fine-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 450°F. • In a bowl stir together salt and water until combined well. On a large baking sheet spread half of

salt mixture in a rectangle just larger than the red snapper and set fish on top. Halve lemon crosswise and cut 3 slices from 1 half, reserving remaining half. Insert slices into cavity of fish. Pat remaining salt mixture over fish to cover completely and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes.

• Rap all around edge of salt crust with the back of a large spoon to loosen and lift top off. Squeeze juice from reserved lemon half over fish and drizzle with oil.



Himalayan Pink Salt

• Salt crusted red or yellow beets • Salt crusted tilapia • Cured meats • In any brining solution • Mustard-based egg salad • Steaming solution for whole lobster (instead of water, try a dry

white wine) • On a celeriac salads (julienne raw and lightly mix with Himalayan

Pink, mayonnaise and mustard) • In broccoli gratin • On a steamed spinach salad • In pasta salad • Fish stews

GIRL SCOUT COOKIE RECIPE From Scot Rousseau

We all have our favorite girl scout cookie… perhaps you’re a fan of Somoas (or the re-named caramel deLites), thin mints or the peanut butter sandwiches, but the biggest problem is that you can’t order them online. However, there is a good reason for that. The Girl Scout organization wants to teach life lessons to the Girl Scouts that only comes from personal interaction with customers. Nevertheless, they openly share one of the original recipes from 1922 and we have made a couple slight adjustments to keep it fresh. Please enjoy this recipe since you’re craving something sweet and you can’t seem to track down your local Girl Scout brigade. INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter • 1 cup sugar • 2 eggs • 2 tablespoons milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 2 cups flour • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 2 teaspoons Himalayan Pink salt • 2 teaspoons baking powder

DIRECTIONS

• Whisk the butter with the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Form dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into fun cookie shapes.

• Bake (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. While still hot, lightly sprinkle Himalayan Pink salt over the still-hot cookies. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.

• The little bite of salty-goodness with the cookie makes all the difference in the world. Enjoy!



Windy City Celery Salt

• Chicago-style hot dog • Tuna salad • Egg salad on toasted brioche with a thick slice of iceberg lettuce • Lightly-seared eggplant • Tomato and corn salad • White clam chowder • Blanched spinach • Venison stew • Sprinkled on chicken noodle soup • Minestrone or any bean-based soup • Penne pasta salad • In a Blood Mary, and also along the rim of the glass • Deviled eggs • Sautéed green beans • Spinach dip • Tuna noodle casserole • Grilled swordfish • Popcorn (mix into melted butter and spread on unsalted popcorn)

WINDY CITY CELERY POTATO SALAD Hold onto your hat because this easy recipe will blow your taste-buds away! Perfect for a summer picnic on lake Michigan in Chicago or just about anywhere else. The use of our Windy-City Celery salt helps to amplify the flavors of the potato. Our other secret ingredient is avocado (oh yes we did), which is enhanced by the Windy-City Celery blend to provide a rich and creamy finish to this dish. This serves about 8-10 people as a side course. COOKWARE YOU WILL NEED

• One baking sheet • One large bowl • Wood spoon or heat resistant spatula

INGREDIENTS

• 2 generous tablespoons of Beyond the Shaker's Windy-City Celery salt • 3 pounds of red potatoes (shocker for a potato salad recipe, I know), cut into small cubes (leave the

skins on) • 1 small red onion, chopped • 5 cloves of garlic, minced • 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn • 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar • 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce (this is not mandatory, but it really helps bring out

the great flavors of the other ingredients) • 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped • 1 avocado, chopped • 1 stalk of celery, sliced into half moons • 1 stalk of parsley, chopped • 1 cup of olive oil

DIRECTIONS

• Have your oven pre-heated to 425 degrees. Put the cut-up potatoes, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet. Slather on some olive oil and one tablespoon of Windy-City Celery, toss the potato mix around to coat, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes (no need to cover, as you want the potato mix to brown a bit).

• Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and mix. Add the corn, and then roast in the oven for another 15 minutes (you can get a crispier texture by adding more time, but watch that you don't burn your corn).

• In the bowl, mix the vinegar, Tabasco, the rest of the Windy-City Celery, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Add the vegetables to this dressing and stir in the eggs, avocado, celery and parsley. Mix until everything is coated.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Feel free to serve this potato salad either warm or chilled. We like to add a little Windy-City Celery salt to the top of the salad right before serving as a finishing touch. To make this recipe creamier, you can add mayonnaise (obviously that also adds some fat to the dish). We have also tried adding a packet of dry salad dressing to the mix of vinegar, and we have found this to be a great way to boast the flavor. You can also try adding one of our other salts like Citrus Basil or Hot Habanero for a kick of flavor.

the complete guide to cooking with gourmet salts - the new … · 2014-09-01 · the complete guide...

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