Getting Salty

I love cooking with specialty salts. We have smoked coarse salt in our Smokin Tex smoker with cherry and apple wood, so good and smokey for a pork dish or salmon. I am a big fan of Tony Chachere’s, which I discovered after we visited New Orleans back in 2000 and want to add some “BAM” to a meal. When we travel, instead of collecting Tchotchke’s, we take a lot of photos and buy flavored salts or other seasonings. We bought this alderwood smoked sea salt this summer when we were in Port Townsend, WA. This week I used it on a baked cheese and cauliflower casserole.

I love this Fleur De Sel salt. It is the salt I use after I plate a meal. I sprinkle a pinch over a steak or baked broccoli, roasted potatoes or rainbow carrots. That extra bit of salt really does enhance the flavor.

Well, my favorite salt may be Maldon Sea Salt Flakes! This is the salt I put over something sweet – like brownies. Warm, fresh out of the oven, chunks of solid chocolate baked inside that haven’t melted yet, brownies sprinkled with the salt flakes. The salt makes the perfect brownie even more perfect. This is my all time favorite brownie recipe:

Combine in a small bowl:

3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda and a pinch of salt

In a saucepan, bring to a boil then remove from heat:

1/3 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tbl water

Stir in:

half of one package of chocolate chips and 1 tsp of vanilla

Add and stir in 2 eggs, one at a time

Blend in flour, baking soda and salt

Stir in remaining chocolate chips

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 – 45 minutes. Do knife or toothpick test to check for doneness.

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