The harvest

Here is a basket full of one of my favorite things....tomatoes. It’s harvest time and the Farmer’s Markets have tables laden with them. They look so beautiful as a still life that I grab my camera and do a mini photo shoot.

I always buy too many, tomatoes.

Just a pinch of Sal del Mar will do.
Heirloom tomatoes, Sal del Mar, avocado, bacon and toasted focaccia. 

The Fall Harvest is here and the heirloom tomatoes are so colorful and sculptural that I do a mini photo shoot to try and capture their beauty. Even sliced, they are so picturesque, especially with a pinch of Sal del Mar. Stacked in a sandwich with bacon, avocado, they are scrumptious.

Paula's dish

This tortilla appetizer is incredibly easy to make and it also is a perfect match with a margarita. My friend, Paula Hamilton, taught me this recipe when she was in Mexico a couple of months ago working with me on designs for Sal del Mar.. We decided to do a photo shoot and scouted out from my cupboards this hand-painted, terra cotta plate and a big palm leaf from the courtyard to prop it with. 

Here’s the recipe: 
Cut corn tortillas into half or quarter sizes.
Fry in oil.
Drain on a paper towel and immediately sprinkle on Sal del Mar and chili powder. 

Asparagus loves Sal del Mar

The subject of our photo shoots is, of course, our "very photogenic" Sal del Mar. At our photo shoots we love to get our creative juices going on how we are going to tell a story around our photograph. We chose an easy subject for this shoot...asparagus. It is such a natural subject with its regal look...their purplish plumes and stalks of vivid green.  

After the photo shoot, we made Ina Garden's recipe. because there's no better way that baking  them in the oven, instead of blanching them in water which diminshes  some of their flavor. 

INA GARDEN ASPARAGUS RECIPE

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus  
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Sal del Mar gourmet sea salt (of course)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 lemons, cut in wedges

If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom 1/2 of each.
Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast in a 400 oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute.
Serve with lemon wedges.
  

Just nuts

I've decided that the perfect snack to take to the Super Bowl Party next week is bar nuts. Of course they will be coated with lots of Sal del Mar. I found the recipe in the "Genius Recipes" cookbook. The flavor is not sugary or spicy .. and it is simple to make. You won't want to buy the already salted nuts again. 

Recipe from "Genius Recipes" and the Union Square Cafe

1/4 pound peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds or 1 1/4 pound unsalted assorted nuts

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons Sal del Mar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, Sal del Mar and melted butter. Thoroughly toss the warm toasted nuts with the spiced butter, adjust seasoning to taste and serve warm.

Summer shrimp night

This is a recipe I have been saving to post. It was photographed in "the winter" (note: winter in Tucson is not a snowy day) but somehow it didn't feel like a winter recipe.  

The flavors say summer to me so here it is. It is also very easy and the ingredients are so yummy, you can just dip the shrimp in additional sauce as you enjoy.

Coconut Shrimp (as told to me by Paula Hamilton)

Clean shrimp but leave on the tail. Marinate in a sauce made with:

1 cup of coconut milk
1 tsp of curry
squeeze of a couple of limes (adjust to your taste)
Sal del Mar
pepper
red pepper flakes
add some coconut flakes, too

Skewer the marinated shrimp and grill.  Keep aside some of the sauce to dip in for extra flavor. 

Serve over rice.

Stylizing The Dish

There is an expression that says, "You eat with your eyes first."  We love this gold and orange cloth and how it compliments the shrimp dish. It is a simple addition to the plate of shrimp but it is strong on feasting the eyes. We added just a sprinkle of chives too.

Simply Cinco de Mayo

This is a simple tapa to serve for Cinco de Mayo. The trick is to make your own tostada chips. You may never want to buy them again!

Use a cookie cutter to cut them out of store-bought corn tortillas and then fry them in hot corn oil. Watch them because they'll turn from brown to burn in seconds.  As they come out of the oil.... sprinkle Sal del Mar on them.

I couldn't resist this one!

THE QUEST FOR SALT: The Grove Cafe and Market

The Grove, Albuquerque

My quest for finding salt in all kinds of form is ON and we’re off on our summer cross-country “road trip.”

I love Santa Fe but Old Town Alburquerque has my favorite breakfast/lunch cafe...The Grove Cafe & Market and so, of course, food wins out.

The Grove  is very creative with their menu and they feature organic and local seasonal products. They also make the best English muffins (I know because I’m a connoisseur of Engish muffins).

Here are some of my favorite breakfast items from their menu:

POACHED EGGS with toast and fresh fruit
with roasted turkey or black forest ham
with La Quercia prosciutto, roasted asparagus, parmesan

ORGANIC EGG WHITE FRITTATA with toast seasonal vegetables, arugula salad, pecorino cheese

ENGLISH MUFFIN housemade served with butter and local honey or Heidi’s Organic jam

CROQUE MADAME with fresh fruit
black forest ham, tomato, whole grain mustard, gruyere cheese,
topped with sunny side up egg, open faced and warm on rustic farm loaf

THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH with fresh fruit
scrambled egg, lettuce, tomato, mayo on housemade english muffin add avocado, add turkey, ham or bacon

THE BURRITO
scrambled egg, Tully’s sausage, goat cheese, housemade green chile in tortilla, with our roasted tomato jalapeno salsa

Their pantry is irresistable.  It is filled with with local goods and other selections for the Foodie including salts....but alas no Sal del Mar.  (I couldn’t help visualizing it there!)

Before leaving, I had to buy for the road The Grove’s English Muffins that they sell by the half-dozen. And there before me was “My Albuquerque Salt Find”...... Salted Chocolate Brownies. 

Later in Chicago.....

Salted brownie and milk.... yum!

Our Salted Recipe for Chocolate Brownies from Vivian Bennett:

Salted Fudge Brownies

(adapted from Food & Wine/Kate Krader)

1  ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 ounces bitter chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

1  ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Sal Del Mar sea salt or more to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 inch square metal cake pan with foil, draping the foil over the edges.  Lightly butter the foil.

2.  In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the bitter chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat.  Whisking them in one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, add the cocoa, sugars, eggs, vanilla and flour.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.  Sprinkle the salt evenly over the batter.  Using a butter knife, swirl the salt into the batter.

3.  Bake the fudge brownies in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the edge is set but the center is still a bit soft and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out coated with a little of the batter.  Let the brownies cool at room temperature in the pan for 1 hour. Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan.  Cut into hearts if desired or refrigerate until firm, about one hour then lift the brownies and cut into 16 squares.  Serve at room temperature.

Make ahead  The salted fudge brownies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, and frozen for up to one month.

You've Gotta Have Heart

Salted Fudge Brownies

I realize I haven’t written a blog for Sal del Mar since November (actually Thanksgiving) and here it is February ... almost Valentine’s Day. I sat at my computer almost every morning trying to decide where I should start. I’d think about grand ideas of something to make in the kitchen and and even visualize how I would stylize it,  but then I would think about other things to do and off I’d go to the market or to make a phone call.  I just kept putting it off. I’m pretty sure that I was suffering from some type of writing block.

Then several days ago I received an email from my friend and foodie, Vivian Bennett, who sent me her recipe for Salted Fudge Brownies.   I have sampled her delectable candies and pastries and also know her talent for the artistic ways she presents them (she has some of Martha in her.)  Because I am in Mexico and she is in Tucson, I re-made her recipe and photographed it. And voila, I have a blog!

I’ve missed writing and photographing and now have broken the writers block (or whatever it was).

Thanks Vivian!  And let’s collaborate more.

Salted Fudge Brownies

By Vivian Bennett (adapted from Food & Wine/Kate Krader)

“They are a fudgey, sweet-salty brownie.  The sea salt is recommended because it is less harsh and melts so nicely into the batter, accentuating the chocolatey sweetness.  I cut them into little hearts for a sweet Valentines Day surprise.”

1  ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 ounces bitter chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

1  ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Sal Del Mar sea salt or more to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 inch square metal cake pan with foil, draping the foil over the edges.  Lightly butter the foil.

2.  In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the bitter chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat.  Whisking them in one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, add the cocoa, sugars, eggs, vanilla and flour.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.  Sprinkle the salt evenly over the batter.  Using a butter knife, swirl the salt into the batter.

3.  Bake the fudge brownies in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the edge is set but the center is still a bit soft and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out coated with a little of the batter.  Let the brownies cool at room temperature in the pan for 1 hour. Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan.  Cut into hearts if desired or refrigerate until firm, about one hour then lift the brownies and cut into 16 squares.  Serve at room temperature.

Make ahead  The salted fudge brownies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, and frozen for up to one month.