THE QUEST FOR SALT: The Grove Cafe and Market

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! — 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.

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A Little of Fire and Ice

I am once again behind in coming to my journal. But we are off on a cross-country trip to Cape Cod from Mexico and I have already started photographing Ideas for Sal del Mar starting with a stop at Nox, a new and creative restaurant in Tucson, Arizona.

It wasn't hard to be inspired by the food and cocktails served here. There are dishes like tacos with duck confit, hoisin, and chive and a dish of spicy rock shrimp, with a sweet chili glaze and chili aioli.

But, of course, it was the cocktail menu that captured my attention. There are two categories: Shaken and Refreshing and Stirred and Boozy. (I learned that drinks that have citrus or simple syrup or thick mixes such as egg or diary are shaken versus those that stirred. Stirring is a more gentle technique for mixing cocktails and for a perfect amount of dillution.

I spotted the “Mexican Fire Drill” cocktail because, of course, I saw it has smoked salt as a primary ingredient along with jalapeño infused tequila, pineapple, demerarra, and lime. (I asked the bartender to serve mine on a salt-rimmed glass ).

There was a definite punch with the jalapeño infused tequila but not too much to not appreciate the savory smokey taste of the salt and the sweet of the pineapple.

And the Nox menu....said it well:

"We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other" - HEMINGWAY

We’ll be on the road again soon.

FIRE AND ICE

1 1/2 oz. jalapeño infused tequila

juice of 1 1/2 limes

1 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. demerarra

Smoked Salt (heat enough water to dissolve smoked salt...swirl around glass and then throw out)

Sal de Cocktail (rub lime around half the glass and dip glass into Sal de Cocktail)

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled half way with ice cubes. Shake and serve in a Sal de Cocktail salt-rimmed glass.

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Cinco de Mayo, Margaritas and More ...

I love Cinco de Mayo. I’ve always celebrated! It has meant mixing up margaritas, making tacos and guacamole and having a party or going out to Casa Molina, a great Mexican restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. It was a "big deal" around our house, rivaling St. Patrick's Day.

When I moved to Mexico I heard that Cinco de Mayo was not celebrated here (except in Puebla where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla) since it is a celebration that originated in the Mexican-American communities in the United States to commemorate Mexican heritage and pride.

But...it isn't just in Puebla. Our town of Alamos celebrates with parades, cowboys in white hats riding down our cobblestone streets, pretty girls dancing, lots of beer and in the arroyo - dancing horses. The video shows it way better than words.

Beer seems to be the drink of the day but I am still going to serve up good old-fashioned margaritas (the Grand Marnier is traditional, right?) Now these aren't the ones that are made with a lot of sugar and imitation lime juice. This is a truer Margarita that uses the sweet orange liqueur and orange juice for all the sweetness it needs and fresh limes. So don't substitute!

Moisten the rim of a martini or margarita glass with the cut lime...
Spread Sal de Mar on a small plate
Dip the moistened rim of the glass into the salt until evenly crusted.

Margarita Mixture:
2 oz. Milagro Silver Tequila (or any blanco tequila)
2 oz. Cointreau (not Triple Sec)
2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. fresh orange juice

Garnish:
Lime slices
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier

Add margarita mixture to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and cover. Shake thoroughly to chill the mixture. Strain into into a Sal del Mar crusted glass with or without ice. Garnish with a slice of lime and the splash of Grand Marnier. Makes one cocktail.

Salud!

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Wild Dreams

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be thinking “weddings” when I started Sal del Mar several years ago. But as they say, never say (or rather think) “never.” Because .... along with our new look for www.saldelmar.com, we are initiating a whole page on our new website called Weddings.

This passion for weddings has been a long time brewing. It all started with my discovering that salt has so many traditions that are related to beginnings. And then there was no stopping as we began designing bags for weddings.

Colored paper garland from Bon-Boutique, Tucson. — **Colored paper garland from** **Bon-Boutique, Tucson.**

We showed the designs to our embroiderers and then they added their artistic spirit to the whole process with their beautiful embroidery threads in a myriad of colors and stitches.

We envisioned that these hand-embroidered wedding bags would be perfect gifts as favors at weddings, as favors for bridesmaid’s parties, or as a welcome bag treat. This, we knew, would be a gift that guests would love taking home because they would actually use it as well as having it as a keepsake.

And then another idea happened. Why not feature weddings and show off our Sal del Mar wedding bags?

Well, that's just the beginning because salt is truly amazing and it is leading us in many directions . We just finished a photo shoot and we can't wait to show you the photos.

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You've Gotta Have Heart

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.

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

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Finding Found

There probably aren’t any shops that aren’t charming when you walk down the street in Chatham, Massachusetts (where I spent some time this summer) but a new one, Found Home, opened this year that captured my interest every time I walked by it.

And every day as I passed there was something new to behold in front of the grey-shingled little cottage. There have been kilm rugs hung across the picket fence...vintage dining tables on the patio...an old trunk ...a push lawnmower left unmoved, hidden amongst the flowers.

I was intrigued and when I finally had a chance to stop in to explore I knew immediately that this shop was the making of someone with lots of style. There were contemporary couches and antique tables, unique clocks and old trunks, pillows covered in airy patterns, vintage posters and framed old maps. But what really captivated me was how it was all put together.

It all made sense when I met Jen Runnels, the owner. She is a designer, painter, photo stylist, and she capitvates you with her passion to collect unique and special pieces.

Jen features Sal del Mar in her shop and so it seemed the perfect opportunity to do a photo shoot together. She magically stylized several vignettes with Sal de Margarita using her found objects. Surrounded by vintage candlesticks, a sterling tray and martini shaker, Sal del Margarita takes center stage for an invitation for entertaining ideas.

A Bloody Mary rimmed with a mix of Sal del Mar and black pepper is served on a sterling silver tray. One of Jen’s finds of a vintage boat plan by Gifford Jackson provides the perfect setting. The tray is an antique of sterling silver; the bench is reclaimed wood made by a Conneticut craftsman.

New Martini at  Found Home — New Martini at Found Home

A “new martini” made with a Reposado tequila, a twist of lemon, crushed ice, rimmed with Sal de Mar and shaken in a nickel-plated Napier shaker called the Foursome, the tray by Ralph Lauren. The Demi-lune chest is by designer Gibert Rohde for Herman Miller furniture from the 30s.

Jen is always dreaming up new ways daily to group together her "finds" to create different looks. Check out Found Home for a new approach to design!

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A Toast to Sal del Mar

I feel that I’ve been "living under a rock” as my friend Muriel (owner of The Hair Company in Chatham, MA) would say, because as obsessed as I am with using Sal del Mar on everything from Bloody Marys to making meringue with it, it NEVER occurred to me to use it on toast.

My revelation came recently in an editorial I read in Food and Wine that their features editor waited in-line for 20 minutes at a bake shop in San Francisco “just to pay $3.50 for a slice of sesame whole-wheat toast with local butter, honey and sea salt.” It went on to say that even though it was inconvenient and expensive and a bit mockable, he was still talking about it five months later.

Thus I began my quest to pair bread, butter, honey and Sal del Mar for myself. It began with a trip from Chatham, where I have spent the summer, to Hyannis to a bakery my husband and I discovered awhile ago.

Pain D’Avignon had the perfect bread that fit the Food & Wine description and was highly recommended to me by Andrew who waited on me. When I told him that I wanted a bread to make the perfect toast, he sold me on their multigrain bread. It is rustic in appearance with a deep brown crust and is sprinked with seeds.

Andrew told me that he personally recommended it for toast and that he has it all the time toasted with olive oil and sea salt! (I am taking him a Sal del Mar bag on our next trip to Hyannis). I definitely have been “living under a rock.”

So a toast to Sal del Mar...and toast! Try it: Bread, Butter, Honey and Sal del Mar.

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Pavlova Takes a Bow

Funny that I would choose a meringue recipe to feature on my blog when a) it is a summer recipe and it is now September, and b) I am trying to write more blogs with recipes using Sal del Mar. The Pavlova recipe is a bit of a stretch to feature Sal del Mar as an ingredient since only a pinch of salt (not even an 1/8 teaspoon) is called for in the recipe.

But I have wanted to make it since earlier this summer when Gisela Asimus, a friend and part of the Karafotas-summer-Chatham-family, introduced it to me. Gisela and her family live in London and she and her husband, Sylvain, are foodies like us. I liked the Pavlova immediately because it is not only delicious but beautiful! And, of course that matters to me. It is also one of the best low fat (non-gluten, too) dishes to serve with seasonal fruit.

The ingredients for Pavolva are simple....egg whites, vanilla, Sal del Mar, cornstarch, white vinegar and sugar... and when beaten into “glossy peaks” it is beautiful. The bowl looked so delicious I wanted to lick it all. (Okay, I admit to several.)

Spoon the meringue into a 9-inch circle on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. The story goes that the meringue, when spooned out into a circle, looks like a ballerina’s tutu and is thus named “ Pavlova” for a famous Russian ballerina.

The next trick is to allow enough time for the Pavlova to bake in the oven and then cool down.... without opening the oven door! The recipe calls for 1½ hours, plus cooling in the oven. Be prepared to not need the oven for cooking anything else. I would plan more time next time I make it...even leaving it to cool in the oven overnight.

MIXED BERRY PAVLOVA

INGREDIENTS

4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

Pinch of Sal del Mar

1 cup sugar (superfine is best)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Fresh berries: stawberies, hulled and sliced; blueberries and raspberries

Preheat oven to 300.

Beat egg whites and salt together with an electric mixer until glossy peaks form. With mixer running, add sugar a little at a time, beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.

Sprinkle in cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla; gently fold to combine.

Mound the meringue in the center of a 9-inch circle on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Using a spatula, evenly spread meringue out toward the edges of the cirlce. Transfer the baking sheet to oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Turn off oven and let meringue cool completely in oven (overnight is best). When meringue is cool and compleately dry, top with whipped cream and desired fruits.

RASPBERRY SAUCE

(Recipe from Barefoot Contessa at Home)

This sauce is delicious and adds a depth of elegance.

1 half-pint fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup seedless raspberry jam (12-ounce)

1 tablespoon frambroise liquer

Place the raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam and framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Chill

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