In salt that is. Many moons ago, salt was just as
valuable as gold hence the expression. In fact, the word we equate with our
income, “salary” is derived from salt. And though, contrary to popular belief
that the Romans were paid with salt (they were paid in coins), the word “salad”
also is derived from salt since salt was used to preserve fresh vegetables. And
while your internist or cardiologist recommends lowering your daily intake of
salt, it is a natural essential element to preserving food.
The Preservative
Aspect
As you may recall from basic high school chemistry, water
moves from lower to higher concentration until it’s at a state of
equilibration. That’s why salted cucumber or eggplant releases little “tears”
of moisture. Sometimes salting a product is simply meant to draw out excess
moisture like our friends mentioned above. Generations ago, it was done to
preserve food as refrigeration wasn’t available. You see, when moisture is
removed from any food, it lowers the water activity (aw) of that
food making it inhospitable to microbial growth. The water activity ranges from
1 in pure water to 0 in pure desiccation with most bacteria requiring a water
activity of 0.9 and mold a water activity of 0.8 to thrive. So if you can draw
enough moisture out of any food product to drop the water activity to at least
0.75, that food product should be protected from most microorganisms and have a
much longer shelf life.
The Culinary Aspect
As you know, the human tongue does have salt receptors as
one of the basic five flavor sensations and they are concentrated on either
side of the tip of the tongue. So while most of the flavor sensations we detect
are actually derived from our sense of smell, we actually do “taste” salt. And
at its most basic level, the seasoning we call salt is usually found in a
cylindrical cardboard container often labelled as “Morton”. But there are
hoards of other salt products that can also flavor your culinary creations.
For starters, yours truly always has at least 2 different
types of smoked sea salt in my refrigerator (to prevent the ambient humidity in
Kaneohe from caking my salt mill), a subtle fruit wood smoked salt and a robust
hard wood smoked salt. I always reach for these to season various animal
proteins along with my smoky Mac-n-Cheese (using several smoked cheeses). I
also have a grinder filled with a local product; Ono Hawaiian Seasoning which
also contains cracked pepper, ginger and garlic for seafood and pork as well as
another local product, Alaea or red tinged sea salt that I use as a general
seasoning agent. And since Michael Chiarello of Bottega and NapaStyle fame
swears by Gray Salt from the Brittany coast, I have a tin of this salt in my pantry.
And as you may already be aware, I’m a big truffle fan so I also always have a
jar of truffled salt in my refrigerator (refrigerated to preserve the delicate
truffle aroma). And finally, you can never go wrong with a box of kosher salt
in your pantry as the delicate flakiness not only seasons your creations but
when used as a finishing salt, adds a nice textural crunch to dishes.
And salt isn’t limited to solid forms as I also consider shoyu as a form of salt as well as its
other Asian cousins, patis from the
Philippines, nam pla from Thailand
and nuoc mam from Vietnam. As an
added bonus, these liquid forms of salt also add that 5th flavor
sensation, umami due to an abundance
of naturally occurring glutamic acid. So when seasoning any Asian inspired creation,
I usually reach for these liquid forms in place of solid salts.
And don’t limit your seasoning salts just to savory
courses. Salt can also enhance desserts and sweets as well. You probably know
that salt is also needed in sweetened baked goods to heighten the other flavors
in the dish but flaked salt sprinkled on top of caramel and chocolates also
accomplish the same which gives the palate an immediate hit of salt followed by
the sweetness of the candy thus balancing the flavor sensations on the palate. In
fact, one of my favorite desserts isn’t a true dessert at all but simply a dark
chocolate covered caramel enhanced with sprinkled smoked sea salt flakes. I
often “smuggle” a small box into restaurants as my “dessert” to savor while my
dining companions indulge in traditional desserts as a last course.
I’m not sure where the Mrs. found this recipe but it
combines four of the major taste sensations and the sprinkled sea salt balances
the other 3 flavor sensations.
Orange Olive Oil
Cake
2 medium oranges
2 & ½ C sugar
Non-stick baking spray with flour
2 & ½ C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ C fresh orange juice
¼ C confectioner’s sugar
Sea salt, for garnish
Trim about ½” from the tops and bottoms of oranges;
quarter oranges lengthwise. In a medium
saucepan, bring several cups of water to a boil then add oranges. Bring water
back to a boil; drain then repeat boiling process twice more with fresh water.
Put oranges, 1 cup sugar, and 4 cups water into a medium saucepan over
medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and orange rind
can be easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat and
let cool to room temperature.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10” round cake pan with
non-stick spray then line pan bottom with parchment paper cut to fit. Set pan
aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl
and set aside. Remove orange quarters from syrup and put oranges into the bowl
of a food processor. Pulse until oranges form a chunky puree, 10-12 pulses. Add
remaining sugar, flour mixture, vanilla, and eggs and process until
incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add olive oil; process until combined. Pour
batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out
clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk orange juice and confectioner’s
sugar to make a thin glaze. Remove cake from pan and transfer to a cake stand
or plate. Using a pastry brush, brush orange glaze over top and sides of cake;
let cool completely. Garnish cake with salt.
Get Salty
I’m not suggesting that you consume salt with reckless
abandon, I’m merely suggesting a creative use for one of mankind’s oldest
seasoning agents. And again, it goes well beyond that crystalline substance in
the cardboard cylinder. Try flavored salts, smoked salts and liquid salts and
you’ll find that though it isn't worth its weight in gold anymore, it can
enhance your dishes to the level of culinary gold.
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