What's Cooking: Flavored Salts - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

What's Cooking: Flavored Salts

Chef Courtney Contos from www.chefcontos.com joins us to talk about a unique holiday gift idea, or something to spice up your recipes this season.

Learn the techniques to making pungent spice blends that are heavenly and elevate cooking to another level. It's a totally fun and easy project for the kitchen crafter with just a few minutes to spare. Flavored salts are so versatile, they spruce up just about anything, thus they have the power to completely transform a recipe. The perfect addition to your kitchen pantry and a great gift for any occasion. Get creative and have fun!

Some uses for flavored salts:

Sprinkle on chips, potato wedges/fries, salads, eggs, steamed vegetables, pasta, meat, seafood, soups, in sandwiches or incorporate to spreads, dips, sauces and dressings.

Delightful combinations:

*Herb salts - poultry, fish, beef, veal, pork, lamb, rubs, vegetables, soups, stews, braises, stuffings, breads, eggs, rice, pasta, dipping oils, dressings and dips.

*Spicy salts - beef, veal pork, poultry, fish, eggs, rice, popcorn, soups, stews, rubs, pasta, potatoes, sauces, couscous, dips, dressings and dipping oils.

*Mushroom salt - beef, veal pork, poultry, eggs, rice, popcorn, soups, pasta, potatoes, cream sauces and dipping oils.

*Seedy salts - vegetables, breads, soups, dips and salad dressings.

*Citrus salts - fish, seafood, chicken, potatoes, rice, pasta and salad dressings.

Some Flavor Combinations Ideas:

Tuscan Herb Salt

Provence (lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano)

Roasted Garlic Salt

Celery Salt Salt

Lemon Thyme Salt

Spicy Habanero Salt

Curried Indian Salt

Shitake Mushroom Salt

Meyer Lemon Salt

Kaffir Lime & Lemongrass

Caribbean (Lime, Ginger, Cumin)

Lemon Sesame Salt

The Greek (lemon oregano)

Fennel seed, lemon, vanilla

Lavender, rosemary, thyme

Lime lemongrass, chile, ginger

Sichuan peppercorn, chile, ginger

Porcini Mushroom Salt

1 ounce of chopped procini mushrooms1 cup of kosher salt or sea salt

Using a powerful food processor, finely dice the mushrooms.

Once chopped, in a large bowl add the mushrooms and the salt. Mix well.

Package the salt in small jars or tins.

Tuscan Salt

2 lemons, zested

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 teaspoon or more of red pepper flakes

2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary1 cup kosher salt or sea salt

Add all ingredients into a food processor and pulse into nicely mixed but not over mixed. Package up the salt in small jars or tins.