Salt.

We are featuring Hawaiian Rock Salt, Smoked Volcanic Salt, and Sea Salt from the Philippines. They are all forms of natural unrefined salts. While the nutritional values are the same in these salts as regular table salt, the flavors, however, are not.

The Hawaiian salt is a solid rock and will be shaved by a grater. Sea salt is actually what is left after water evaporates from sea water, and the Smoked Volcanic salt is enhanced by the addition of smoke.

I recommend using these as finishing salts to add additional flavor to your dishes.

A dish we’ve created for today is: Filet Mignon with a Selection of Salts

The culinary trend in steakhouses is to offer a selection of various salts to enhance the flavor of the steak. So, bring the steakhouse home by serving your guests little bowls of salts for them to play with…..

Filet Mignon with a Selection of Salts

2 Filet Mignon – size depends upon your appetite.
1 Tb butter
1 Tb olive oil or veg oil

Heat the butter and oil until hot but not browned. Season both sides of the filet with pepper and plain sea salt. Sear filets on both sides until you’ve reached your desired doneness. Remove from pan and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with a few dishes of different sea salts.

Vinegars.

Today we’ll be using an aged Balsamic Vinegar, and a Fig Vinegar. Unlike common vinegars, only the traditional balsamic vinegar is dark and thick with a complex but sweet taste, well aged, and much more expensive. The fig vinegar is actually balsamic vinegar that has been infused with figs and has a sweet finish with hints of vanilla.

Today’s recipe’s are:

Pork with Balsamic and Apples

Pork tenderloin– sprinkle with salt and pepper and slice into medallions approximately ¾ inch thick.
Olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 Granny Smith Apple – sliced thinly
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Heat a sauté pan with the oil, and sear each medallion for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Once seared on both sides, add the apple slices and sauté until the apples are slightly caramelized. Add the white wine, and cook for 2 minutes or until the alcohol is evaporated. Add the balsamic vinegar to create a sauce. Plate the pork and apples and drizzle the sauce over all.

Cinnamon Ice Cream with Fig Balsamic Vinegar

A Gastrique is a thick sauce produced by a reduction of vinegar or wine, sugar, and usually fruit. It is often served over meat or seafood to add a fruit flavor to the dish. It is made in its simplest form by caramelizing sugar and then adding an acid.

Today we’ll make a Pan Seared Grouper with a Grapefruit Gastrique.

Grouper
Vegetable or Olive Oil
Equal parts Butter
Salt and pepper
Heat butter and oil in a pan until hot but not burned.

Sear Grouper on one side for about 3 minutes until browned.

Flip in pan and cook until equally seared.

Remove from pan.

Add grapefruit segments and sear until slightly caramelized.

Remove to a plate.

Grapefruit Gastrique:
1 1/2 cups fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

½ cup white wine
1 teaspoon finely grated grapefruit zest

In a small saucepan, combine the grapefruit juice, the sugar, the wine and the zest, and cook over medium heat until reduced to a thick syrup.

Drizzle the gastrique over the plated grouper and grapefruit segments.

Caviar.

The two caviars presented today are:

Wasabi Tobika Caviar and Ginger Tobika Caviar.

Theses are caviars from the domestic flying fish.

They are infused with a variety of flavors and are much milder and MUCH less expensive then the famous beluga – extracted from sturgeon.

If you don’t like caviar, you might like these.

The dish we’ve created today :

Seared Sea Scallops with Seaweed Salad, Wasabi and Ginger Caviar and Chili Avocado Oil

Ingredients:
3 Sea Scallops patted dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons prepared seaweed salad
Chili Avocado Oil
½ teaspoon wasabi tobiko caviar
½ teaspoon ginger tobiko caviar