Salted_ A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral, With Recipes - Mark Bitterman [136]
Melt 4 ounces of the chocolate together with the chiles either in a covered microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven at full power for 2 minutes, or in the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water.
Chop the remaining chocolate finely. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and mix with a whisk until smooth. Add the finely chopped chocolate in 2 or 3 batches, whisking in each addition before adding another. The chopped chocolate will “seed” the melted chocolate with solid chocolate crystals, encouraging the bark to firm without developing “bloom,” a filmy white glaze that both mars the appearance of the candy and causes it to go stale more quickly.
When the chocolate is smooth, remove the chiles (they should be the only lumps). If you are working in a double boiler, remove the top from the bottom.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the almonds into the chocolate until the almonds are completely coated and the chocolate begins to firm up. It is important that the chocolate is firm enough to mound around the nuts without being runny. If the chocolate is too runny, let stand for 1 minute and try again.
Pour and scrape the chocolate onto a medium to large sheet pan and spread it into a rough rectangle about ½ inch thick. Sprinkle the top with the salt and allow to set at room temperature until hard, about 2 hours. When the chocolate is solid, cut it into shards and serve. Store in a cool, dry place for up to four weeks. Do not refrigerate, as this will ruin the chocolate.
HONEY ICE CREAM WITH SUGAR MAPLE SMOKED SEA SALT
SERVES 4; MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
Dairy and smoked salt go together like rainbows and lollipops. Only better. The rainbow’s beauty is nice, but one can only speculate at its flavor, and you outgrow lollipops. Homemade ice cream is another matter. Swapping the bright intensity of sugar for the dewy softness of honey lends gusto to the meteorological event happening in your mouth. The interplay of pungent salt amid the cream’s frozen opulence of sweet smoke and vanilla bolsters the soul with prismatic beauty all its own.
2 vanilla beans
3 cups half-and-half
½ cup aromatic honey, such as eucalyptus, avocado, or heather
4 extra-large egg yolks
2 two-finger pinches maple smoked sea salt
Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a small spoon. Put the seeds and pods in a medium saucepan. Add the half-and-half and honey and stir to dissolve the honey. Heat over medium heat, stirring from time to time, just until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture steep, covered, for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla pods and discard. Mix in the egg yolks and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly thickened and a thermometer reads 170°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Cover and refrigerate the ice cream batter until thoroughly chilled. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop directly from the ice-cream maker for soft serve, or store in a freezer for at least 1 hour for firmer ice cream.
Serve scoops sprinkled with a little smoked salt.
DRINKS
We lived on flowers. So much for sustenance —Samuel Beckett
Your lips are among your body’s most sensitive membranes. They are gatekeepers of all you eat: the first line of defense against foods you should not eat, and at the same time, the provokers of appetite, relaying untold reams of data to the brain about the food or drink you are about to take in. There are no taste buds in the lips of an adult human, but salt trips all kinds of electrical circuits across the lips’ moistness, stimulating a sensation of pungency, of mineral richness. And, of course, the lips detect unfathomable intricacies of texture.
The rim of a cocktail glass is a magnificent opportunity to show love to your lips. Expensive and masterfully crafted liquors, precious drops of freshly-squeezed fruit