Fleur de Sel |

Do we really need that many “designer” sea salts?

I grew up without ever thinking about which salt shall I buy. I went to the store, picked up a blue box with that cute little girl with the umbrella on it and we had salt supply for months. Then suddenly food shows mushroomed on the TV and I was looking for nothing less than Kosher Salt (although I was asking myself how they made the salt kosher? just because the crystals are larger, is that makes it kosher?) Never mind that today.

Finally I understand the story my mother was telling me for years when we kids dismissed or trivialized something that she thought we shouldn’t have.
The Fairy Tale
This is an old fairy tale, originating from Chehoslovakia, known as „Sůl nad zlato“ (Salt is more than Gold); A King, who had three daughters, wanted to find out how much his daughters love him. The oldest one compared her love for the King to gold: “I love you more than gold”- she said. The king was delighted. The middle child jumped up and exclaimed: “Father, I love you more than diamond, emerald, ruby and all the other gems of the world.” The King kissed her and thanked her for such a strong love and devotion. Then it was the youngest daughter’s turn and she said: “Father, I love you more than salt”. The King became all red and furious and threw her out of the palace. She left with nothing more than the clothing she wore and a box of salt. As time passed, there was a story circulating in the town where the King youngest daughter was living that the King depleted the salt supply of the entire kingdom and no new shipment of salt was available. People started to get sick and pretty soon there was a rumor that the King is dying. When the King youngest daughter heard the story she went back to see her father for the last time. She took along the box of salt that she kept for all these years. When she arrived to the palace, the first thing she did is prepared a piece of bread for him with butter with sprinkles of the salt she brought with her. Then she cooked broth and other light food, all with the salt from the box. Pretty soon the King became healthy; he felt as if he was never ill. The King looked at her youngest daughter’s eyes with tears in his own and apologized for the way he treated her. Only now he understood that the strongest love for him came from his youngest daughter. (I still love this story). Basically, the story emphasizes the importance of salt’s role in human life.

Answer to the question
So, the answer to my question, is a weak yes. Weak, because I am not sure we need that many varieties, but there is no comparison between the so called “pedigreed” salts and even the Kosher salt. Please continue to read, however, before you run out to get a bottle of that pretty pink Himalayan salt instead of the ocean front condo you were dreaming about for years.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP TEN CHOCOLATIERS

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Recchiuti Chocolate Samples

INTRODUCING THE SEVENTH CHOCOLATIER:

RECCHIUTI, SAN FRANCISCO

The Artisan:

The Bay Area is the epicenter of great artisanal chocolate products. Michael Recchiuti is one of the top masters of the trade and his chocolates are a true works of art. He has a production facility in the southeastern section of San Francisco, and a successful, high profile shop in the Ferry Building.

The Chocolates:

The truffles and bonbons contain a perfectly smooth and silky-textured ganache with intense flavors and elegant presentation. We highly recommend that you do not miss out on this one if and when you are visiting the San Francisco area; however, if you can’t get there personally, you can make your order online and enjoy the entire box upon its arrival to your home. I can’t imagine a more elegant and extravagant gift than these delicate and perfectly balanced chocolate creations.

Michael Recchiuti produces a sublime Champagne Truffle with 2001 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine and a delicate touch of powdered sugar, which is a must – and you will never buy truffles from anyone else. His crunchy sesame nougat is another stunner with its earthy depth, and addictive texture that lingers in one’s mouth for eternity. The Tarragon Grapefruit is a leap of faith into the unknown, but every bite is a reaffirmation of Recchiuti’s extraordinary talent. The Fleur de Sel (salted with French sea salt) contains a pleasantly chewy burnt caramel coated with dark chocolate; the flavors are nicely balanced and the burnt caramel is one of the best we have ever tasted (and we tasted plenty). In fact, we can honestly declare that Michael Recchiuti should be imitated by anyone that wants to create the perfect burnt caramel (not to mention, he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame as the World’s Best Burnt Caramel Producer)

Lemon Verbena is an extra-bitter, dark chocolate ganache with a bright and clear taste of Lemon Verbena, coated in dark chocolate with a beautiful white leaf pattern adorning the top surface. The chocolate is rich and refreshing at the same time. The Force Noir is made with extra-bitter chocolate ganache infused with whole vanilla bean. It is absolutely out-of-this-world; the extra-bitter chocolate gives a pure, clean, intense chocolate experience and the vanilla bean adds that sweetness you need to balance the bitterness. I cannot complete this review without mentioning the Piedmont Hazelnut chocolate. It is a beautiful piece with silky, buttery texture of the gianduja ganache complemented with the light crunchiness of the Piedmont hazelnut (the best in the world). We also ordered their Dragee Sampler which comes with Burnt Caramel Almonds, Hazelnuts, Peanut Butter Pearls, and Cherries Two Ways – WOW! Talking about indulging.

I own a copy of Michael’s book: “Chocolate Obsession” and I am glad I do. At first, I hesitated to purchase it because, being a chocolate snob, I decided that I had enough training; I do not need another book to tell me how to temper chocolate. I was surprised, however, that despite my resistance, I still learned a few things or two from his book; not to mention the experimentation of creating some his recipes was truly events to remember. Although I do not reproduce his creations in my repertoire (I do not think it would be fair), some of his techniques assisted me in developing my own master pieces.

The book primarily discusses the simple forms of chocolates (i.e. truffles, dipped and moulded chocolates), for the home maker, but I was delighted that he included his signature creation: the s’mores. In general, what I liked most about Michael’s book is the tone of his writing. When you reading the recipes, or the stories attached to it, you feel as if an old friend wants to share his knowledge with you in the most intimate manner possible. Anyone interested to learn and experiment in working with chocolates should own a copy. Moreover, it is a great conversation opener when placed on your coffee table in the family room.

How to Order:

One can always order online: http://www.recchiuti.com. Recchiuti’s elegant signature is also evident on his website. Every box is appealing and every chocolate is described in the most tempting manner. They are listing their gift boxes, as well as their individual bonbons, from which you an create your own personalized candy box. They also sell sauces (see above the writeup about their burnt caramel); and chocolate bars (We will review the bars in another upcoming post).

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