Sea salts are dehydrated from ocean water. They are not refined like table salts, so contain traces of calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc and natural iodine present in the waters from which they were harvested. These individual ocean “terroirs” (tur-WAH) give each sea salt its own unique flavor and appearance.

This makes them more healthful as well as tastier. And many sea salts are beautiful, sprinkled atop foods for visual as well as flavor notes. (Garnishing salts cost more. Inexpensive sea salts are available for cooking—we use La Baleine.)

Imported from all over the world, there are scores of different sea salts available in the U.S. Each has its own flavor and beauty.

Some of our favorites are elegant grey Celtic salt from France; coral-hued alaea, a volcanic Hawaiian sea salt (with a mellower flavor than other sea salts); the crunchy crystals of Angsley salt from Wales; the pyramid-shaped crystals of Maldon salt from England; and Himalayan pink salt.

For table use, sea salt grains are generally too large for most salt shakers. Just treat yourself to a salt mill. This stylish salt mill from Oxo Good Grips also has a matching pepper mill.
WHAT ABOUT IODIZED SALT?

Many of us were taught in school that it is important to consume iodized table salt to prevent the development of goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by iodine deficiency

American salt manufacturers began iodizing salt in the 1920s, in cooperation with the government, after people in some parts of the country were found to be suffering from goiter due to an absence of iodine in their diets.

Humans require fewer than 225 micrograms of iodine a day. Seafood, cruciferous vegetables*, and sea salt contain iodine naturally and iodized salt is unnecessary if there are sufficient quantities of these items in one’s diet.

*The cruciferous vegetable group includes bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens and turnips, among other veggies.

HOW MANY TYPES OF SALT HAVE YOU HAD?

Take a look at all the lovely salts in our Salt Glossary. You’ll be inspired to run out (or click) for some.

SPECTACULAR SALT BOOKS

Love food? Love history? One of our favorite food books is Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History.

Mark Bittman fans should also pick up a copy of Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral, with 50 Bittman recipes that showcase the different aspects of salt.

January 13th is National Peach Melba Day, but why? Peaches aren’t in season until June. It was invented for a summer celebration!

But, if you must have one out-of-season, you can forge ahead in the recipe below with frozen peaches.
 
 
PEACH MELBA HISTORY

Peach Melba (its original title was in French, Pêche Melba) was created in the summer of 1892 at the Savoy Hotel, London by the the great French chef Auguste Escoffier. It honored the renowned Australian soprano, Dame Nellie Melba (Escoffier also created Melba toast for her).

The dish combined two summer fruits, peaches and raspberries, with vanilla ice cream. Escoffier poached the peach and topped it with ice cream and raspberry purée. Essentially, it’s an ice cream sundae with poached peaches.

But the original Pêche Melba was a bit more elaborate. At the time, Dame Nellie was performing in Wagner’s opera, Lohengrin, at Covent Garden. She was the guest of honor at a dinner party hosted by the Duke of Orléans at the Savoy.

For the party, Escoffier displayed the dessert in a swan ice sculpture. In the opera, the knight Lohengrin arrives and departs in a boat pulled by swans. Here, the ice swan held a bed of vanilla ice cream topped with peaches and spun sugar.

Needless to say, the dessert was the talk of the town—or at least, that portion of town interested in opera and Escoffier.

In 1900, for the opening of the Carlton Hotel in London, Escoffier created an easier version of the dessert. He ditched the ice swan and topped the peaches with raspberry purée.

Light yet delicious, Pêche Melba became a classic dessert.

The question is, why is National Peach Melba Day in January, when fresh peaches are out of season? Fresh raspberries are almost always available and you can use canned or frozen peaches, although to do so counters the wisdom of eating seasonally. Frozen peaches, are a good substitute.

But celebrate we will, by poaching some Dole frozen peach slices. We actually prefer the slices to Escoffier’s half-peach “cap” atop the ice cream.
 
 
PEACH MELBA RECIPE

Elegant as it sounds, Peach Melba or Pêche Melba, as the French chef Escoffier called it, is an ice cream sundae with raspberry sauce and peaches, instead of hot fudge and whipped cream or other current favorite.

Ingredients For The Poached Peaches

You can substitute frozen peaches when fresh ones are out of season.

 
For The Raspberry Purée

 
Plus

[1] Peach Melba, an ice cream sundae served in a stemmed dish (photo © Alex 9500 | Panther Media).

[2] You can plate it however you like. Here, the cook added some fresh raspberries (photo © Danilova Janna | Panther Media).

[3] Don’t worry if you don’t have stemmed dishes or goblets. Use a casual presentation, like this one from Food Network (photo © Food Network).

[3] The great British chef Marco Pierre White re-interpets Escoffier by placing the sauce on the bottom of a plate and the ice cream in a marzipan tulle. Chef Marco tops the peach with a spun sugar cage (photo © White Heat – The Recipes).

1. POACH the peaches. Wash, dry and halve the peaches and discard the pits. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the peaches are slightly softened but not mushy. Frozen peach slices may be ready quickly; whole, less ripe fresh peaches may take 7-10 minutes.

2. MAKE the purée. Wash the raspberries, pat dry and purée with the other ingredients. Set aside until ready to serve.

3. ASSEMBLE. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl—or better yet, make it a glass dessert bowl, a Champagne coupe, a round wine goblet, or a parfait or sundae glass. Top with a peach half or sliced peaches.

4. DRIZZLE with raspberry purée. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PEACHES

> THE HISTORY OF ICE CREAM

Entertain with tapas: Start with a good
cookbook. Photo courtesy Knopf.

You can serve a multicourse dinner of small tapas plates. It’s the opposite of our recent tip on buffets, but is just as much fun.

Spain is full of tapas bars, which feature a wide variety of hot and cold appetizers and snacks. From foods as basic as a bowl of mixed olives and a plate of cheese to fried baby squid, what was originally a menu of Spanish bar foods evolved into an entire meal.

Mixed seafood; ragouts of meat, sausages and beans; colorful salads; tortillas (Spanish omelettes) with ham and peppers; banderillas, or Spanish skewers; and empanadas, savory filled pastries, are just a few items found at a typical tapas bar.

But tapas aren’t limited to Spanish specialties. They can be Asian- or Greek-inspired, or gourmet dishes with foie gras and escargots. Goat cheese and arugula join Spanish Manchego cheese and olives. Pretty much any food you like can be served tapas style: a small portion on a small plate.

Tapas are an exciting eating experience for people who like a variety of foods, but don’t want the temptation of a buffet meal.

TAPAS COOKBOOKS
To get started, peruse a tapas cookbook:

 
TAPAS: THE NAME

The word “tapas” comes from the Spanish verb tapar, “to cover.” Why a “cover”?

According to the leading interpretation, a piece of bread would often be placed on top of a drink as a cover, to protect it from fruit flies. At some point the bread was covered with chorizo, ham or other food. Soon, drinkers would order a glass of sherry or wine specifically “with a cover.”

Thanks to an innovation from Fusion Brands, you can now elevate a cake plate or fruit bowl with Serveitup, a white porcelain base with a suction cup that provides a secure lift.

In an instant, you can put a fancy or everyday plate or bowl, up to 12 inches in diameter, atop the Servitup pedestal and serve with panache. There are two sizes: You can stack a smaller plate atop a larger one for a multi-tiered plating presentation.

Want to put your food on a pedestal? There’s a store locator on the website. Or, head to Amazon.com for the:

Roasted piquillo chiles stuffed with tuna,
crumbled Manchego cheese, capers, parsley
and a touch of lemon juice. Photo courtesy
DeLallo Foods.

We’ll start you off with a suggestion: piquillo peppers. They’ve been a favorite in Spain for centuries, for tapas, stews and other recipes. We picked up some piquillos from Roland and Delallo.

Delectable and easy to use straight from the jar (DeLallo) or can (Roland), their vibrant color and piquant, roasted flavor make piquillos a welcome ingredient to enliven winter cooking.

Use them instead of roasted red bell peppers—they’ll bring an extra depth of flavor. The wall of a piquillo is much thinner than a bell pepper, with a richer, sweeter flavor and a hint of spiciness. When purchased in cans or jars, they’ve typically been fire roasted, adding a touch of of smokiness.

Use piquillos on sandwiches and in salads; with drinks, cut and rolled onto a toothpick (you can add an olive, caperberry or cube of cheese to the toothpick); and by all means, stuffed. The shape makes piquillos ideal for stuffing; the Spanish stuff them with everything from seafood to vegetables. We’ve been filling them with everything from leftover rice and other grains to potatoes, goat cheese, feta and tabbouleh, to tuna, egg and potato salads. Delicious! They also add a sweet touch to chili.

TIPS FOR USING PIQUILLO CHILES

Roland Foods suggests:

 
RECIPES

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENT CHILES?
Check out our Chile Glossary.