Going Salt-less

Last night, I invited one of our neighbor's over to dinner. She has this dog, Annie Oakley which my grandma has kinda bonded with. She likes the dog because her family knew the real Annie Oakley back in the day. Every time she sees L.H. and Annie, she talks about how Annie got more money for her bird kill because she could shoot in in the head and not mess up all the good meat. So anyways, that's who came to dinner. Little did I know that L.H. does not eat SALT!!

WOW! I think most cooks would scream if they were not allowed to cook with salt. I mean, salt....everything has salt. Try and think of ten things that don't contain any sodium...or would not taste better without that addition?! I can really only think of a few things that I would never add salt to: strawberries, some alcoholic beverages. My list ends there because salt brings out natural flavor of other ingredients and cuts heaviness and richness of certain food.. It can be loud, as in potato chips, or you might not even know its there (as in a lot of chocolates).

So as you might imagine, I freaked out. That is, I looked at it as a challenge. I think a lot of times, people rely on salt as a crutch. It covers up mistakes or adds flavor to something bland. So my job last night was to create a meal completely salt-less that didn't make anybody miss the NaCl.

Here was what I cooked:

Green Salad- Romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, croutons, and these pecans that I tossed in paprika, dried mustard, and red pepper (these make the dish!)

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce- marinated pork in onions, garlic, rosemary, sage, pepper, allspice, olive oil, and lemon; served with a blackberry and port reduction.

Baked Potatoes -with the works

Pound Cake- with macerated strawberries and whipped cream

Nobody missed the salt!

Experiments in Baking: Part 1

Ok, so I can never keep with one project too long. I am like 2 months late in posting. Long story short, I think I am just going to blog about generally all things culinary. My job as a cooking instructor at the YCA has made me more ambitious.

During the summer, I have been working with kids teaching them how to cook. Along the way, I have developed my culinary skills as well. I bake a lot of fresh breads make pasta and pizza doughs. I improvise/mostly improve where I think the recipe falls short in the flavor or technique department. I can chop a whole onion into uniform cubes in under 90 seconds. Anyways, I feel so confident in the kitchen.

I just got this amazing new book. NOT a cookbook, but a book about flavor combinations that helps you create your own recipes and amp up the volume on ones you already have. Example: Yesterday I made braised pork chops with a red onion and balsamic reduction, served with cauliflower au gratin. No recipe, just my own inspirations. It was wonderful! The first non-restaurant pork chop I have ever tasted that was juicy and moist! I think I will be blogging a lot about those whims of creativity.


Tonight however, was a French pastry experiment: Profiteroles with Fresh Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce. I must say, I out did myself. Pate a Choux is a French pastry base for cream puffs and among other things beignets and eclairs. I always thought it would be hard, and well it was not easy. I had to start over cuz I did not read my recipe right. 1/2 cup flour ≠ 2 tablespoons flour! But when I fixed it, the profiteroles turned out beautifully!

The heavy cream, although stubborn, eventually submitted to the whisk and whipped up. And the chocolate sauce I literally poured out and licked off the plate! Bon Appetit! Soooo delicious!

Baked Chicken is so NOT Boring

Yes. I know. Baked Chicken. It might remind you of a rubbery, flavorless, dry paste made hardly any better doused in Ranch Dressing.

BUT! Not my way. How does this sound? Chicken basted in an herbed butter draped in prosciutto slices over a bed of caramelized onions. I am salivating just talking about it.

So not boring served with my Great Aunts fresh parker-house rolls, bacon flavored green beans and fresh cherries! YUM!