Salt is glorious mineral. Set it upon a bland dish and it will root around that blandness, find something interesting, and report it back to your tongue. With a good dish it's even better. It gathers all the flavors that are already popping and gooses them a couple notches higher—the sweets become sweeter, the umami deeper. It’s no coincidence that anywhere people eat, you find salt.

So we decided to see what we could do to test the mineral's versatility. The idea of blending salt with wine comes from John Eisenhart, chef of Pazzo Ristorante in Portland. His vino of choice is a white variety called Gewürztraminer, but he also approves of tannin-heavy wines like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.  If salt’s strength is that it plumbs the depth of complex flavors, then there’s perhaps nothing better to pair it with than wine, a beverage so deep and reticent that entire careers have been devoted to unraveling it.

With that in mind, I grabbed an old bottle of red from the Guy Gourmet test closet and went to work. The result braces the salt between layers of sweetness and red wine acidity. It’s a fantastic complement to an heirloom tomato, and I could just as easily imagine it dusting a thick hunk of watermelon or a bowl of sliced strawberries. It would also make a pretty righteous brine for a pork chop or an accent to a soft cheese. If you discover any other surprising uses, let us know. We never turn down a good food tip.

Red Wine Sea Salt
Recipe from John Eisenhart

You'll need:
2 cups red wine
¾ cup coarse sea salt
1 cup sugar
8 springs thyme, chopped
2 strips lemon zest, finely chopped

How to make it:
1. Pour the wine into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Reduce it by half half and turn the heat to low. Continue reducing until you’re down to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine course sea salt, thyme, lemon zest, and wine reduction in a food processor and pulse until the blend is homogenized and has the consistency of table salt.
3. Spread the mixture on a sheet pan to dry overnight at room temperature.

 

Via: Make Your Own Red Wine Sea Salt

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The Middle East is no stranger to strife, and its kitchens are nearly as contentious as its borders. The catalyst for all the culinary unrest? A regional spice blend called za'atar. The exact formulation varies across countries—nay, each household even—and each believes its recipe to be superior.

We here at Guy Gourmet take a more moderate stance: I've never encountered za'atar I didn't like, and I've yet to encounter a dish that didn't benefit from its addition.

So what exactly is this wonder ingredient? Za'atar is a blend of sumac, sesame seeds, thyme, and salt, with cumin, oregano, and other spices occasionally being included as well. Earthy, savory, and tremendously aromatic, it’s responsible for much of the pervasive, iconic flavor associated Mediterranean food.

True purists craft their own, but packaged blends are readily available online or at Mediterranean specialty shops, and many mainstream grocers, including Whole Foods, carry it as well. Oh, and before you hit the store? It's pronounced "zAH-tahr," with no nasal "aeh" inflection. (Remember: It's a spice, not a strep culture.)

Now, chances are, you've already experienced this transformative ingredient; you just might not have been able to identify it. You know the ultra-authentic, luxuriant hummus that makes the store-bought stuff taste like reconstituted gerbil food? Teeming with za'atar. Or how about the vibrant, flavor-dense Greek salads you can never seem to recreate once home? Positively brimming with it. But traditional applications are just the beginning—this versatile ingredient works far beyond Mediterranean waters. Here are a few more options:

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Give them a shot or come up with your own. Either way, clear some space on your spice rack—this is one ingredient you'll want to keep close at hand. 

Via: Secret Weapon Zaatar: The Ultimate Spice Blend

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When it comes to a hot summer day, nothing says refreshing like an icy sweet tea in the shade. Unless, of course, we can we elevate this experience in the form of a cocktail.

Luckily for us (and you) we certainly can, courtesy of David “Mr. Mojito” Nepove, master mixologist and president of the U.S. Bartenders Guild (USBG), who shows us how it’s done. For this hard tea recipe, David ditches the usual bourbon or cognac and creates a vodka-infused, light-and-citrusy crowd-pleaser. It’s easily made in large batches and becomes an instant “serve yourself” punch that’s perfect for a brunch or any gathering on a sweltering August day. “Hard tea is classically made with dark spirits, which I love,” says David. “But good a vodka (David uses Effen here) creates a bright, refreshing cocktail that is pleasing to most palettes. So when you are looking to serve guests a refreshing cocktail, it’s an easy choice.”

The drink itself is basically fresh black and orange tea infused with sugar, mixed with fresh lemon juice, orange liqueur, and a good quality orange marmalade, providing a bitter note to balance out the sweetness. David also points out that once you have these proportions down, it is a breeze to swap out different complimenting flavors. “For a different spin you can replace the orange flavors for raspberry or even try oolong or darjeeling tea with some cucumber and mint. At the end of the day, it all comes down to balance,” he says.

And for us here at Guy Gourmet, it is all about enjoying good things with good people, so remember to make the best of these lazy summer days. Enjoy!

 

Via: Happy Hour Hard & Sweet Tea

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Luckily for us (and you) we certainly can, courtesy of David “Mr. Mojito” Nepove, master mixologist and president of the U.S. Bartenders Guild (USBG), who shows us the way. For this hard tea recipe, David ditches the usual bourbon or cognac and creates a vodka-infused, light-and-citrus-infused crowd-pleaser. It’s easily made in large batches and becomes an instant “serve yourself” punch that’s perfect for a brunch or any gathering on a sweltering August day. “Hard tea is classically made with dark spirits, which I love,” says David. “But good vodka, like Effen, creates a bright, refreshing cocktail that is pleasing to most palettes, so when you are looking for an easy to drink cocktail to serve guests, it’s an easy choice.”

The drink itself is basically fresh black and orange tea infused with sugar,  mixed with fresh lemon juice, orange liqueur, and a good quality orange marmalade, providing a bitter note to balance out the sweetness.  David also points out that once you have these proportions down, it is a breeze to swap out different complimenting flavors. “For a different spin you can replace the orange flavors for raspberry or even try oolong or darjeeling tea with some cucumber and mint. At the end of the day, it all comes down to balance,” he says.

Hard and Sweet Orange Tea
What you’ll need:
1 25.5 oz bottle of good quality vodka
12.5 oz orange liqueur
16 oz marmalade
12.5 oz lemon juice
32 oz sweet tea

How to make it:
Steep 2 tea bag (like Lipton’s) and 2 orange flavored tea bags with 32 ounces of hot water. Stir in 8 ounces of simple syrup let cool to room temperature. Combine the tea with the remaining ingredients in a punch bowl and garnish with lemon and orange wedges. Serve over ice.

 

Via: Happy Hour Hard And Sweet Tea

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Long after I could bait my own hook and catch my own fish, I still hadn't tried cooking one whole. Fillets seemed much neater and easier to cook, and why bother with fish heads unnecessarily?

The reason, I discovered, is flavor. It's the difference between cooking a whole roast chicken and a cutlet: The former is much more tender, juicy, and delicious. Fish is no different.  Plus, the prep work, cooking, and even clean-up is so effortless, it's worth taking the time to find a fishmonger who can net you a whole fish (some supermarkets may carry them in season). Most will clean it for you too. I recommend having it scaled, gutted, and removing the fins, tail and head unless you're one of those rare brave souls who will eat fish cheeks.

For my first whole-fish endeavor I opted for branzino, or Mediterranean sea bass (the French call it Loup de Mer or wolf of the sea). It's the right size—one per person is sufficient—and the flavor, like most bass, is mild. To showcase the true flavor of the fish and not overwhelm it, I kept things simple—just a little salt and pepper, inside and out, to season the fillets, then lemon slices and fresh thyme inside each. (I secured them with toothpicks.) This technique would also work well for red snapper, trout, or black bass (branzino is a white bass).

The procedure is simple: Grill on medium high for seven minutes per side, and you're done. It really couldn't be easier. The fish with flake apart when done, so you can just dig in. There aren't really any besides the spine and the skin was crispy and blackened which made me actually want to try it—although that's a personal preference. Serve it with a nice chilled white, crusty bread, and salad. Even fish haters will have a hard time resisting.

Whole grilled branzino with lemon and thyme

What you'll need:
2 whole cleaned branzino
1 to 2 lemons, sliced
4 bunches fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for grate oiling*

How to make it:
1. Preheat a gas to medium high or a charcoal grill until the coals are white and hot.
2. Clean the fish and pat them dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff each with lemon slices and thyme and secure with toothpicks. Coat outside of fillets with about 1 tablespoon of oil.
3. Grill the fillets until the fish is opaque and flaky and the skin crisps and blackens slightly, about 7 minutes. Flip and grill for another 7 minutes.

*Guy Gourmet Tip: Possibly the most important step, if you're grilling and not roasting, is to oil the grates extremely well. I wiped down both grill and fish with a paper towel soaked in olive oil and still had some sticking, but that smoky flavor infusion beats using foil any day. 

Via: Discover The Easiest Way To Grill Fish

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