Life is all about contrast, rain and sun, sweet and salty, summer and winter.
Have you ever thought of salt as both cooking bowl and serving dish.
Here's your chance to give it a try with this recipe from Salted (Ten Speed Press) by Mark Bitterman.
While dipping fruits and cookies or marshmallows in the decadent results read Our Interview with Mark, the Selmelier.
Himalayan Salt Bowl Chocolate Fondue
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 heavy bowl of Himalayan pink salt (pint or quart capacity)
1 dash old-fashioned bitters
2 cups dark chocolate chips (60 percent cacao or darker is preferable)
2 bananas
24 strawberries, washed and greens trimmed
Preparation:
Remove the cream from the refrigerator so that it loses its chill.
Place the salt bowl on a stove burner over low heat and allow to warm for 30 minutes.
When the salt bowl is warm, about 125°F, add the cream and heat until just warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Add the bitters and stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. When the chocolate is mostly melted, add in the remaining chocolate and stir until completely melted.
While the chocolate is melting, peel the bananas and slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Arrange the strawberries and bananas on a serving plate.
With oven mitts, remove the salt bowl from the heat and place on a trivet. Serve the fruit with long skewers for dipping into the chocolate.
To clean the salt bowl, allow to cool, moisten and scrub with a nondetergent scrub pad, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towels.
“Reprinted with permission from Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes by Mark Bitterman, copyright © 2010. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.” Photo credit: Jennifer Martiné© 2010