A brand new monthly column that features the latest in essential ingredients…food trendspotting!  The hottest & much in demand products that every foodie and those who just love good food want to cook with. 

 

This month’s column takes you to France and brings you Fleur de Sel (“flower of the salt”) …it’s basically salt, but not just any salt.  Fleur de Sel is a very special all natural sea salt that is hand raked and harvested just outside the village of Guerande in Brittany, France.  The salt is harvested in July and August when the sea is calm and the weather conditions are just right.  The name Fleur De Sel comes from the aroma of violets that develops as the salt dries. Only the premium, top layer of the salt bed is used, it’s unprocessed, unrefined, unadulterated. The taste of Fleur de Sel is the complex balance of the sea and her minerals with small flaky crystals, a moist texture and slightly grey/pink cast.   This salt is unlike any you've ever tasted, more like a condiment than a spice, it highlights food flavors and is never too salty, in fact it is almost impossible to overdo it.  It’s also much healthier than your standard table salt, so put your saltshaker away and give this a whirl.