Vanilla salt puts a nice finishing touch on salads and more.
Ice cream, wafers, pastries. These days, when we think of vanilla it’s generally within the context of dessert.
But for me lately, the ancient New World spice is evoking visions of steaks and salads.
Vanilla salt is a relative newcomer in many pantries, an offshoot of the artisinal salt movement that took off in the early 2010s. Several varieties are on the market from brands including Boise Salt Co., Hepp’s Salt Co., Jacobsen Salt Co. and others.
I’m a fan of the variety from Singing Dog Vanilla, a Eugene, Ore.-based company that specializes foremost in vanillabased products with bakers in mind. But this salt is not for baking.
The bottle suggests a pinch on chicken or fish, although I found the intense flowery tropical aroma a bit intense when put up against a mild snapper fillet. But lamb chops, oh, boy, that was a different story altogether. Used as a finishing touch, the highly perfumed salt added an aroma that perfectly contrasts with lamb’s mild gamey smell.
For you margarita drinkers, vanilla salt completely changes the drink’s olfactory experience when it’s used to rim a glass. And a few flakes on a spinach and strawberry salad added impressive dimension.
Of course, if you just have to keep it sweet, vanilla salt is an asset come dessert time as well. Just add a pinch to the top the next salted caramel confection that comes out of your oven — or chocolates or ice cream — and see for yourself.