Whip up a mayonnaise and salsa worth their salt

Meanwhile, we know our receptors can respond to several tastes at the same time, at different intensities of sensitivity, and this is where seasoning comes in, as a way of balancing them to get the best flavour possible from our food.

For the final week of this month, in which I have been revisiting the basics, I thought we could take look at some of the essential flavour heighteners we use in western cooking, starting with salt. This is the most important seasoning of them all. It unlocks and heightens flavour in food, and we need a regular salt intake for our bodies to function normally.

Most of us probably grew up with bog-standard table salt, but these days there is choice. Maldon sea salt, for example, is harvested by using a gradual evaporation process that produces delicate flakes. Refined sea salt uses a much quicker process and therefore the crystals are a different shape. It tends to be less expensive than flaky sea salts and is good to use in everyday cooking. Sel gris, Himalayan pink salt and Hawaiian black salt take their colour from other minerals in the rocks, the sea bed or, in the case of black salt, from charcoal in volcanic rock.

Rock salt or halite comes from salt deposits on land. Dried-up lakes or seas are mined and the salt is flushed out with water, which is then evaporated, leaving the crystals. Standard table salt usually comes from salt that is mined but it often contains iodine or anti-caking agents.

Then there is kosher salt, which is used extensively in American cooking. Kosher salt does not get its name from Jewish dietary guidelines; the word comes from the salt that was used in the treatment of kosher meat, to draw out the blood. It became known as “koshering salt”, and the name stuck. It is usually mined salt, is inexpensive and contains no additives. As far as I am aware, kosher salt is not readily available in Ireland. In its place I use refined sea salt, keeping the flaky salt for texture.

It is important to know when to salt food. As well unlocking flavour, the mineral breaks down proteins, and salting meat well in advance of cooking allows it to retain more moisture. A little salt used at the beginning of cooking will usually unlock far more flavour than a lot of salt at the end, and it will create a better balance of flavours, too.

If you are reducing liquid, it is better to add most of the salt towards the end, because the salt will become more concentrated as the liquid reduces. Stocks, for example, are best salted at the end.

Spices are wonderful seasonings and none is more celebrated than the peppercorn, which has been salt’s table companion for centuries. It gives just enough kick without overpowering food and goes wonderfully with meat.

White pepper is black pepper without the husks, green pepper is the freeze-dried unripe berry, and black pepper is cooked and dried, which gives it its colour. Pink peppercorns are from an entirely different plant (not even of the pepper family).

Lemon juice or zest is also a useful seasoning and can lift almost any dish, even when you do not want a lemony flavour. It is the citric acid in lemon that produces the mouth-watering effect.

Vinegar and wine are other “acids” that can give food a tangy flavour, along with tomatoes, which are also acidic. Vinegar is used to preserve and pickle food, a technique that is coming back into fashion. Acids can also be used to change the texture of food and give it extra layers of flavour. Lime juice, for example, gives raw fish in ceviche a more “cooked” texture plus a zingy-fresh flavour that is balanced with salt, chillies and herbs.

Herbs are a healthy seasoning and add fresh flavours to dishes. The woodier ones, such as thyme and rosemary, or the deeper flavours of sage or tarragon are great when cooked into dishes. Softer herbs including basil, chives, mint and coriander are usually added towards the end of cooking, or added raw before serving to freshen things up and create contrasts in flavour.

Garlic is more potent, of course, but is also considered a seasoning. It can be used raw or cooked to season food. Balance is important here, as with most seasonings.

Salsa verde is a great example of seasonings combined to make a superb condiment for vegetables, fish, meat and pasta. It can transform the most boring dish into an interesting flavoursome meal. I have created a basic recipe for salsa verde but you can add or swap anything you fancy (other herbs, capers, garlic, vinegar, anchovies) — the flavours are yours for the making.

Homemade mayonnaise has triple the flavour of the shop-bought version and can be made into many different types of flavoured sauces, including aioli, Caesar dressing or a rouille for bouillabaisse. My easy-peasy mayonnaise recipe, below, makes most things taste great thanks to its blend of oil, eggs, vinegar, salt and pepper. A dash of water will usually fix a mistake if you catch it in time while I find extra-virgin olive oil a little too strong to use. I use a half-and-half mix with another oil, such as sunflower.

Mayonnaise
Makes 1 jar

What you will need
2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
½ tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp white wine vinegar
300ml/10½fl oz mild extra-virgin olive oil and sunflower sunflower oil mix
Salt and pepper

How to prepare
Place the egg yolks in a bowl and add the mustard, white wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper, and mix well.

With a damp cloth under the bowl to prevent it from spinning, pour the oil at a steady trickle while whisking vigorously. If the oil is poured too fast or is not whisked enough the emulsion will start to split. If this happens, to save the mayonnaise, add a few drops of water and keep whisking — it will come back to life beautifully.

When all the oil is added, check for seasoning and season to your own taste. You may prefer a dash more vinegar, some mustard or another pinch of salt.

Salsa Verde
Makes 1 jar

What you will need
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice or red wine vinegar
Leaves from a large bunch of parsley (about 30g/1oz)
Small bunch of chives (about 15g/½oz)
Large bunch of coriander, stalks included (about 30g/1oz)
2 tbsp capers
150ml/¼ pint extra-virgin olive oil

How to prepare
Add the chopped shallots to a bowl and pour over the lemon juice, then add a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes, then chop the herbs and capers finely and add to the bowl. Whisk in the olive oil slowly.

I find a chopped version much better than a blended salsa verde. I sometimes make it with red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice, particularly if using on red meat. I also sometimes add a little lemon zest if I am looking for a zingy sauce. Lemon zest can brighten up the salsa nicely if it has been left in the fridge for a few days.

It is best to allow the salsa’s flavours to develop for about 30 minutes before you eat. The salsa will keep in the fridge for up to five days once there is a layer of olive oil over the top.

COOK’S LIBRARY

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by Samin Nosrat (€39.20, easons.com)

Samin Nosrat, a food writer and chef who trained at Chez Panisse in California, has taken her cooking philosophy, developed over 17 years, and distilled it into a down-to-earth book. In it she explains how all dishes boil down to four elements: salt enhances, fat amplifies, acid brightens and balances, and heat determines texture.

Through a combination of illustrations, graphs and essays, Nosrat arms you with the underlying principles that you need to make anything taste good.

If you want to become a better cook, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will provide you with a deeper understanding in a simple format.

Nosrat’s chocolate pudding is perfect for a dinner party

Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding

Serves 6

Nosrat writes: “For years now, I’ve cooked a regular dinner series together with the bakers at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. We call it Tartine Afterhours. After the bakery closes, we push all the tables together and cook all our favourite foods, and serve them to folks on big, beautiful family style platters. It’s not very fancy but we pour everything we’ve got into it.

“Sometimes, around midnight, when we’re in the middle of cleaning up, I’ll realise I haven’t eaten properly since breakfast. Looking around, I’m surrounded by pastries. As I’m invariably hot and sweaty after a long day’s work, the only thing that ever looks good is a little bowl of chocolate pudding, calling out to me from the glass-doored fridge. I’ll find a spoon, pull out a bowl of pudding, and taste a spoonful. Creamy and cool, it always hits the spot.

“One by one, the others will spot me and come over. Together, we’ll silently finish the bowl and return to cleaning up. We always share the one bowl. Somehow, this is one of my favourite parts of the night. Here is my adapted version of the Tartine recipe — a little less sweet and a little more salty. Like Tartine, though, I use Valrhona cocoa powder, which makes all the difference.”

What you will need
115g/4oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
675ml/1¼ pints single cream
20g/¾oz cornflour
150g/5½oz sugar
15g/½oz cocoa powder
1¼ tsp kosher salt or heaped tsp fine sea salt

How to prepare
Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set a fine-mesh sieve over it. Set aside. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk lightly. Set aside. Pour the cream into a medium pan and set over a low heat. Remove from the heat just as it starts to emit steam and come to a simmer. Don’t let it boil — when dairy boils, its emulsion breaks and its proteins coagulate. The texture of a custard made with boiled dairy will never be completely smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornflour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the warm cream. Return the mixture to the pot and set over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for about six minutes, until the mixture visibly thickens. Remove from the heat. To test whether the mixture is thick enough, use your finger to make a line through the pudding on the back of the spoon. It should hold a line.

Slowly add 400ml/14 fl oz of the hot pudding mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously, then return it all back to the pot and set over a low heat. Continue to stir constantly, cooking another minute or so until the mixture visibly thickens again or registers 97C on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat and pour through the sieve. Use a small ladle or rubber spatula to guide the pudding through the sieve.

Allow the residual heat to melt the chocolate. Use a blender (or stick blender, if you have one) to blend thoroughly until the mixture is satiny and smooth. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Immediately pour into six individual cups. Gently tap the bottom of each cup on the worktop to pop air bubbles. Allow the pudding to cool. Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate, covered, for up to four days.

Variations: to make a Mexican chocolate pudding, add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the milk. Continue as above. To make a chocolate-cardamom pudding, add a teaspoon of ground cardamom into the milk. Continue as above.