SaltAir

the taste of things

Love pours over ; Please gimme a second here….

I have always been a cook, but I became a chef out of necessity. I was a stay-at-home-mah for 5 years. Truly happy to be doing it, and just like that, in a flash, like an earthquake, it was all over. I was divorcing and panicked in the reality of joining back the work force. Although I was passionate in my health counseling and nutrition coaching biz, becoming a mother changed me. My nervous system was shot; My life circumstance made it so very clear. Clear that I wanted to only fulfill my hearts desire to cook and somehow figure out a way to make a living doing it. So I did just that. Brick by brick I rebuilt my life. I applied to the culinary school of my dreams, got in, and here I am now. Thats the short.

I love on people with my food. A care and love I so deeply crave myself. Giving what we need is such a beautiful offering to me. Love pours over. Food nourishes not only the senses but also the soul. Soul food for the receptive, but also the giver. So although Im not that house wife anymore, I’m a Homemaker extraordinaire - A chef of nourishment -A figure-it-outer, and lover.

I watched “The Taste of Things”, with my dear friend Claire the other night. It’s a gorgeous movie. I wept and enjoyed every morsel. What a beautiful depiction of love and romance. I love to indulge in life’s tasty offerings, and this movie is a true celebration of that. Its heartbreaking and wonderful. If you love cooking, its the best food porn movie I have ever seen.

So whats the f’ing point Jessica ? Well , here I am, pouring my love into my food but I want to share it with you. The brick by bricks. The mealy tomatoes, but also the perfect warm fresh picked from the vine ones… Cause thats how we know the difference in life right? “Its heartbreaking and wonderful”. I want to share my food stories and recipes with you. I want to share what inspires me and what I’ve learned. I’m working on my cook book , and want to share sample chapters and things I’m working on. Pro tips, tools I love , and all that. So, settle in with me for a good pour over .

Before you subscribe to this and go… I want to drop a little French technique.

You’ve might have heard of the 5 mother sauces. Its a thing we had to learn in culinary school. Google it, its beside the point. I don’t know why the Beurre Monté sauce is not part of this “Mother Sauce” club, but I think it aught to be. Its so basic and so useful. Ready… Here it goes:

Beurre Monté:

An emulsified butter sauce

It literally means “mounted butter”

Its an emulsion of water and butter which can be used as a base for cooking,  but I mostly use it to make a finishing sauce.   

You start with 2 tablespoon of water, bring to a simmer and whisk in, 1 tablespoon of cold unsalted butter at a time.  You can use 1 tablespoon of butter and up to one LB of butter to make this sauce.  A stick (8 Tablespoons) is usually my go-to.  Its silky and sexy.

An emulsion is fusing two things that do not usually mix together.   Kinda romantic right? Its magic really.  Well its science really really. You can use this sauce to cook and finish off your scallops.  Your butter pasta just got a little more refined. There are so many uses.

After you make the sauce, you can build on it. You can whisk in some wine at the end. Or maybe whisk in some miso at the end… what about that chili garlic crisp stuff?  I mean, its butter, the possibilities are endless.   

Play with it.  Let me know what you come up with.

Art by: Yana Potter

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