Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

----------------SOURCE: THE NATIONAL CULINAR---------------------

The use of salt has been pervasive throughout the history of culinary
arts. A universal seasoning used in all cuisines, salt intensifies
the flavors of food when used in moderation. Beneficial to baking,
salt adds strength to the gluten structure and controls fermentation.
In the curing process it retards bacteria and mold growth due to its
powers of moisture retraction. It prolongs the shelf life of dairy
products and countless packaged foods. Salt as a cooking vessel, also
has a long history dating back several hundred years when Asian
cooks, who preserved poultry with salt, rehydrated it and used hot
salt as a cooking vessel because of its even heat conduction
properties. Foods cook quickly and are surprisingly moist when
cooked in salt, despite its natural tendency to draw moisture out of
foods. It is important to emphasize that cooking in salt crust does
not result in an excessively salty product. During the cooking
process, the protein is protected from direct contact with the salt
by its natural skin or a wrapping (e.g. parchment or leaves). This
protective barrier minimizes the transfer of salt to the protein. In
the Madrid region of Spain, pollo puente de moros - baked chicken in
clay utilizes a very salty clay soil as a crust for baking. Once
baked, the result is a clay vessel which is broken at the table to
reveal the moist and elegant surprise within. This article will
describe four variations of cooking in salt crust as taught by the
chef instructors at the California Culinary Academy. These variations
utilize either rock salt or coarse-grained kosher salt depending on
the size of the meat, fish or poultry that is being prepared. For
large cuts, coarse rock salt is preferred due to its slow-dissolving
characteristic. Thus, rock salt is the choice when baking a whole
fresh salmon ideal for a buffet presentation. Another possibility is
a variation of the classic Pacific Islander technique of using hot
rocks to cook in a hole called an "imu pit." Pork shoulder baked in a
salt crust is so similar in taste and texture to traditional kalaui
pork that it's like creating a luau for one guest. For smaller cuts
that make spectacular table-side presentations, coarse-grained kosher
salt is used. Examples would include roasted squab in salt crust or
filet of trout in a salt and cracked peppercorn crust.

Submitted By SHERREE JOHANSSON On 10-20-94

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