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PASS THE SALT AND PEPPER By Sheilah Kaufman
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Did you know that salt, a totally versatile food, is used in more than 40,000 different ways - from manufacturing to medicine? This mineral is essential for life, without it we would die. Recently salt has diversified with options ranging from regular table salt to specialized sea salts. Salt and pepper are the soul of cuisine, and transform ordinary food into flavorful meals. Like partners in a good marriage, salt and pepper bring out the best in each other, in fact they need each other for balance and completion. Almost any savory dish, and a few sweet ones, that uses salt calls for pepper as well, even some that derive their main piquancy from chilies.

SALT AND PEPPER (by Sandra Cook, Sara Slavin, and Deborah Jones / Chronicle Books, Ca.) heighten the flavor of any food they season. This intriguing book provides you with recipes driven by these remarkable ingredients as you are introduced to the variety of salts and peppers available. The recipes are innovative, classic and new, and take a fresh look at the universal ingredients we have always taken for granted. There is a history of salt (Roman soldiers were paid with it), the value of salt, salt and rituals, and many tips using salt (like removing stains, cleaning with salt, preserving with salt), when and how to use it, types, and a salt and pepper glossery.

SALT AND PEPPER FRIED SAGE LEAVES

Serve these aromatic, crunchy leaves as a snack or use as a condiment on roast pork, or chicken, or to garnish soups. Each crisp leaf delivers a simple combination of salt and heat.

• 20 large fresh sage leaves, stems removed
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/ 3 cup cornstarch
• 1/ 3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/ 4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/ 4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/ 4 teaspoon ground cumin
• vegetable oil for frying
• fleur de sel to taste

1. Place the sage leaves in a small bowl.
2. Pour the wine and vinegar over them and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or for up to 1 hour.
3. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the cornstarch, flour, kosher salt, pepper and cumin.
4. Remove the leaves from the wine mixture and while they are still damp, coat each leaf with the flour mixture, pressing lightly so that the dusting adheres to the leaf. Set aside on a plate.
5. Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
6. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1/ 2" into a sauté pan and heat over medium-high hear until the oil shimmers but is not smoking.
7. Working in batches of 5 to 6 leaves, drop the leaves into the oil.
8. As soon as they begin to turn golden, turn each leaf over. The total frying time should be about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves to the Prepared plate to drain. They can be kept hot in a warm oven for up to 30 minutes.
9. Just before serving, sprinkle the leaves generously with fleur de sel.
10. Serve hot.

SALT ROASTED PEARS with Camembert

Salt roasting pears makes the skins slightly salty and a bit crisp. You can prepare the pears in advance, then place them in the oven right before you sit down to dinner or halfway through the meal.

• 4 firm but ripe bartlett, packham, or anjou pears
• 4 pounds rock salt
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur
• 1/ 4 pound camembert cheese
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Holding a paring knife at a 45 degree angle, cut out a 1" round from the bottom on each pear. Save for later.
3. With a melon baller or small spoon, remove the seeds and core. If possible leave the stems intact for presentation.
4. Pour the rock salt into an ovenproof pot. Place the pears, stem side down in the salt, nesting them in so that they are about 2/ 3 covered.
5. Place 1/ 2 tablespoon of the liqueur in each pear cavity. Cut the cheese into 4 equal pieces and place one piece in each cavity. Replace the small round on the bottom of each pear.
6. Roast the pears in the oven for an hour. They should be browned on the outside and feel soft when lightly squeezed. If still firm, return them to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes longer.
7. To serve, remove from the salt, brush off any remaining crystals, and place each pear in a bowl or plate, slice, and serve immediately.
8. Pass the pepper at the table.

CHOCOLATE AND PINK PEPPERCORN COOKIES

• 3/ 4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/ 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/ 4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/ 2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/ 3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/ 3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/ 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 large egg whites
• 4 tablespoons freshly crushed pink peppercorns

Filling:

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/ 4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well mixed.
4. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and creamy.
5. Beat in the cocoa and vanilla.
6. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Stir in the flour mixture.
8. Drop the cookie dough by teaspoons onto the baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2" apart. Sprinkle each mound with about 1/ 4 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns.
9. Bake the cookies until firm and dry to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
10. While cookies are cooking, make the filling: In a bowl stir together the cheese and sugar until well blended.
11. When the cookies are cool, spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies, spreading it to within about 1/ 4" of the edge.
12. Top with a second cookie, pressing the flat side against the filling.
13. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
14. Makes about 2 dozen.