Quite a savory discussion in the comments below on the subject of salt, a seasoning that’s near to my heart.

Lately, I’ve been playing around with using a bunch of different salts with the idea of creating a more complex flavor… like a winemaker blends in a little merlot with cabernet. I feel a little like a mad scientist throwing in a pinch of Baja sea salt with a dash of Argentinian salt and a shake or two of salt from Hawaii. (Which gets its pale orange hue from the red soil of Kauai… a sight to see for sure. Gosh, I wish I was there right now!)

Last night, I worked the salt layering for a pretty tasty French onion soup. I used the bones from my Thanksgiving prime rib to make beef stock… in a cooking course I took at the Culinary Institute of America, I learned not to salt the stock until the end of the cooking process…. then you can reduce the stock to concentrate the flavors without coming up with something way salty. I enlisted the help of my nephew Brandon to cut up a whole bunch of sweet onions… sauteed those until they were soft and caramelized and added a generous couple of pinches of this gorgeous Kosher salt and cracked black pepper mix that a very nice person gifted me.

Those went into the seasoned stock and the final salt note was the shredded parmesano reggiano (from Fino’s) on top. Now that I’m writing it, it sounds like a big hassle, but it wasn’t. Especially with company in the kitchen.

Where’s the best place in/around Memphis to buy gourmet salt? Can you taste a difference? Does any restaurant make beef stock from scratch? (And are they willing to show us the bones?)