Our Recipes

A recipe of Mark Bitterman's take on Gravlax from his book, Salt Block Cooking.     A take on the classic using 400 million year old slabs of Himalayan salt in place of traditional kosher salt. Use fresh, wild-caught salmon in season if you can find it. Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 4x8x2 inch "brick" salt blocks 1 bunch fresh dill sprigs 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cracked fennel seeds 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 pound salmon fillet, skin on, pin bones removed Whole-grain crackers, for serving Crème fraîche, for garnish Chopped fresh dill, for garnish Cover one block with half of the dill sprigs. Mix the dry ingredients. Place the salmon on the dill-covered salt block, skin down. Coat the fleshy parts of the salmon, and cover with the remainder of the dill sprigs. Place the second salt block on top, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap, and place in a fridge. Leave in the fridge until the fish becomes resilient but not firm to the touch. The top surface should be dry, the sides moist, and the flesh will be slightly opaque. Allow one to three days. Thinner and wild salmon cure faster, while thicker and farm-raised salmon take longer. When it is ready, unwrap the gravlax, rinse off the spices, and pat dry. Serve skin side down crackers and top with crème fraîche and dill.  Recipe and photos by Mark Bitterman. To see more, check out Salt Block Cooking      

When the Italian fishermen of San Francisco threw together their combined catches, their respective gardens, and whatever wine they figured they could spare, they didn’t so much as create a masterpiece as procreate one. The heady addition of anise and fennel bitters marries the dish with the vibrancy of New Orleans: nothing short of physical passion in stew form.  Serves 6 Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced 2 medium yellow onions, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced ¾ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1½ cups white wine 2 teaspoons sea salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices 1 quart fish broth 2 teaspoons anchovy paste or finely chopped anchovy fillets 1 pound clams, scrubbed 1 pound mussels, scrubbed 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined 1 pound salmon fillets, cut into chunks ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons fennel bitters (Bar Keep) 1 tablespoon aromatic bitters Crusty bread, for serving Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Try not to brown. Put in the garlic and pepper flakes and stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, salt, and black pepper; boil for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, broth, and anchovy paste. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the celery is cooked through.At this point, you can store the broth for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Bring back to a simmer before proceeding. Add the clams and mussels to the broth, cover, and cook until the shellfish are open, about 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and salmon, cover, and return to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and bitters. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Discard any clams and mussels that don’t open. Serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil, in big soup bowls with lots of crusty bread. Recipe from Mark Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari - Photo by Clare Barboza Recipe adapted from Mark Bitterman's new book, Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari. 

The root beer float is unique among nonalcoholic masterpieces—decadent yet refreshing, simply constructed yet layered and dynamic. Many have perished trying to turn it into an adventurous alcohol beverage. But what are your options? Rum is boring and whiskey wrecks it. Just about any pure distilled spirit suffers from trying to capitulate the root beer’s bold, spicy personality. In short, “correcting” a root beer float is a tough proposition. So rather than submit to the root beer’s sweet assertiveness, go on the offensive. Bitters, balanced in their own right, blend with root beers effortlessly. The result is as delicious as it is unlikely. Serves 1 (you) Ingredients: 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar  6 ounces root beer  1 small bottle Boonekamp bitters (Underberg, Kuemmerling, or other)  4 dashes mole bitters  4 drops spicy bitters 1 scoop vanilla ice cream Freeze a large snifter for about 15 minutes Hold the glass by its stem and sift the confectioners’ sugar all over the top half of the outside of the glass. Pour the root beer, bitters, and tincture into the frosted snifter.  Add the ice cream and stir once or twice. Serve with a straw.  Recipe from Mark Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitter's and Amari  

You shoot a bird. You light a fire. You muster some African spices. You grab some salty-bittertart preserved lemons. Simple things unite, and your encampment is redolent with roasted spice and meat. Douse a bite with cardamom bitters. Now you stare up. The black night sky, buckshot with diamonds. Serves 8 Ingredients: For the chicken: 1½ tablespoons dried thyme 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 (4-pound) chicken, spatchcocked (see page 110 of Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon cardamom bitters 1 tablespoon lemon juice For the preserved lemon relish: Makes ½ cup 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped (page 110 of Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari) ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and/or cilantro ½ garlic clove, minced ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 dashes cardamom bitters 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil For the chicken, mix all of the spices into a rub; set aside. Preheat a grill for direct medium heat, 350 to 400°F.Rub the chicken all over with half the oil and all of the rub, concentrating on the skinless side. Brush and oil the grill grate and place the chicken skin side down on the grate.Grill for about 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula or tongs. Grill for another 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh registers 170°F. While the chicken is grilling, mix the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil, the bitters, and lemon juice together; set aside. Prepare the preserved lemon relish by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.Cut the chicken into serving pieces and drizzle with the olive oil–bitters mixture.Serve with the lemon relish. Recipe from Mark Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari  

Pillowy soft, creamy caramels with a touch of Mark's signature fleur de sel make the most luscious confection this side of the Mississippi. This recipe and more can be found in Mark Bitterman's James Beard Award winning book, Salted: A Manifesto.     Seriously, what's better than salt + butter? Makes a bunch of caramels Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup water 2 three-finger pinches Bitterman's Fleur de Sel, for finishing  Line an 8×8 inch square dish with wax paper and then slightly oil the paper. Combine butter and heavy cream in a small saucepan on low heat until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt sugar, water, and corn syrup together on medium-high heat, until mixture dissolves, begins to bubble and turns slightly brown in color (350 degrees F on a candy thermometer).  Remove from heat and gently stir in the cream mixture.   Place back on the burner and boil, stirring vigorously, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (about 10 minutes). Pour into prepared 8×8 dish, then let sit at room temperature until cooled and slightly firm. After 1 1/2 hours, invert dish onto cutting board. Peel off wax paper and cut into 1×2 inch rectangles. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and wrap in 4×5 inch wax paper squares. Find more recipes in Mark Bitterman's James Beard Award winning book, Salted: A Manifesto  

Black Diamond Flake Salt's pyramid-shaped crystals are very large and provide a nice toothsome crunch that makes for a marvelous counterpoint in texture on this creamy goat cheese appetizer. The raven color of this salt (along with the cacao nibs) also brings delightful visual contrast, sure to elicit an exclamation from your guests! An instant party classic! Simple to make, elegant, impressive and tasty to boot. If you've ever been to a cocktail class, build your own bitters class, or salt block coking class, you've likely snacked on this dish. Your next happy hour or party snack, below. Serves 10 to 12 Ingredients: 1 cup roasted cocoa nibs 1(8-ounce) log fresh goat cheese 2 three-finger pinches Black Diamond Flake Salt 1 (8-ounce) baguette Spread the cacao nibs in a single layer on a sheet of foil.  Roll the log of goat cheese carefully in the nibs so that the cheese doesn't stick to your fingers. Once the cheese is well coated, roll the rog with a little more pressure to embed the nibs into the cheese. Place on a serving plate. Sprinkle the cheese with salt, allowing the crystals to tumble across the plate.Cut the baguette into thin slices and arrange them around the cheese log or place them in a basket to serve alongside. To show guests how to serve themselves, cut a round of cheese from the log and place it on a slice of baguette; top with a few of the scattered chunks of Black Diamond Flake salt.  Original recipe from Mark Bitterman's Salted: A Manifesto - Follow along on instagram at @selmeler - Visit www.markbitterman.com

A classic pie made special with maple syrup and finished with Bitterman's Fleur de Sel, perfect for a cold, wintry day.