Marie Cookpad

    What you are looking at is a plate of Steak and Eggs.  There is nothing so unusual to that you might be thinking, but  . . .  what if I told you I had cooked it on a block of Himalayan Sea Salt?  Is your interest yet piqued?    Himalayan salt blocks – also known as Himalayan salt plates, gourmet salt blocks or pierre de sel – are an exciting way of seasoning and serving food. The dusky pink Himalayan rock can be slowly heated or chilled to extreme temperatures. The tight crystal lattice in the Himalayan salt block means that it holds its temperature for long periods of time – to the extent that the salt block can be used to fry fish, or keep ice cream chilled.     They come in a whole variety of sizes, from small individually sized ones, to larger ones. You can use them for all sorts and they really make for a unique presentation of raw or cold foods, imparting a tiny bit of flavour to the foods as they sit upon its surface....

  One meat my husband really loves is Pork Chops.  He loves nothing better.  Cooking pork chops can be a bit tricky I find.  There is an optimum length of time to cook them and it varies from chop to chop, depending on the type and the thickness of the chop.    In the old days people were really afraid of under-cooked pork and so had a tendency to way overcook their pork.  My poor mum used to feed us chops that were so overcooked, you needed a ton of gravy or applesauce just to make them edible.  Bless her  . . . she meant well and had only our safety in mind. Everyone had the same fears with pork and overcooked their meat. It wasn't just her.   One thing which helps with the tenderness  of chops is to brine them prior to cooking.  This is a technique that I have only discovered in recent years and I have to say that it really makes a huge difference!  My chops were never dry anyways, but now they are even better!  ...

  We don't eat red meat very often in our home. It is a rare treat for us, so when we do, I want to make sure that I prepare it in as best a way as I can.  We were having company for lunch the other day and I decided to cook some pork chops that I had bought at Costco.    They were lovely, thick bone-in loin chops.  I had not seen chops that thick in a long time.  I think they were about 1 1/2 inches thick.  I was a bit concerned as to how I was going to cook them adequately without drying them out.    I decided that I would try brining them.  Brining is simply a food process where meats and poultry are soaked in a salt/sugar brine for a time prior to cooking them, which not only lightly seasons them but helps to tenderise and enhance the flavour of the meat. People have been brining chickens and turkeys for years.   I created a simple brine of water, apple juice, salt and herbs.  I soaked the pork chops in this mixture, covere...