Fleur de Sel:

I am a salt fanatic. A salt connoisseur. A salt addict. I have a really bad habit of sprinkling some salt on an empty plate and collecting it with my finger, as some sort of post dinner treat. I can certainly pick a good salt when I see it, which is why when I stumbled upon a lovely little bag of fleur de sel, stashed in the black abyss of my mother in law's pantry, I knew I had struck a figurative gold mine (or a literal salt mine)! After doing some research, I learned a few interesting fleur de sel facts:
Fleur de Sel (flower of salt) is often considered the "caviar of salts" for it's rarity and price. It gets it's name from the scent of violets that develops as the salt dries. Nowadays it is harvested in Guérande, France, though it is often said that Fleur de Sel comes from the Brittany region (a true statement up until 1941, Guérande now falls within the Pays de la Loire region of France). In order to harvest, every detail needs to be just right: the season should be Summer, the tools should be wooden and the wind should be blowing just right. Perfect Fleur de Sel harvesting conditions happen during a one month period each year, generally mid-July to mid-August, on the summer nights when the temperature differential between the warm air and the surface of the saltmarsh is sufficient. Just as cream rises to the top of milk, so does the best Fleur de Sel. It is harvested from the very top of the saltmarshes in the traditional Celtic methods. This artisan sea salt is comprised of "young" crystals that form naturally on the surface of a saltmarsh. These delicate crystals form into perfect pyramids, rather than the cubical formation of standard NaCl (Sodium Chloride, aka Salt). Once formed, they align with the wind along the edges of the saltmarsh, to be immediately, yet skillfully, raked from the surface then drained and dried in the sun for at least one year. The remaining saltmarsh is then harvested for Sel Gris, the grey colored and mineral rich sea salt often seen on grocery store shelves. It is said that for every eighty pounds of Sel Gris harvested there are three pounds of Fleur De Sel.

A rarity, indeed.

Fleur de Sel can be used in many ways, whatever way you see fit to be quite honest. Just do your pocketbook a favor and save it for those special moments when salt is needed as a finishing touch: to dress a salad, atop a fresh batch of steamed veggies or as the extra umph of a tender rib eye straight from the grill.

One of my favorite treats is to top home-made caramels with just a pinch, for a salty, sweet treat.