I was very lucky to win a Saltworks Limited Edition Fusion Salt Sampler.

Lynn Turner from Seasoned & Stirred Blog held the giveaway contest, and since then we have become blogger pals.  It is amazing how the gift of gourmet food can bring people together.

Saltworks offers many varieties of superior quality sea salts from all over the world and boasts the largest selection of  gourmet sea salts available.

Each of the “fusion” flavors I received came packed in a decorative shot glass sized jar topped with a hand-milled cork.

My sampler also included three small spoons and clear glass bowls.  What a great gift, they are the perfect size for tasting the salts or to lay a little bit out for cooking…

These artisan salts should be savored, because a little bit goes a long way.  INTENSE is the best word to describe them, a small sprinkle delivers a lot of flavor.

These are the all natural flavors I received:

• fusion Wild Porcini -Mushroom salt is perfect for flavoring meats, salmon, soups, or risotto.
• fusion Black Truffle -True truffle flavor intensified by sea salt which is simply yummy on eggs, potatoes, and popcorn.
• fusion Spanish Rosemary -This “straight from the herb garden” sea salt can be added to just about any recipe to add fresh flavor.
• fusion Vintage Merlot -The salt that started the fusion line, amazing Merlot flavor when sprinkled on anything.
• fusion Expresso Brava -My fav of thie sampler.  Robust and hearty, it can be used in savory and sweet dishes alike.

Fresh baked soft pretzels sounded perfect when sprinkled with the flavored salts…

…but I had never tried to make them from scratch.

I searched for recipes on Foodnetwork.com and quickly decided on Alton Brown’s Homemade Soft Pretzel recipe.

My nephew Kyle is visiting and he loves to cook with me (I call him “The Next Food Network Star in Training”).

We made our first batch of soft pretzels and used the flavored salts to season them.

Alton’s recipe was easy to follow and we were surprised by how well they turned out…

What a perfect way to savor the variety of sea salt flavors in my sampler.  We gobbled them down quickly and decided to make another batch.

It was easy to get creative with the dough.  We had a lot of fun making silly shaped pretzels including dog bones, funny faces, and pretzel wrapped hotdogs.

Kyle created a masterpiece by rolling out the dough and filling it with shredded cheese to make Pretzel Ravioli…

…which were quite tasty once they were boiled and baked.

Now I’m pleased to announce that Saltworks is sponsoring a gourmet giveaway.

A lucky reader will win the gift of exquisite smoked sea salts…

The Limited Edition Artisan Smoked Salt Sampler collection is a delicious way to introduce an assortment of all natural smoked sea salt to any meal. Created for the person who loves to grill and cannot get enough of that delicious “smoked” flavor in their food.

The Smoke set includes salts that are smoked with Hickory, Alderwood, Coconut Shells, Applewood and even Chardonnay oak wine barrel wood.

This set comes complete with five different smoked salts (approximately .5 to .6 ounces each) in mini glass jars with hand-milled cork tops, 3 stainless salt spoons, and 3 salt serving bowls for sampling & display.

The winner was randomly selected and announced on September 2, 2010. Congratulations to Forfengdesigns!

Eatnlisten.com email subscribers are eligible to win all giveaways.

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*Activate your Eatnlisten.com subscription by replying to the Google Feedburner verification email. Subscriptions must be active at the time of the drawing for eligibility.

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***Winners will be contacted via email, and must provide a valid shipping address within the continental United States (the prizes can be delivered as a gift to another person).

Good luck and thank you for reading my blog.

Thanks to the kind folks at Saltworks, I truly appreciate yor generosity and can’t wait to pass on some of my luck with the gift of your exceptional all natural sea salts.

Brad