Often times you don't think about salt associated with dessert. Salt is meant for savory items like your entree, a bag of chips, or a pretzel.
But often times you find salt in dessert recipes even if it is just a pinch. Salt brings out flavors that are already there. That way, desserts, cookies and ice creams don't just taste, well, sweet. Products may even taste a bit flat without that extra pinch of salt.
In recent years, salt has played a bigger role where it is part of the highlight. We see this in items such as salted caramel and bacon chocolate. You can find the combination of salt and caramel in desserts throughout the city. Bi-rite Creamery has salted carmel ice cream. Kara's Cupcakes has a fleur de sel cupcake: chocolate with caramel filling and fleur de sel over the chocolate ganache frosting. Dynamo Donuts in the Mission has the caramel de sel donut and the maple bacon apple donut.
You can try it at home with your own recipes.
Double the amount of salt in your favorite chocolate chip or brownie recipe. Or, instead, sprinkle coarse salt right on top before you bake. Make some salted caramel sauce and put it in your hot chocolate or over your ice cream. Be adventurous when you go to the market: pick up some of that Himalayan pink salt and try it as a topping for ice cream.
Note, too, that tasting salt varies from person to person so be a little stingy when adding salt. You can always add more to get it right.
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