Better than writer's block

An early holiday gift arrived chez FG, and what a gift it is. I was watching Iron Chef America several weeks ago, and (as I recall) Chef Morimoto served sashimi on a block of Himalayan salt. I mentioned it to Someone, who did his homework, and winging its way from Portland came a very, very heavy block of salt.

Suggestions:

Arrange thinly sliced carpaccio or sashimi on a cool salt platter. Watch as the food salt-cures while at the table, gently cooking the edges and bringing on just a smidge of mineral-rich saltiness.

Place a large square tile of salt under the broiler. Wait 30 minutes, then remove the tile with a kitchen glove. Set on trivet at table, and saute fish, meats, and veggies. While cooking, your food will take on a light saltiness.

Place a large platter of Himalayan salt on the backyard grill, and plank grill a fennel-and-lemon stuffed monkfish, a lime-and-ginger marinated flank steak, or a balsamic and garlic rubbed Portobello mushroom.

Heat a large Himalayan salt platter on an outdoor gas grill (best) or an indoor gas stove (use extreme caution). Lightly butter the salt platter, toss on firm bananas, grill 20 seconds on each side. Turn off the grill (important), douse with grappa or bourbon, ignite with a long match. Blow out last flames and serve with scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Freeze a block or plate for two hours. Remove, and plate up scoops of ice cream or sorbet. More fun yet, warm lightly whipped sweet heavy cream, egg, honey, and aged bitters, and refrigerate. Remove the salt slab from freezer, pour mixture on it, slowly lifting with spatula, for a salt-tinged ice custard you will not soon forget.

Gravlax: thaw a filet of commercially frozen (for health reasons) salmon, roll in sugar and minced dill, arrange on a Himalayan salt plate, cover with a heavy brick of Himalayan salt, wrap in paper bag and refrigerate for three days, slice, serve with crème fraîche and melba toast or just eat.

Use it as a serving platter for butter, cheeses, or dried meats. When used as a plate for moist food such as apple slices and mozzarella, the food acquires an enhanced salt and mineral flavoring.

Place a large plate on the rack of your oven, preheat, and then bake bread, pizza, and savory pastries.

I'm looking forward to getting cooking.