Cooked Food for Thought (and Speech)

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: June 18, 2013

A fast dinner, beef stir-fry. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

A fast dinner, beef stir-fry. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

It made so much sense the second I read it. One of those "of course!" moments. It was, not atypically, while reading Michael Pollan in his NYTimes magazine story a few years ago about how no one cooks anymore (really?). Certainly in the 1980s and 1990s most of the country relied on reheating already-cooked food for their meals. And perhaps as a result, at least in part, we became a grossly obese country where seemingly the only people who dieted were the people who were already thin, and the rest made increasingly bizarre, unsustainable stabs at it. A physically sick country, a confused country—don't get me started. The "of course" moment. It didn't come from Pollan, but rather from a researcher ...

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Posted in Article, blog, Food Culture, Food History, Food Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Friday Cocktail Hour: The Cosmopolitan

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: June 14, 2013

The Cosmopolitan/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

The Cosmopolitan. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

What else with the fried chicken for a graduation lunch? Any special beverages for graduation? "Kathy likes Cosmos," our soon-to-graduate daughter offered. We considered. But this was lunch, so we decided to keep it to wine and beer, and a champagne toast for the three graduates we were to celebrate (gosh, they are so much more responsible than I was, praise the Lord). But that Cosmo idea. It stuck. Because Kathy Mustee, wife and mom of four including newly graduated twins, is a pleasure to be with, smart, and, significantly, she is not to be trifled with. Even my daughter fears the Wrath of Kathy, the only person I know her openly to fear (I'd have paid Kathy for lessons had I known). And she likes Cosmos. Clearly, ...

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Posted in beverage, Cocktails | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Graduation Fried Chicken

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: June 12, 2013

Deep frying. Look at that golden brown color! Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

Perfectly cooked fried chicken! Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

For her high school graduation lunch last week, my daughter asked for my fried chicken. Normally, I break down a chicken into 9 pieces and cook it and serve it. But we’d invited friends, bringing our total number to 20. Fried chicken for 20 is different from fried chicken for four. I had no intention of spending all that time frying while hosting the lunch. But it wasn't until we were seated and one of the guests, while biting into a juicy drumstick, asked, “You can do this ahead of time?” did I realize that I must, must post on this subject, to deepen our understanding and encourage more cooking of one of the greatest dishes in the American ...

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Posted in american regional cuisine, Chicken, Kitchen Tips | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

Rhubarb Walnut Crumble Pie

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: June 10, 2013

rhubarb pie1 Lisa Ludwinski, 29, is a baker and cook living in Ferndale, Michigan. She recently returned to the Great Lakes State after a six-year stint eating bagels, nannying, and mixing many pounds of cookie dough in Brooklyn, finishing with stints at Momofuku Milk Bar and Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Now she is the owner of Sister Pie, a from-scratch home bakery serving the Detroit area via the Facebook page, and aims to celebrate the seasons with pie and other sweets through unique interpretations and natural ingredients. For now, she's able to bake pies from home for sale under Michigan's Cottage Food Law, but her goal is to open a full-service breakfast/lunch/pie shop. Here she offers her take on one of my favorite pies. I like to make a lattice top, which allows all of the moisture to escape efficiently (and ...

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Posted in baking, Desserts, Guest Post, Pastry, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Friday Cocktail Hour: The French 75

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: June 7, 2013

The classic French 75. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

The classic French 75. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

It's a celebratory week here in the Ruhlman household. Two significant graduations and the 18th birthday of my daughter. So bubbly is on hand, and it led me to this thoroughly refreshing and restorative cocktail, the French 75, which I was first introduced to at the Velvet Tango Room. The concoction was apparently named after a French field gun, owing to its kick, at Harry's Bar in Paris, and I love its French name best, Soixante Quinze. It couldn't be simpler: a gin sour (lemon juice and simple syrup), topped with dry sparkling wine, finished with a twist. Best wishes to all on this first Friday of June, but especially to the parents out there with kids who are graduating.

The French ...

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Posted in Cocktails, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

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