Monthly Archives: July 2010

CSA Pickles: Revised Ratio!

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 28, 2010

Pardus Pickles, photo by Donna

Chef Pardus blew through Cleveland a couple weeks ago, and with summer in full swing we had loads of little cukes on hand (we also did veal heart again, got it on video, stay tuned).  While there was much to do in getting dinner out (tongue salad with new potatoes, calves liver and onions, corn relish, cucumber sunomono, grilled foie gras (grilling foie takes some serious attention!), and the grilled heart with an herb shallot vinaigrette—Pardus found time to get my pickles on the cure.  Because of time constraints and other issues, he didn't add aromatics.  What he did was make a 3% brine. I have for years been using a 5% brine for everything, pickles, chicken, pork, etc.  But this 3% worked great and I'm thinking that if you're ...

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California Travel
Fresh Spring Rolls with Viet Dipping Sauce Recipe

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 26, 2010

Durian fruit being cut at a Vietnamese market in southern L.A. The green behemoths in front and back are jackfruit. (All photos by Donna.)

Flew out to southern California last week to be with one of Donna's oldest and dearest, almost entirely beaching it, but found time for one great restaurant meal and one day exploring little Saigon south of LA with the extraordinary White On Rice Couple, Todd Porter and Diane Cu. Diane, born in Vietnam two years before the family fled in 1975, and Todd, a native of Oregon, are photographers, videographers, writers, cooks and gardeners.  I met them in Ixtapa last January and was immediately impressed with their energy and work, but I didn't quite appreciate how fine these two souls were until they invited me and Donna and the ...

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New York City Travel

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 19, 2010

Pizza at Pulino's (iPhone photo)

What began as a Bourdain initiated boondoggle turned into a great break in NYC for me and Donna with several restaurants I’d been eager to try. We arrived early, unloaded our bags at the most excellent Ace hotel (I highly recommend), then headed south to Balthazar, where we had hoped to get some breakfast—love their shirred eggs; it's the perfect way to enter the city.  Alas, closed for renovations! The young ladies posted at the door to preserve customers sent us several blocks east to Bowery and Houston to the McNally’s pizza joint, Pulino’s, where we had our eggs, on pizza. (Why eggs on pizza aren’t more common, I have no idea; want to try it? Here's a recipe.)  We’d just taken a seat at the bar when ...

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Ratio App Now Available for Android Devices!

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 15, 2010

At last, thanks entirely to app developer, marketing genius and avid cook, Will Turnage, and graphic designer Leah McCombe, the Ratio smart phone application can be downloaded by those who use android devices! Thank you Will and Leah. Android users, scan this QR or click the link above.  Let me know in comments if you have any problems! qrcode For those who don't know what Ratio is or does, watch the demo below. The Ratio app is a cooking tool, a calculator of ingredients for 30 different fundamentals, from cake and muffin batters to bread doughs to vinaigrettes, to sausages and brine. I find it invaluable.  If I just need a couple cups of brine, I plug in the amount I want and it calculates the salt for me.  Same for if I have 28 ounces of sausage I need to season, or 247 grams of sausage for that ...

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Goodbye, Harvey Pekar

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 13, 2010

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III, The Plain Dealer

Cleveland Lost a great literary artist and story-teller yesterday when American Splendor author Harvey Pekar died at age 70. The Cleveland Plain Dealer devoted much of Page 1 to the news.  William Grimes wrote a worthy obituary in The New York Times. And while the appreciations are beginning to flow, no one has written a more thoughtful one than Anthony Bourdain on his blog today.  On location in Spain for his show No Reservations, Tony took time out to write a piece that places Pekar precisely in the context of his time and of the city that gave him such rich material.  As readers know, I try to avoid thanking Tony in public for anything, what with all the trouble he gets me into, but Tony, you've done ...

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Veggie U’s 8th Annual Benefit!

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 12, 2010

Veggie U., an offshoot of the renowned Chef's Garden, seeks to educate children about the importance of food in their lives. Real change must begin with the kids.  Their annual fundraiser is a worthy cause and a fabulous event.  Scores of chefs cooking, silent auction, wine tastings, chef demos. Highly recommended. Tickets cost $175, but mention this post when you call and they'll take $30 off your ticket.  For groups, by six at the regular price and receive two more tickets free. Details about the event here.

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Zucchini Fritters Recipe

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 12, 2010

Photo by Donna, from Live To Cook

You'll never guess what was included in our CSA haul this week.  Zucchini!  That's right, amazing as it may sound, there they were, three big fatties at the bottom of the bag. Seriously, it's not that I have a problem with zucchini, itself (though I did publicly disparage the zucchini a while back on Iron Chef America, which had a few zucchini lovers up in arms).  I like zucchini.  Julienned and sauteed in butter it's a simple summer side dish.  Add some nuts, herbs and a vinaigrette to zucchini you've salted for ten minutes and it's a revelation (raw zucchini salad). There are indeed all kinds of things you can do to zucchini.  I guess my problem is how much of it is grown.  Why do people grow ...

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How To Truss a Chicken

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 8, 2010

I've long wanted to post a chicken trussing video because there are so many silly videos out there that make it seem incredibly complicated.  Of the many good ways of trussing a chicken, Brian's method here is solid and simple.  Brian of course is the co-author of Charcuterie and chef/owner of Forest and Cinco Lagos outside Detroit. I must clarify something here—it was noted to me by Bob del Grosso, who documented it at the Culinary Institute of America—that the main reason you truss a chicken is to ensure a juicy breast.  That's what the even cooking part means. If the chicken isn't trussed, hot air circulates in the bird's cavity and will overcook and dry out the breast before the legs and thighs are done.  If ...

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Butter-Braised Radishes with Snow Peas

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 5, 2010

Butter-Braised Radishes with Snow Peas, photo by Donna
This was a last minute dish on Saturday to follow the fritters.  We had radishes, we had snow peas.  I had some mint in the garden.  Why not?  Crunchy, refreshing, satisfying, a fine vegetable dish.  You see, I don't ALWAYS have to throw cured pork products in (though, come to thing of it, this would be delicious with some bacon or pancetta thrown in!).  When you get your CSA goods, remember that it would be hard to combine them in ways that do not go together.  I wouldn't serve blueberries and chard but for the most part all this stuff goes well side by side. Butter Braised Radishes with Snow Peas a few tablespoons of butter Radishes, as needed, trimmed and quartered Snow peas, as needed, picked salt and pepper to taste a tablespoon ...

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