Michael Ruhlman » Michael Ruhlman

Cooked Food for Thought (and Speech)

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:25:58 +0000

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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Friday Cocktail Hour: The Cosmopolitan

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:00:39 +0000

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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Graduation Fried Chicken

Michael Ruhlman — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:14:10 +0000

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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Rhubarb Walnut Crumble Pie

Michael Ruhlman — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:28:09 +0000

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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Friday Cocktail Hour: The French 75

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:02:45 +0000

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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Travel: Charleston, SC

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:10:46 +0000

Charcuterie platter at Cypress. Photo by my iPhone.
Returned from one full week in Charleston feeling as never before what an exciting food town it has become. While I was there to film more Le Creuset demos at their new headquarters with Taste Five Media, as part of the fun I got to explore the town some more. By chance the Spoleto festival was underway and my dear mum was in town with friends. She'd booked a table at Cypress where Craig Deihl continues to serve house-cured salumi that is second to none in the country that I've tasted. My favorite was the Braunschweiger, smoked liverwurst. Most interesting charcuterie note was that for his emulsified sausages, such as the mortadella on the left, he grinds the meat five times rather than using a powerful ...
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Friday Cocktail Hour: Mint Julep

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:28:14 +0000

An excellent mint julep. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
In honor of the noble city of Charleston, SC, which I sadly depart today, I repost a drink I associate with the South. I had a rather tough go with my first julep experience (below), but I've come to regard it as one of my favorite cocktails, especially now as the mint has sprouted and the weather has warmed. I must must must thank four souls who have made this thirteen-hour shoot not seem like even an eight-hour day, owing to the fact that they have been spending eighteen-hour days prepping out the six demos I'm filming for Le Creuset. These souls are, of course, the cooks. Nick Garcia, sous chef at Kiawah Island Club. He's been the ace chef de cuisine. On the other end Tyler Osteen ...
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Stephanie’s Cheese Rant

Michael Ruhlman — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:10:57 +0000

Cheese. Photo by Stephanie.
Stephanie Stiavetti (@sstiavetti) writes The Culinary Life blog. Her first book, Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, will be published next year by Little, Brown. by Stephanie Stiavetti If you're a regular reader of Michael's site, then you're probably one of a class of people that thinks a lot about food. You might make it a point to buy quality ingredients, mostly prepare your meals at home, and generally spend a fair amount of time thinking about what you put in your body. What baffles me, though, is that despite all the grass-fed beef and produce carefully selected at the local farmers' market, a huge number of the people in this food-conscious demographic still buy crappy, industrially produced cheese. These folks have educated themselves about many other aspects of what ...
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Happy Memorial Day (Serious Grill Season Begins)

Michael Ruhlman — Mon, 27 May 2013 14:58:31 +0000

It is Memorial Day, so it is time to grill some beef. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
It's Memorial Day and more families than not have someone to honor. Thankfully I have to go back to Dad's brother, Uncle Bob, who was killed at age 17 as part of a skiing rifle brigade on an Italian mountainside. My dad was only 6 then, but when he was 60 he found the grave of the brother he'd scarcely known. He took a picture, and after I watched Saving Private Ryan, he showed me the photo and I wept. It was exactly like those crosses that open and close the film. Bob was a talented artist and draftsman I'd never know. I long for a world ...
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Friday Cocktail Hour: The Cranky Kaplan

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:00:37 +0000

The Cranky Kaplan Cocktail. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
As my dear friend, the eminent biographer, Blake Bailey, knows, I am not to be trifled with in the morning. He actually tweeted that he'd sooner breakfast with a cobra. I'm angry that I'm conscious, I'm angry at the world, I'm angry at the stupidity in every direction, the mirror most of all. After I get a few hundred words under my belt and the writing work is underway, well, birds start to chirp and hope begins to dawn. So it was last Friday was when I made the error of checking Twitter first thing only to find this weird Dr. Hyde version of venerable journalist Peter Kaplan, making demands of me. He's lucky I checked my twitter feed ...
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Open Call For Artisan Food Businesses

Michael Ruhlman — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:56:40 +0000

OpenSky is calling out to cool, small businesses. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
"You should get more of this," my daughter, almost 18, said, chewing on some of SlantShack grass-fed beef Jerky. "It's really good." Never mind her phrasing (would have been nice? "Beloved father, I would be eternally grateful to you and wash your car if you bought me another sample pack of this most excellent jerky"). But OK. She's a jerky hound, I love her, so when I found this small jerky biz on the OpenSky site I gave it a shot. I'd never have known about the Jersey-based business had it not been for OpenSky, an Internet marketplace that I've been a part of since before they even had a website (first post, 11/9/09). I just thought their ...
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Family Farms

Michael Ruhlman — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:13:51 +0000

Forrest Pritchard is a seventh-generation family farmer (skip this intro and read his guest post below if you're pressed for time). His farm, Smith Meadows, is in Berryville, Virginia. The guy is clearly a lunatic, as his new book, Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm, shows (here's the Publishers Weekly review of the book). He's also started a blog (because he has so much time on his hands)—read this excellent post on What NOT to Ask the Grower at Your Local Market, it's hilarious. Thanks to our mutual friend, Carol Blymire, Forrest offered to write a guest post I'm proud to put up here. I love to write about my region's farmers, such as livestock farmer Aaron Miller and a record store clerk who got it in his head ...
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Friday Cocktail Hour: The Meyer Lemon Fig

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:19:22 +0000

Michael Pardus's Meyer Lemon Fig cocktail. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
This is a boldly flavored cocktail created by my chef, Michael Pardus, who teaches the cuisines of Asia at the Culinary Institute of America. Flavors galore—Meyer lemon, vanilla, ginger, American whiskey. I especially admire the clever use of ginger from a chef who uses it all day long in class (he taught me to peel ginger with a spoon—works great; he sometimes adds fine julienne to the glass to chew on as he sips). All the elements swirl beautifully together (regular lemon juice will work too if you can't find Meyers). For a light summer cocktail, he tops it off with a couple ounces of seltzer (and maybe an extra splash of whiskey if you're Chef Pardus). The ...
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America Has a Serious Eating Disorder

Michael Ruhlman — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:49:05 +0000

Danger: salt is back. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
No, wrong. America has a serious THINKING disorder. See that white stuff raining down from my fingers? It’s salt. And it’s the way you should salt the food you cook on your stove top or the chicken that’s going into your oven. But if you listen to the ABC Nightly News reporting about The Dangers of Salt, aka ABC News acid reflux, and then read today’s NYTimes page one story saying that salt is not bad for you, you must be wondering who to listen to. Well if you are, just stop listening and think for your fucking self. I have a dear friend who prevents his kids from drinking any milk other than nonfat milk but thinks nothing of serving ...
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Hot à la Minute Granola

Michael Ruhlman — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:39:49 +0000

Morning granola. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
Just last week handed in the revised manuscript of the new book, considerably fatter than expected, still have manuscript afterbirth to contend with, and thus have lazily failed to whip up my typical monster batch of granola, which starts the morning off rightly, oats and nuts and dried fruit, plus some yogurt to enliven the gut bacteria. But wanting it nonetheless, I've now gotten into the habit of toasting some nuts in a small pan, adding a little butter, then some oats, stirring to toast the oats further, than adding milk to cover, bring to a simmer, serve with honey and yogurt, and it's all so satisfying and quick I'm disinclined to make cold granola again. It was 39˚F this morning, though, so maybe when ...
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Friday Cocktail Hour: Key Sunrise

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:00:25 +0000

Key Sunrise, Goddammit. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman
So my oldest and dearest pal, Lester, feeling a bit fidgety several Fridays ago, texted to coax me off work early. I had cooking to do so I said, "Come over. I'll make us some Clover Clubs while I finish prep." After imbibing, I recalled the savvy note from Danny Guess of Fly Bar & Restaurant and video "host" of the iBook 25 Classic Cocktails, that if you add applejack brandy, you have a cocktail called a Pink Lady (all of which were covered in this post). Having finished our drinks and with more egg white on hand, I made us a second, this time a Pink Lady. Killer cocktail, but such an unfortunate name! This is something ...
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Twenty/Wood Spoon Giveaway(with butcher’s string attached: need your help!)

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:07:21 +0000

I'm giving away a personalized Twenty and two awesome Spankettes in return for your ideas. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
Short version: I ask you, cherished reader, what book would you like me to write next? Update, 5/9, 8 p.m.: A winner has been chosen using randomizer: Aaron Weiss, a journalist and TV news director in Sioux City, Iowa. Thanks for commenting, Aaron, and for cooking with your family! Thank you everyone. Frankly, I was astonished by all the ideas and fascinated by the patterns. Still making my way through the nearly 500 comments. My favorite suggestion, got filtered out due to a spam issue, from regular reader and commenter, Bob Tenaglio: I’d call the book “Time; The Secret Ingredient You’ll Never See On Iron Chef,” and it ...
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Friday Cocktail Hour: El Diablo

Michael Ruhlman — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:17 +0000

El Diablo is the perfect answer this weekend. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
Cinco de Mayo is Sunday. How many of you know what it celebrates or why? Shaw Lash is one of the key cooks and brains in the Rick Bayless Chicago operations, places I really admire. Last year she wrote why, having grown up in Texas and later lived in Mexico, the Cinco de Mayo madness drives her mad. She wants you to know what it means and asks should we celebrate it at all. Her short answer: It's a celebration of being Mexican. And it's a brilliant American marketing gimmick. Shaw Lash is one of those aware people I admire, so when my able cohort Emilia suggested a tequila cocktail, I emailed Shaw. ...
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How to Cook Morels

Michael Ruhlman — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:45:12 +0000

Fresh ramps and the coolest edible to grow out of the ground, morel mushrooms.
Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
No surer sign of spring, this lovely photo above. And when wild edibles grow together they're often great cooked together. Last week for one of the final shots for the new book I ordered fresh morels from a fabulous company in northern Michigan called Earthy Delights (thanks, Chip and Ed!). I love the food of Michigan—the stone fruit, the eau de vie made from their skin, the tart cherries, the mushrooms. Same as the Great Lakes territories of Ohio, which booms with ramps right now. We get so many wild ramps that Jonathon Sawyer, who turned 13 today, spiritually (good luck at ...
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Chasing the Dream: Chef Patricia Tracey(with Salsa Verde)

Michael Ruhlman — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:53:34 +0000

Baked eggs with salsa verde. Photo by Patricia Tracey.
People call me a chef (even says so here). I’m not a chef. Ted Allen is not a chef (as if his round wood spoons didn’t say as much). Rachael Ray is not a chef. None of us ever said we were. (I have on occasion, claimed to be, but that was just to piss off Michael Symon, who is a chef, or was—now he’s a TV cook, entertainer, and successful restaurateur. I cooked at Sans Souci, a Marriot-owned restaurant, ages ago, but I wouldn’t last an hour on the line today.) Terms matter. I say this because today’s guest poster, Patricia Tracey, is and remains solely a chef. Not a celeb chef like Symon or Bobby Flay (both of ...
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Michael Ruhlman » Michael Ruhlman

Cooked Food for Thought (and Speech)

Friday Cocktail Hour: The Cosmopolitan

Graduation Fried Chicken

Rhubarb Walnut Crumble Pie

Friday Cocktail Hour: The French 75

The French ...Click to Continue Reading

Travel: Charleston, SC

Friday Cocktail Hour: Mint Julep

Stephanie’s Cheese Rant

Happy Memorial Day (Serious Grill Season Begins)

Friday Cocktail Hour: The Cranky Kaplan

Open Call For Artisan Food Businesses

Family Farms

Friday Cocktail Hour: The Meyer Lemon Fig

America Has a Serious Eating Disorder

Hot à la Minute Granola

Friday Cocktail Hour: Key Sunrise

Twenty/Wood Spoon Giveaway(with butcher’s string attached: need your help!)

Friday Cocktail Hour: El Diablo

How to Cook Morels

Chasing the Dream: Chef Patricia Tracey(with Salsa Verde)

The French ...
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