Category Archives: From Scratch

Ruhlman’s Twenty Giveaway!
What’s Your Best Staple Meal?

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: January 11, 2012

A roast chicken that has been brined, notice shiny skin. Photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman

[Update 1/16: Winners have been chosen; their dishes are at the bottom of this post.] Two and a half years ago, I wrote a post on staple meals because I’m fascinated by what people eat at home when they don’t want to think about what to make, what their go-to, middle-of-the-week meal is, because they are invariably quick, efficient, economical, and well, good enough to eat once a week forever. (I think they also tell us a lot about who we are). The woman who has been cutting my hair for 12 years, three kids 16 and younger, husband not always at home, an “I don’t have a lot of time” mom. She makes chicken legs on a small rotisserie, and will do ...

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Also posted in Books, Chicken, Giveaway, Kitchen Tips | Tagged , | 607 Comments

Christmas Yorkshire Pudding

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: December 19, 2011

Freshly made popovers. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Marlene Newell, who runs an excellent cooking forum called CooksKorner tested all the recipes for Ratio and Twenty. She's a friend and excellent cook. One of her passions is Yorkshire pudding, in effect, a savory popover, which is how she bakes them (as above). I, too, make roast beef for Christmans dinner and Yorkshire pudding. I believe it's critical to cook it in beef fat, for flavor, so I buy and render suet for this purpose. I've also poured the batter straight into the roasting pan which works great so long as there are no burnt bits (the pudding ripples and puffs like crazy; I then cut it to serve). I imagine the roasting pan method was how it would have originated, the batter cooking in ...

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Also posted in baking, Beef, Books, Bread, Food Writing, Guest Post, Holiday, Memories, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Do-over: Charleston, Eve, & Grits

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: December 13, 2011

Shrimp and grits. photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

One of hard things about writing books is that they are in constant flux and then they are permanent. Thanks to the organic nature of blogs, I can make amends. When I was at the Culinary Institute of America, one of my best and favorite teachers was Eve Felder, who taught Garde Manger. She was the Cheshire Cat of chefs, perched high on stacked stools, who taught us that "Cooking is alchemy, cooking is magic!" And she was right. Righter than I knew, in fact. I'm heading to her native city, Charleston, South Carolina, and so she's been on my mind. When I wanted to do a butter-poached shrimp for Ruhlman's Twenty, I naturally wanted to pair it with grits. Who did I call for grits finesse ...

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Also posted in american regional cuisine, Appetizers, aromatics, chefs, Food Writing, Recipes, Seafood, Seasonings and Spices, sidedishes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Ruhlman’s Twenty: Food Tools

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: December 7, 2011

I did two promotional videos for my new book, one a general description of the book (love that that one has a shot of Donna photographing, and one about an idea I thought people might call me out on. Even my recipe tester/organizer/overseer, Marlene Newell, had issues with this. Can food be a technique? I say it can. A technique is an action that has multiple applications. So while yes, an egg is an egg, it’s also an emulsifier, a leavener, a binder, and enricher. Therefore using an egg can be considered a core cooking technique. Knowing how to use salt, is one of the chef’s greatest assets. Learning how to think about these foods as tools makes you a better cook. Disagree? I’ve heard ...

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Also posted in baking, Books, Elements of Cooking, Food Writing, ruhlman products, Technique, Tips | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Holiday Cookie Time

By emilia | Published: December 5, 2011

 

My collection of holiday cookies. Photo by E. Juocys

Guest post from My Girl Friday, who loves loves loves cookies—M.R. by Emilia Juocys December is here and it is time to bake cookies. It is not as easy of a task as one might think it is. I spend about two days thinking of the combination of cookies that I will be baking and presenting for Christmas. I review classic cookies that I make year round, seasonal cookies, and ones that take a bit longer to make. My labor of love are these cookies. The two dozen that make it in the box to share with friends, loved ones, and co-workers. This is my way to share my skill and love of baking with those around me. This year will be a more meaningful Christmas baking season since my mentor has ...

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Also posted in baking, Desserts, Guest Post, Holiday, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

High End at Home

By emilia | Published: December 5, 2011

How high end professional chefs have translated their craft to the home cook and how to make home cooked food well, via NYT.

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Also posted in Article, Books, Business, chefs, Food Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Thanksgiving Turkey: Roast/Braise Method

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: November 19, 2011

 

Turkey: The Roast/Braise Method. All photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman

The two great turkey conundrums: 1) how to have juicy breast meat and tender dark meat and 2) how to serve it all hot to a lot of people. Answer: the roast/braise method. Last year, chatting with my neighbor, the excellent chef Doug Katz (Fire Food and Drink), described how he cooks the turkey in stock up to the drumstick so that the legs braise while the breast and skin cook in dry heat. Last year I tried it and it works brilliantly. Thank you, Doug. Doug posted his version on the restaurant's blog. I've simplified and added a couple steps to make it easier for perfect doneness. (Step-by-step pix below.) The basic idea is this: cook the turkey half submerged in flavorful liquid and lots ...

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Also posted in aromatics, baking, Braise, Holiday, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , | Comments closed

Turkey Gravy Recipe For Thanksgiving

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: November 18, 2011

Gravy is nothing more than flour-thickened stock/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

People freak out about gravy. I don't know why. Gravy is easy as pie. Actually, a hell of a lot easier than pie. All it is, is a delicious, rich stock thickened with flour. In cooking school, they call it velouté, French for velvety. You take a great stock and give it a velvety texture. Flour-thickened sauces got a bad name when bad "French" restaurants served heavy terrible sauces. Properly prepared, flour-thickened sauces are light, flavorful, and refreshing. I prefer them to heavy reductions which, prepared thoughtlessly, are gluey with protein and make the tongue stick to the palate. The key is dispersing the flour uniformly through the sauce. We do this by combining the fat (butter, rendered chicken or turkey fat) so that the granules of ...

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Also posted in aromatics, Holiday, Recipes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments closed

Butter-Poached Shrimp and Grits

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: November 12, 2011

Butter-Poached shrimp and grits from Ruhlman's Twenty/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Just the name is inspiring: butter-poached shrimp.  Butter-poached shrimp and grits. Mmmm. Butter-poached lobster, not uncommon in French haute cuisine, was popularized in America by Thomas Keller in The French Laundry Cookbook and at that restaurant. "Lobster loves gentle heat," he told me then. It's not much of a leap for the thrifty-minded cook to reason that shrimp, too, love gentle heat. That's why, in the butter chapter of my new book, I showed how to use butter as a cooking medium (one of the many amazing ways butter can be used as a tool). This dish is absolutely killer. The shrimp stay very tender, rich and tasty with the butter; the grits are then enriched with the shrimp butter. Leftover butter can be used ...

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Also posted in Books, Recipes, Seafood | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments closed

Brioche Revisited

By emilia | Published: November 8, 2011

 

brioche

Freshly sliced brioche. Photo by Donna

Michael has been traveling all around the United States promoting his new book Ruhlman's Twenty.  Yesterday he had a long day in New York City where he appeared on the Martha Stewart Show.  Michael sends his apologies, as he is nursing a wicked hangover.  He returns to Cleveland today and will be appearing at the Fabulous Food Show this weekend.  Please enjoy this favorite post of mine on how to Make Brioche.  This post reminds you to begin preparing for the holiday season, which is quickly approaching. Original Post Date: November 30, 2010 December is the month for making brioche at home. It's the great holiday bread.  Though calling it bread doesn't do it justice.  Good brioche is like a cross between bread and cake.  Hell, it's really ...

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Also posted in Books, Bread, Bread App, Breakfast, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Comments closed

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