Michael Ruhlman's Blog, page 17

Considering the Oyster

I’m off today to the coast of Massachusetts to write a magazine story on oysters. I’m very excited as I’ve never been to an oyster farm. Oysters are truly among the most unique creatures we eat. But why do they inspire us so? Their gorgeous shells (above photo by Donna). An oyster is one of the few things we we eat that’s still alive. They express “terroir” the way wines do. The fact of wanting to eat this living, slippery organism is counterintuitive. And as a French writer proclaimed, “Eating an oyster is like kissing the sea on the lips!” In preparing for this story, I returned to Rowan Jacobsen’s 2007 book A Geography of Oysters and was reminded of what a talented writer Jacobsen is—dynamic and clear and engaging and informed and imaginative. If I Read On »

An Aggressive Mint Julep Recipe

The first shoots of mint have sprung through the soil as if sensing the approach of the Kentucky Derby. The sun is out here in Cleveland, the birds are chirping, and the Browns made sensible draft choices. All of which call for a mint julep this weekend. In my first post on this drink several springs ago, I served a somewhat unconventional julep and was roundly taken to task for it (no crushed ice? in a glass?). Deservedly. So here with an almost traditional version, which is simply mint leaves, muddled with sugar, and bourbon, served over crushed ice in a silver cup. My only variation is for serving multiple juleps. A great strategy if you’ve invited people for Derby Day. Some may find the verdant hue unnerving but it’s worth it for the clean Read On »

Chicken Eggs by Chris Offutt

I’m writing today to introduce a writer whom readers of this site may not know, Chris Offutt. I didn’t know his work until a friend sent me his essay “Trash Food,” published in the Oxford American, a fine magazine devoted to exploring southern culture. From here I went to an essay titled “Chicken Eggs.” Maybe you read about him recently in his essay in the NYTimes magazine about his pornagrapher father (an essay that landed him on Fresh Air shortly after), from his upcoming memoir. But it was his “Chicken Eggs” that so affected me, and also made me wonder why some “literary” writers reach a large popular audience and others don’t. Because judging from “Chicken Eggs” alone, this writer deserves a larger audience. In this essay, he writes a lot about eggs, a subject dear Read On »

Genius Recipes Food 52

This is my new favorite cookbook. I’ve long made a fuss about not liking cookbooks, because I don’t. Cookbooks are too often about recipes, and that’s not what cooking is about. I tried to write an anti-cookbook, Ratio, that intended to help the home cook to rely on proportions and technique rather than recipes. It had a ton of recipes in it anyway (editor request). I admired books with a genuine voice, David Lebovitz‘s books, Judi Rodgers’s Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Well-written cookbooks. I didn’t dislike recipes per se. I still rely on a page torn from Saveur with a fabulous falafel recipe—too many ingredients to remember let alone their proportions. I have to look at my own recipe for fried chicken to make the seasoned flour (included in the above book above, happily). So what is Read On »

Taking Back Our Pasta!

I’d like to use Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri‘s new book to rejoice in pasta. It’s called Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto I love pasta! Carbs! Bring them on! How have we brought this upon ourselves? This Anti-Carb Nation. This Gluten-Fearing Country. If I were texting this, I would conclude with my avatar and the new Bitmoji offering: Cray-Cray! (I admit to spending too much time trying to create entire narratives with my Bitmoji avatar.) Seriously, it’s time for us to TAKE BACK OUR PASTA! Vetri’s book (written with the excellent David Joachim) is a fine place to start, with everything you need to know about pasta and making it and shaping it. Indeed, I especially liked the chapter on hand-shaped pastas, probably because I will never spend three hours shaping lorighittas Read On »

Think Spring: Asparagus, Pasta, and Egg

  I just spent several days in Philadelphia hanging out with a group of small(ish) family grocers. Food highlights were the excellent burger at Bank & Bourbon on arrival, a Yards rye ale, followed by a flight of bourbons that finished with a very good special barrel from Knob Creek specifically for the bar. Last night’s dinner at Spraga was great—what a lovely room. The starting foie and ginger soup (I think they said foie) was outstanding, as were the duck and lobster pastas. Highly recommend. Also spent some time tasting amazing cheeses at DiBruno Bros. on Chestnut Street. Fabulous Von Trapp Oma, a raw milk cheese that had great balance of flavor and richness. I’m off now to Minneapolis to see some more grocery stores and attend the AWP conference. I’m on the road and busy, so Read On »

Everything We Eat

  About goddam time. Finally people are starting to make sense. Two pieces in the NYTimes were back to back on the “most emailed” list when I checked yesterday morning. The first, and most important, was Aaron Carroll’s piece on how to eat sensibly: Red Meat Is Not the Enemy. The entire reported essay can be summed up by a large study cited with this rather obvious conclusion: “Everything we eat is associated with both higher and lower rates of cancer.” Ha! Take that, all you nutritional gurus. I need to write that again: Everything we eat is associated with both higher and lower rates of cancer. The author is a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. He blogs on health research and policy. His advice? Find a diet that works for you. And Read On »

Moscow Mule Revisited

Monday cocktail hour! Because I’m already looking forward to Friday. And I bought this proper and cool copper mug during a visit to the most excellent Cocktail Kingdom show room in Manhattan. The first FCH Moscow Mule described it’s origins (it was a Smirnoff device to drive sales!). Also my recipe was imperfect. After countless Dark and Stormys in Key West, I recognized that the amount of lime juice is important to contrast the sweetness of the ginger beer. Below are the proportions I like best.   Moscow Mule 2 ounces vodka 1/2 ounce lime juice 4 ounces ginger beer (or to taste) wedge of lime for garnish Fill a copper mug with ice. Add vodka, lime juice and ginger beer. Garnish with lime.   Other links you may like: Other cocktails featuring vodka: Key Read On »

How to Make a Mushroom Sauce Without a Recipe

When I saw Sam Sifton announcing in the NYTimes weekly cooking letter that he was featuring a video by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs on How To Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich Without a Recipe, I checked the calendar. Nope, not April 1st. What could they possibly be thinking? I wondered. Who needs a recipe for grilled cheese? Or am I that out of touch? When all the cooks out there hanker for a grilled cheese sandwich do they go in search of a recipe? Honestly, I thought it was a spoof. And I love all parties involved and have great respect for all three mentioned. Sifton has done an amazing job overseeing the expansion of the Times’s food offerings, both in the paper and importantly online (did you see the great video on the Times food Read On »

The Derby Revisited

I’m on my annual foray to my beloved mum’s west palm beach and enjoying blue sky, blue water and lazy days, so here this repost from 10/4/13 of an overlooked but most excellent cocktail.—M.R. When I opened to the Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s wonderful and expanded food section, I was delighted to find a handful of bartenders offering cocktails. The Derby, offered by Lindsey Hawes, who mixes drinks at The Willeyville in the Cleveland Flats, caught my eye (here she is making another fave of mine, The Dark & Stormy). The Derby  caught my eye for its straightforwardness and lack of frou. I immediately thought of the Brown Derby, a restaurant chain that flourished here in the 1970s, where I first encountered what was called a salad bar, back in the pre-sneeze guard days (God, how Read On »