Michael Ruhlman's Blog, page 28

The Miraculous Meringue

  I’m doing a lot of interviews regarding my new book, Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World’s Most Versatile Ingredient, and one question is persistent: What did I uncover that surprised me about the egg? I was surprised—very surprised—once, and that was when I began to write about meringue. The proteins that make up the egg white have the remarkable capacity to unwind and form a kind of mesh that traps air bubbles. Once it begins to trap infinitesimal and countless bubbles, the white expands to five or more times its initial volume, becoming completely opaque and about as white as anything one can imagine. The above photo is of nougat, a French confection of egg whites and sugar, that bind a combination of nuts and fruit (photo by Donna, of course). It’s chewy. Read On »

Paleo Carrot and Cardamom Soup

I’m on the road today, flying home at long last after my West Coast EGG book tour, so I’ve asked my friend Michelle of Nom Nom Paleo for a guest post and recipe from her dynamic new book while I recover. Thanks, Michelle!—M.R.   Carrot and Cardamom Soup Nothing signals springtime like a bowl of sunshine-orange soup. And surprise: it’s paleo-friendly to boot! After all, paleo’s not about deprivation, eating tons of meat, or simply recreating grain-free versions of your favorite comfort foods. Many dishes that rely on seasonal bounty are naturally paleo-friendly, just like this one from our new cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans. 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 large leeks, white and light green ends only, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced Kosher salt 1½ pounds large carrots, peeled and cut into Read On »

San Francisco and Egg Tour

I’m writing this from Portland but headed to San Fran for events below. Hoping to sneak out to Sausalito to meet the extraordinary Deborah Jones, photog of all French Laundry books and an angel on earth—one of the great luxuries of a book tour, seeing cherished friends. I emailed Stephanie Stiavetti (@sstiavetti), hoping to see her as well. Stephanie writes The Culinary Life blog. Her first book, Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, is also from Little, Brown, and it’s superb, the best one I’ve seen, in fact—accept no imitations! I asked her for SF food recs, and this is what she sent—well worth sharing (though Steph, I hear Hog Island closed for remodeling or something, damn!)—M.R. Dispatch from Stephanie Stiavetti If you’ve got time to head down to the Ferry Building, Hog Island Oysters is Read On »

Egg Launch and Giveaway

Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World’s Most Versatile Ingredient. It honestly did come to me in something like a flash, or a series of small idea explosions, one leading to another to another until the entire landscape went up in flames. The whole of the egg, a miracle of nutrition, economy, utility, and deliciousness, came to me as a single image. All one thing. In this euphoria of eureka, I called out to Donna to help me capture it. Within the hour we had a complete flowchart of the egg on five feet of parchment paper, a document that served as the proposal for this book (and that its publisher, Little, Brown, has not only recreated and tucked into the back of the book, but made interactive in the astonishing electronic version). I will Read On »

West Coast Egg Book Tour

When I published Boys Themselves in 1996, I was discombobulated from all the unfamiliar stuff of interviews and the weird business of promotion, and I told my wonderful agent this, who said, “Of course you are, you’re publishing a book!” It hadn’t occurred to me that publishing a books was like … well, what is it like? You’re walking along a calm shady street, all’s right with the world, and then someone you kind of know pulls you into a carnival funhouse. And it is fun, a lot of fun, you meet new folks and interesting people ask you good questions about things that are really important to you. But it’s also disorienting and you come out the back door looking kind of like a tattered Gilligan. Or so it seems. Today, in support of Read On »

Introducing Joshua Weissman (Crispy Pork Loin and Giveaway!)

If you don’t already know Joshua Weissman of Houston, he is the young author of The Slim Palate (also the name of his blog). It’s also a Paleo cookbook, but that’s beside the point (as far as I’m concerned). And yes, it’s a lovely book with intriguing recipes and photographs that floored Donna, especially given that Josh was 17 when he took most of them, and is only 18 now. When I got an email request to blurb the book, I thought little more than “Ugh, OK, send me a PDF, I’ll try to have a look.” And I did, and it was good, and I did a little more poking around on his site. My turn to be floored. Watch this excellent video to meet Josh and hear his uncommon story—he’s an inspiration. This is more Read On »

Friday Cocktail Hour: The Gin Hound

  I awoke to a morning so deathly gray I felt I’d awakened in a cave. It wasn’t early, 7:30, not school-time early as spring break is still in effect. So the sun had surely risen but had there been no clock, it would have been anybody’s guess. Deep Cleveland winter drags on. Donna, light-sensitive and not used to such long sun withdrawals, is particularly affected by that light disorder thing, whose acronym I don’t even like to write, and wants to hibernate like a bear till May. Skip the cruelest month altogether. The grayness not only deepens the hay-hue of dull dead grass, freed from the snow at last, the brown tree branches, it dulls the senses as well. The wind outside my window, and inside my chest, blows with a kind of Last Read On »

Mindful Eating

  “Mindfulness.” Being “mindful.” I wish I liked the word because the meaning behind this new-agey, woolly notion is important. What does it mean? If I were cranky, as I happen to be now, I’d tell you that it means, “Not being a dumbass.” Seriously, that’s my translation of being mindful. Is that mean-spirited? Well, sometimes that’s what it takes. How would I describe “mindfulness” to my 14-year-old-son (who is not a dumbass, he’s just 14)? I would say, “James, it means, Paying Attention. If that didn’t get through? PAY ATTENTION! THINK! (Thinking is an underrated activity, especially in America. Thinking is probably the most important cooking technique I know—why I devoted the first chapter of Ruhlman’s Twenty, a techniques cookbook, to it.) What got me started on this was watching the below TED Talk by Read On »

Friday Cocktail Hour: Key Lime Daiquiri Revisited

  On annual vacay visiting Mom and trying, trying to take it easy before Egg promotional travels begin in April, thus this repost and old photo by my beloved (who’s currently lounging poolside). I’m posting the daiquiri because that’s what I love to drink when in Palm Beach, the place where I met Donna. Always a kind of anniversary for us when we’re here. This is a fabulous, simple elixir. One sip should make you want to strangle the person who invented the “frozen daiquiri.” What a travesty those slushy drinks are, further emblems of American idiocy. Hoping you’ll try this genuine cocktail (lime juice is perfect if you don’t have access to Key limes). Happy Friday all! Originally Posted February 1, 2013  This blast of arctic air and wind and snow and gray has Read On »

A Consideration of Paleo

I gave an enthusiastic blurb to Michelle Tam’s book Nom Nom Paleo because I was so captivated by its exuberant spirit. Having met her at the IACP conference in Chicago on Monday, I’m delighted to find she has every bit the same spirit conveyed by her excellent book and lovely blog. While I’m anti-diet anything, I’m intrigued by the sense Paleo diets seems to make, at least intuitively, given the health issues created by Americans’ reliance on sugar-laden processed food. I’ve always promoted a sensible approach to eating that includes all foods, and I’ll never give up pasta or good bread, but I do think that I could adapt some influences of the Paleo diet, which eschews heavily processed foods, refined grains, and sugar, in order to keep my tubbo within acceptable range. So I Read On »