Michael Ruhlman's Blog, page 82

CSAs from Around the Country

A nice cross-section of CSA's from around the country, thanks everyone.  Would be interesting to see fall CSA from southern states.  Hold your cursor over the photo for the name and location of the sender.  I was unable to add the name of the farm or the CSA or link to each one, but if [...:]

Braised Lamb with Ras El Hanout

I'm finishing up answering copy-edit queries on the new book, my beliefs on the core techniques of cooking due out next fall from Chronicle, and also going over some last minute testing with the good folks at cookskorner.com.
One of the recipes being tested is a Moroccan-style braised lamb shank using lemon confit and the blend [...:]

Grilling Demo (and Digital Publishing):Spatchcocked Chix, Asparagus, Sausage

Earlier in the season, I taped a grilling demo for a new Cleveland company called Sideways, specializing in digital publishing, including the eponymous magazine for the iPad (next issue is out Monday, youtube promo here). It accompanied my story on grilling. The idea that the iPad can include multiple pix (even a flip-pad presentation of [...:]

Grilling Demo:Spatchcocked Chix, Asparagus, Sausage

Earlier in the season, I taped a grilling demo for a new Cleveland company called Sideways, specializing in digital publishing, including the eponymous magazine for the iPad (next issue is out Monday, youtube promo here). It accompanied my story on grilling. The idea that the iPad can include multiple pix (even a flip-pad presentation of [...:]

CSA week 12: Send Me Pix of Yours!

Week 12 of our CSA. No surprise with the tomatoes and corn, and no disappointment either.  Though five ears corn doesn't even cover breakfast for me. Beans were great, peaches wouldn't want to wait longer (and one of those peaches harbors a scary stinging bug that scared the hell out of me when I bit [...:]

How to make a parchment paper circle

Why DON'T' we trace a cake pan and cut out the circle with scissors?  Because its easier faster and more accruate to fold and cut with a knife!
I line a cake pan with a circle so that it comes out clean.
I put a parchment circle with a hole in the middle over braising things like [...:]

Artisan Butchers(Does Artisanal Even Mean Anything Anymore?)

What does artisan butcher mean?  What does artisan mean, for that matter?
I'm grateful to Abigail Blake, an American living, cooking, and blogging on the island Tortola, for her comment on my most recent mini-post:
I like this explanation from a 1913 Websters: "An artist is one who is skilled in one of the fine [...:]

Tomato Dinner

Dinner, last minute vegetarian delight in this heat: a good toasted baguette, butter, and fat tomatoes that ripened whilst we discovered bahn mi in little Saigon in LA, hiked up the river to Copake Falls in upstate New York, leapt off of 40 foot ledges at an old quarry outside West Stockbridge, swam in the [...:]

Going To Seed: Coriander(summer idyll till 8/18)

How fast this summer is receding in my rear view mirror is reflected in the ciliantro that, for all my travel and busyiness, I have let go to seed. Yet there are glories even in being remiss–the fresh coriander seeds that lends so many savory preparations a huge jolt of flavor and crunch.  Fresh coriander [...:]

Sauteed Zucchini

Picked up our CSA this weekend, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, lettuce, and SURPRISE! More Zucchini!
Actually, I'm starting to like the zucchini challenge.  Too hot for what I want to do for it—mix it with cheese and gratin it.  I'll wait till cooler fall to go that route. I've had a nostalgic urge to [...:]