Vegas Baby! National Association of TV Program Executives January 30, 2010
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Say what you want about Vegas and the type of people that go there and what it represents and how the terrorists hate us because of it and that people that go there should probably not be blowing next month’s rent on slots and horse racing. You COULD say all that. But what you cannot say about Vegas is that it’s not the very best place in the world to people watch and make amazingly bad financial decisions. I don’t think the pure excess of Vegas really is what we are about, but it is pretty damn fun to go there and get, as the Black Eyed Peas sing “retarded in here.” Max’s face when he realized that drinks are free if you are gambling was like when I realized that my best friend in 7th grade had endless supplies of Tostino’s Pizza rolls in his freezer. PURE. GLEE.
We were there presenting at the National Association of TV Program Executives at Mandalay Bay. Overall it was a really awesome experience. How often does one get to go mingle with some amazing chefs, do a demo for TV executives and get to judge a celebrity chef cookoff? We got to judge an Iron Chef style cookoff between Chef Jet Tila of Wazuzu at the Wynn and Chef Neal Fraser owner of BLD and Grace in Los Angeles. It ended in a tie and both dishes were delicious.
Here is a pic of them competing:
And a few of us at our demo:
Max and I did our thing and demo’ed 2 dishes. First up was a japanese stacked appetizer.
Daikon and Tuna Small Bite
INGREDIENTS
1 Diakon, cut to rectangle pieces appx. 1/8 inch,2 inches long by 1 inch wide
1/4 lb. sushi grade tuna
1 bunch radish, cleaned, sliced paper thin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirren
Wasabi paste
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ carrot, very finely diced
1 package buckwheat or sunflower sprouts
1. In a small dish cover diced carrots with liquid.mix in 1 tsp chili paste.1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar to make make a marinade.(You can use leftover marinade for salad dressing or stir fry)
2. Slice the tuna into 1/4 inch thick by 1 inch long pieces (so that it can sit atop the daikon without draping over the edge).
3. Place 1 piece of tuna on a piece of daikon. Using a slotted spoon (or allowing the liquid to drain of first) top with a 1/2 teaspoon of the carrots.
4. Arrange several of the paper-thin radish slices over the carrots.
5. Place 1 small dot of wasabi paste on top of the radish.
6. Garnish with sprouts to achieve desired look.
Chinese style Panko encrusted Orange Chicken
4 chicken breasts
3 cups Panko bread crumbs, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup flour (more if needed)
For the chicken
1. Mix the half and half with eggs.
2. In three separate shallow containers, place the egg mix, flour, and
Panko. Season each with a pinch of salt.
3. Prepare the chicken by butterflying, then slicing each in half to make
two thinner pieces.
4. Season each piece of chicken on both sides with salt.
5. Bread the chicken by dredging in flour, shaking off excess, then
dipping in the egg wash, then in the Panko. Get a nice even coating on each piece.
6. Set aside on plate.
For the sauce
½ cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 orange
1. Mix marmalade, vinegar, and soy sauce together
simmer in a small saucepan. Mix until marmalade is melted, shut off
heat and cover. Set aside.
To cook the chicken:
1. In a large skillet, heat a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil until medium hot.
2. Place the chicken gently down, being careful to not overcrowd the pan.
3. Flip when golden brown (appx 2-4 min), and brown the other side for appx 2 min. (Cut open a piece to check if it cooked throughout)
4. Remove each cooked piece to a sheet tray.
5. Add more oil to the pan if necessary to cook remaining chicken.
For the vegetables:
1 cup snow peas
1 red pepper, rough chop
1/2 onion, rough chop
1 head garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1. Heat a wok or large skillet with 4 tablespoons oil. When very hot, add snow peas, red pepper, and onion. Season with a pinch of salt.
2. Toss or stir until just cooked, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
4. Pour in 1 tbsp of soy sauce and remove from heat.
Plate and serve veggies with Chicken. Cover with sauce to your liking.
WITH CHEF RICHARD BLAISE OF TOP CHEF (http://www.flipburgerboutique.com/) AND CHEF ERIC GREENSPAN OF THE FOUNDRY IN LA (http://www.thefoundryonmelrose.com/). You can check out Chef Greenspan on this season’s Iron Chef competing against…gotcha watch to find out
Black Friday-Get all your shopping down in one stop with Freshman in the Kitchen Cookbook November 27, 2009
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Take a moment to marvel at how incredible this photo truly is. In the pitch dark, at 3am, in the freezing cold, these people are waiting outside to buy things for loved ones. It’s a true holiday miracle that people do this for other people. See Glen Beck, there is still good in the world!
And you, you web browsing, slipper wearing black Friday aficionado, you are a savvy savvy shopper because you provide holiday cheer by buying gifts from the comfort of your own home. You’ve stumbled upon the Freshman in the Kitchen cookbook website where you can satisfy all your holiday gift giving needs in one simple way -by buying our cookbook for EVERYONE on your list. Just think about it…in only a few quick moments from now you could be done with all your holiday shopping!
All you need to do is click the “buy the book” link in the upper right hand corner of the screen.Now you may be saying to yourself, this cookbook is the Perfect cute gift idea for those on my list who are in school (very correct indeed) but I don’t really know for who else Freshman in the Kitchen would be an appropriate gift.
So to avoid any confusion at all we’ve got all the outliers (who you aren’t sure to buy our cookbook for) from your shopping listed below. And not surprisingly, everyone seems to have made the cut. So go ahead and buy 10 copies! It’s really perfect for everyone.
Husband/Wife – Either you do all the cooking and want them to shoulder the load or you want them to add some new jams to their repertoire. Either you’re teaching an old dog new tricks or you’re teaching an old dog newer tricks (so you dont have to settle for tuna casserole every 4th dinner).
Out of School Married, Divorced or Relocating Adults – So your 2nd cousin and his girlfriend just moved to the big city. They are on a tight budget! They are young and have busy jobs! Endless possibility and excitement are at every turn! And…they know how to make Ramen. Our cookbook is a perfect way for the young “newly minted” real life adult, the newly moved in together couple or the newly married/divorced person to start helping them really nailing down that whole independent lifestyle routine.
Some older person who you don’t think our cookbook is appropriate for because the title says Freshman in it – Believe it or not, some people of the older age categories cannot cook. These people are still perfectly mobile, independent and fully capable and for them, they may be moving into a new phase of their life where they need to learn how to cook. The average lifespan in the U.S. is going up and Bill Knapps can only satisfy so many days out of the week.This is a perfect cookbook for grandma or grandpa because they too may be a “freshman in the kitchen”.Just because they may have been an actual freshman 55+ years ago, doesn’t mean that in this economy, everyone can’t be diversifying their talents by learning new things.
Babies – Babies might not be able to read,comprehend measurements,hold a spoon or be near open heat sources. BUT, they do love pictures and shiny things. And our cookbook is absolutely filled to the brim with shiny pictures. Sure, “Goodnight Moon” is great until age 5. I even read “Harold and the Purple Crayon” when i was 10 and it still was fantastic. But Freshman in the Kitchen keeps giving. FITK is exactly like Catcher in the Rye, with every year you pick it up, you read it through again and you see the different tips, recipes and anecdotes in a whole new light.
People with those ultra clean kitchens they clearly never have used – these people like to display books in their kitchens giving the illusion that they use the kitchen to cook. Our cookbook, open to any random page, displayed on an easle, is a show stopper. They may not cook out of it, but at under $20, we blow any other cookbook clear outta the water.
Gourmet Chefs – Chefs love cookbooks of all forms, varieties, sizes and our cookbook is no exception. Our book is a teaching cookbook for novices but also a true “cooks” cookbook. We actually believe that even the most classically trained gourmet chefs will find some delicious recipes that they can make on the reg. And most of our cookbook is so easy it may even convince said gourmet chef to cook on his or her day off. And getting a chef to cook on their day off? Now THAT is a true holiday miracle.
Happy Holidays from both of us to all of you out there. This has been a fantastic, truly amazing year that allowed us to travel to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to share our cookbook with thousands of people. Did we ever in our wildest dreams thing we’d be on TV and be able to touch so many clueless cooks and creative chefs? Well yes, but only in the WILDEST dreams we had. The response has been epic and we are grateful to each and every person who have bought or book or suggested it to friends. To everyone who gave us positive reviews and wrote about it, we thank you too!
Don’t forget about our twitter contest here: http://bit.ly/28eYIt
And to get autographed personalized copies sent to you before the holidays, please feel free to email us at brothers@freshmaninthekitchen.com
AND….IF YOU ORDER 5 from us via the above email, we will throw in one personalized copy for free!
(in newsie voice) Get ya FITK new’s he’re! Fresh Papes He’re! 2 bits! November 19, 2009
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Max and I grew up watching Newsies. In a house with no cable, VHS was king and we had a copy (taped from TV) of newsies that went through some wear and tear. What can we say, Pullman, Duvall, Bale AND the kid from Dougie Howser?? SIGN.US.UP. Everytime we get a new piece of press I actually call Max and read the entire piece of press aloud to him in a newsies voice. Then I sing I am the King of New York doing all the individual voices and he vows never to speak to me again. He’s SO dramatic.
Here are 2 links featuring the cookbook! Thank you t0 b0th sites for featuring our book as a great holiday gift for people of any age! Remember to pick up your copies of FITK for the h0lidays off our website or your local bookstore. Any Barnes and Noble or Borders in the nation can order out book! It’s just that easy!
http://www.mommieswithstyle.com/freshman-in-the-kitchen-a-great-gift-for-cooks-of-all-types/
Max lets Behindtheknife know why he always keeps a headlamp handy November 12, 2009
Posted by Eli in : Cooking, In the News, Press, Video , add a commentBehindtheknife.com Chef Profile: Max Sussman
A must for every chef’s toolbox: a good headlamp…
The Chef: Max Sussman is executive sous chef at eve the restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Max is the co-author, along with brother Eli, of Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef.
The Toolbox: A red roll-style knife bag. “I keep it pretty simple,” he admits.
The Tools: Whiplash is setting in compared with Chef Hetrick in yesterday’s installment. Turns out Max Sussman is quite the minimalist though he, too falls victim to Sharpie Love. “I’ve got my chef knife, a paring knife, some tongs, a couple silicon heat-resistant spatulas, and a few Sharpies,” he says. “I live across the street from the restaurant where I work, so I rarely need to bring much more than that. If we’re doing an off-site catering event, I may add an extra knife.”
Max and Eli cutting it up in the kitchen.The Sentimental Tool: He tends to turn misty-eyed over his knife bag, since his girlfriend gave it to him. But he can be awfully sentimental about his 10-1/2” Mac Mighty chef knife. “No,” he quickly warns, “you can’t touch it.”
The Strangest Thing In There: Well, this is a first: “A headlamp,” says Sussman. “I once worked at a fishing lodge in a very remote part of Patagonia, Chile. The power was so unreliable with frequent brownouts, so at least once a week we’d have to turn the lights off and bust out the headlamps.” Even though he lives in the middle of civilization today, he still carries it everywhere with him. “The one time you need a headlamp makes it all worth it,” he advises.
The Tool That’s Inspired You: His Mac Mighty, of course. “When I cook at home, I like to use my knife and play around with different ways to cut ingredients. Cutting a pepper into a dice or julienne yields such such different flavors and can also change the whole look of a dish,” he says.
What A Psychologist Would Say About His Tools: “I think he’d say that I’m either a minimalist who like to keep things simple, or a drifter with a fear of commitment.”
His Voyeuristic Side: “I’m a knife guy, so I’m always curious about what type of knife other chefs use,” he says. “But I’ve noticed that even if everyone uses pretty much the same tools it’s what you do with it that counts. So I’m always looking out for other people’s technique and ingredients as well as their toolbox.”
Watch Max & Eli on YouTube and follow them @FreshmanKitchen on Twitter.
Shoutout in the Herald-Palladium News! November 11, 2009
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Cookbook for college students
By Jane Ammeson / H-P food columnist
It’s a great book for beginners, with easy recipes and lots of hints on how to stock a kitchen, getting to know ingredients and even how to shop. Rule No. 1: Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach. Here’s a recipe from the book.
Potato Skins in the Microwave
4 large potatoes
1-2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded or broken into small pieces
3 tablespoons Bacon Bits or 3 diced cooked bacon slices
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
Garlic powder (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Cut potatoes into wedges, lengthwise, 2 or 4 pieces depending on the size of the potato. Place in microwave-safe dish filled with water to cover potatoes. Cook on high for 7 minutes.
Remove and test for doneness by poking with a knife. If you cannot scoop out the inside of the potato, return to microwave on high for 1 minute at a time until finished.
Scoop out the potato so 1/4-inch thickness remains around shell of potato. Sprinkle cheese over the top and return to microwave for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove and sprinkle with Bacon Bits and green onion. Top with a shake of garlic powder and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
My daughter and I sometimes watch the TV show “Ace of Cakes” about professional bakers who make the most wonderfully elaborate cakes – sometimes using blowtorches and drill saws.
So it was fun to find a book and blogspot that showed the opposite spectrum of cakes. Call it cakes gone bad or, as the book and blog are titled, “Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong” (Andrews McMeal 2009, $12.95) based on the blogspot that inspired it, www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com.
This isn’t about the disasters that happen in home kitchens. Instead, according to creator Jennifer Yates, the book and BlogSpot focus on any professionally made cake that is “unintentionally sad, silly, creepy or inappropriate.”
Her examples abound, including the cake that reads “Best Luck Suzanne, Underneat that, We will miss you,” obviously taken word for word from an order on what to write on the cake.
After reading the book, I thought it might be fun for others to share their own disaster stories. If you have such a story you’d be willing to share, please e-mail or write me.
Jane Ammeson can be contacted via e-mail at janeammeson@comcast.net or by writing to Focus Department, The Herald-Palladium, P.O. Box 128, St. Joseph, MI 49085.
