The Sussman Bros are about to double team your tastebuds August 24, 2009
Posted by Eli in : Uncategorized , add a comment
We are stoked for this event. We hope if live in MI you can join us. If you don’t but know someone who may want to come please tell them to reserve their spot soon as we expect this to be a full event.
Freshman in the Kitchen Dinner at EVE -THE RESTAURANT in ANN ARBOR, MI
Wednesday September 9th at 7:00 PM
$55 per person plus tax and gratuity
We will be cooking a special multi course dinner with some new dishes created just for the occasion, paired with beers from local breweries!
This will be a very special event bringing us back together from both ends of the country to cook together at eve.
We’re talking a stellar amouse B, a cold and hot appetizer, a beautiful entree and a delectable dessert with beer pairings for $55 served to you in eve’s beautiful restaurant space in Kerrytown. The menu is secret for now but it may leak on twitter in the days leading up, so if you don’t follow us yet, you probably should @ FreshmanKitchen
The entire menu is inspired by local seasonal ingredients and will reflect the fun and not too serious way that we collaborate on cooking. And did i mention beer pairings??
TO MAKE A RESERVATION:
http://www.opentable.com/opentables.aspx?t=Single&rid=17233
Or call eve at 734-222-0711
**Reservations necessary**
Mr. Sussman goes to Washington and gets Examined. August 24, 2009
Posted by Eli in : Uncategorized , add a commentMax got interviewed by the Washington Examiner the other day because he’s an awesome chef at an even more awesome restaurant and he also likes to buy entire boxes of squash blossoms which is pretty B-A. I’m holding down this post because after the recent craziness at eve (offsite wedding parties, constant influx of A-list celebs and recession proof quality food- we’re talking booked for weeks here folks…) Max took a little vacation to South Haven,MI for a little R and R. He’s supposedly not going to cook a thing for 2 whole days while my dad cooks up ribs and my aunt utilizes the 30 pounds of blueberries she picked today. Let’s see if he can keep himself outta the kitchen. Me thinks not.
So The Washington Examiner is a big deal for us and we love them for giving us some coverage of the cbook. We now have a D.C. “presence.” We hope the young feds,the summer interns wrapping up and all those congressional aids check out what Max has to say. I had heard something about D.C. being busy with some health care something or other but DIRECTLY following the resolution of that, all of D.C. should be snaging a copy of FITK.
Our cookbook is completely bipartisan and non-judgemental, so no matter if you are red or blue, or a blue dog,the first African American president, a proud Latina judge or any kind of annoying politico describing word Wolf Blitzer uses in the Situation Room, you will find something to love in our C-book.
And I also don’t think it’s too much for Michelle to just cook ONE recipe out of the early chapters with MALE-AH and SA- SHA(said in hilarious Rick Warren invocation voice) using some of those south lawn organic treats. I have a sneaking suspicion she doesn’t check her twitter but a witty DM asking for an invite to the White House to cook never hurt anybody right?
Please check out the entire article below. Big thanks to Robin Tierney for a great piece.
Ed. Note: This post was the most political FITK has ever got, so I’m hoping that town hall folks don’t show up at our next demo/signing armed to the teeth.
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Easy, healthy gourmet for the young and hungry
By: Robin Tierney
Special to The Examiner
August 24, 2009
New book caters to kitchen freshmen cooking on a budget
Ramen noodles, frozen pizza, chips: The trifecta of college cuisine dominates the menu of those short on time, money and culinary skills.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Max Sussman, sous chef at Eve, the Ann Arbor, Mich., restaurant that has been packed since Eve Aronoff’s recent selection as an “Iron Chef” contestant. While buying blueberries and squash blossoms at the nearby Kerrytown Farmers’ Market, Max shared advice for the young and hungry.
Max and his brother Eli learned to cook in a home that valued good food and lacked a microwave. They worked cooking jobs at summer camps and in college.
After college, Max went into high-end cuisine while Eli took his laid-back diner chops to Los Angeles to work with celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre. Sensing widespread craving for a book for budget foodies, Max says, “We put our different approaches together for good food that you can make easily.” The result: “Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef,” a spiral-bound book combining techniques and recipes.
Help for foodies
on a budget
“Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef” by Max Sussman and Eli Sussman. Spiral-bound, 176 pages, color photos, Huron River Press, $17.95.The Post Punk Kitchen
Max’s tips for easy gourmet fare:
» “Buy a good chef knife … and learn how to keep it sharp.” Uses: slice and chop all kinds of food; cut herbs cleanly without bruising.
» “Get the freshest ingredients you can find, from vegetables to cheeses. That’s what we do at restaurants” to attract a loyal following.
» Can’t afford the best of everything? Use one ingredient to make a meal shine. “You can change the overall dish completely by using a really nice olive oil.” Or heirloom tomatoes, organic local cheese, etc.
» Turn up the heat. “A lot of cooks are afraid of high temperatures, but high heat is how flavor develops,” Max explains. “In the restaurant, we let the pan get smoking-hot, so the food caramelizes.” That’s chef-speak for browning. “Chemical reactions starting at 300 degrees is what really creates the flavor.”
» Use olive oil or organic butter to build flavor. “You don’t want to go overboard, but when dishes lack a certain richness, they’re lacking fat.”
» Keep these other staples on hand: olive oils (regular for heat cooking, extra-virgin for dressings, marinades and everything else), fresh lemons, fresh garlic. And dried beans are a budget gourmet classic worldwide.
» Buy local and seasonal vegetables and fruits, which pack the most taste and nutrients. Use fresh instead of dried herbs to add flavor, aroma and visual interest.
Social benefits
Reasons to cook for yourself include better health, savings, affordable luxury, independence — and better social life, suggests Max, whose book includes recipes for impressing a significant other, thanking friends or assuring parents that you’re eating well.
Max sees the local foods movement getting stronger with the surging interest among young people who value sustainability as well as taste.
“Cooking is a ton of fun,” he says, taking the market produce back to Eve. “We want people to be excited, not intimidated, about stepping into the kitchen.”
Reach Robin Tierney at robintierney@gmail.com.
Sharing is caring! August 18, 2009
Posted by Eli in : Uncategorized , add a commentSo this week I guest blogged for Diets in Review talking about dorm/dining hall tips for those lucky enough to be heading off to college in the fall (ahhh to be 18 and have 10 themed parties every weekend to choose from…) and we also shared a recipe with our friend Cody Clearwater at The Gourmet Analyst (www.gourmetanalyst.com). Like any true financial analyst, Cody is good with equations. Cody realizes that fork+food+mouth=awesome. But that’s fairly simple to ascertain, so we gave her a slightly larger challenge when we passed along the Salmon and Goat Cheese Napoleon recipe we made with Hoda and Kathie Lee (first name basis what what) when we were on the Today Show (it’s cool I only shamelessly mention it every other post). Cody made the dish and loved it. She even took a picture of her dish that was so similar to the one in our cookbook that i said aloud to Max ”If I’m not mistaken, that picture is extremely similar to the picture of the Salmon and Goat Cheese Napoleon located in our cookbook!” To which max responded in turn “I do concur!” (NOTE: we’ve taken serious steps to really step up our gramatical skills. I think it’s showing).
So proceed without caution. Read away on her site, then get hungry, then cook something creative. you know the Freshman Kitchen drill. Thanks to Cody for testing our recipe and showing that even someone with a real life busy career can make a full on meal any night of the week.
Salmon & Goat Cheese Napoleon – Freshman in the Kitchen
Monday, August 17th, 2009
This week I’ve teamed up with my friends Max and Eli Sussman at Freshman in the Kitchen to try one of the recipes from their new book, “Freshman In the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef.” (Click the picture to order your own copy!) The three of us are all passionate about getting the Millennial Generation to delete Pizza Hut from speed dial and get into the kitchen!
They recently sent me their recipe for Salmon and Goat Cheese Napoleon – a dish that they actually prepared on The Today show earlier this year with Kathy Lee and Hoda Kotb! I checked it out and was excited to give it a try because as you know, I’m a fan of anything with soft cheese and roasted red peppers! Their recipe was straightforward and their ingredients were simple and easy to find but the result was still absolutely delicious!!
4 Healthy Eating Tips for College Freshmen
The week of August 10 is Healthy Back to School Week at DietsInReview.com.
Eli Sussman is a guest author for DietsInReview.com Healthy Back to School. As a recent graduate of Michigan State University, and co-author with brother Max of the college-friendly cookbook Freshman in the Kitchen, he knows a thing or two about navigating the food choices available to college students. Learn more about Eli and Max on their book’s site Freshman in the Kitchen. In the four years I attended college, the dorm cafeteria evolved. What began with hamburger patties, chicken nuggets and a waffle maker morphed into stir fry stations, vegan options and take away counters. By fully utilizing the cafeteria and the dorm room to your advantage, you can save money and eat delicious, healthy meals. To avoid the bank and brain drain of sugary snacks and bland microwave meals you think are saving you time, here are a few tricks that may help out the budget and health conscious dorm occupant.
1) Tupperware to-go. Bring empty Tupperware in your backpack to the cafeteria to take fresh fruit, dry cereal, cut veggies and even deli meats to go. I can’t even imagine how much food gets thrown away every day and if you are paying for the meal card it’s definitely not stealing. It’s more a public service against waste right? By taking things to go it saved me time in the morning if I had to jet out and couldn’t make it to the caf. I had cereal, fruit and veggies for snacking and sandwiches to take on the walks to class. Fresh fruit and deli meats are a better option than Pop Tarts and Hot Pockets any day.
2)The Salad Station. You can make healthy meals by making this your go-to location in your dorm dining hall. If you are too lazy to put on clothes to head down to the caf or are heading to class and don’t want to buy a $5 muffin at the coffee express, make a salad and keep the dressing on the side so it doesn’t get soggy and stays longer. (If your caf doesn’t have a to-go option, see #1 above to create your own to-go option).
3) Make your own dorm room snacks. Trail mix, salsa, guacamole, bite size appetizers like a simple red pepper cream cheese dip for crackers can all be made easily in your dorm room. If you are having friends over to watch The Colbert Report or The Bachelor finale, it’s an inexpensive touch to whip up any of these for snacking. It won’t be lost on your friends that you didn’t just buy a bag of Doritos and a 2 liter.
4) Cook with friends. If you have a kitchen in your dorm, get together some friends, take the bus to the grocery store and split the costs. You get a delicious meal for less than the cost of going out and the satisfaction of cooking it yourself. Not to mention it’s the perfect time to discuss exchanging notes, term papers and test answers or to not discuss school at all. You might try this simple recipe from Freshman in the Kitchen – Sesame Peanut Noodles.
