New Book Deal
July 11, 2008
This week I inked the deal on my next cookbook. I love writing cookbooks, because the process gives me an opportunity to capture a snapshot of where my cooking was at a particular point of time. From “Amuse-Bouche” and the Tru cookbook to my upcoming Osteria cookbook (to be released this fall), they all document a particular restaurant or cooking style.
This next one is written, obviously, from the point of view of Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood.So I’m really excited about “Rick Tramonto’s Steak with Friends,” because when it is all said and done, I love steak. Though I live in Chicago (where steak is king), I have always been a huge fan of the American steak experience and the passion of meat cookery. I just outlined the book’s chapters, and some of the recipes I will include for home cooks are dry-aged New York strip, bone-in ribeye and London broil. I plan on discussing how to choose a fine cut from the butcher and the ins and outs of marbling, color and texture. I will also include recipes on all the sides that go with a great steak dinner, as well as appetizers, soups and even desserts.
So why call it "Rick Tramonto’s Steak with Friends"? Well, the answer is twofold. First, the “friends” can be considered the ingredients and dishes that accompany a great steak dinner, beyond the cut of meat itself. The second meaning, and what I want to really discuss here, is the “friends” being people who truly enjoy a great steak, or any meat for that matter, including veal, lamb, pork and chicken.
Some of you may remember a certain little incident that played itself out in the press a few years ago and coincided with a political movement in the city led by a certain alderman that made a certain product illegal to serve in Chicago restaurants. Yes, of course I am talking about foie gras! Though the ban has been repealed, the main platform in my stance against it was that if foie gras goes (which is an easily targeted product that only a small percentage of the population even enjoys to begin with), what will be next? That is the red-button issue for me: having someone else try to dictate what I serve my guests or eat myself (environmental issues aside, as a chef I consider myself a steward of the Earth and understand the implications of over-farming, over-fishing and the inhumane treatment of animals). I respect the opportunity for people to choose whatever diet that they like to sustain themselves. My restaurants, for example, can prepare a vegetarian meal or even a vegan dinner given the proper notice (even the steakhouse, though we never get that many requests for that kind of thing there!). My point is that as a chef or operator, we all go to great lengths to accommodate our guests. It has always been my vision to find the best ingredients and cook them, grill them, season them, serve them up and let the customer enjoy. We create repertoires of recipes to appeal to any type of guest that walks through our doors, because at the end of the day, all of those guests are our friends and yes, that even means those who don’t eat steak!
This week I inked the deal on my next cookbook. I love writing cookbooks, because the process gives me an opportunity to capture a snapshot of where my cooking was at a particular point of time. From “Amuse-Bouche” and the Tru cookbook to my upcoming Osteria cookbook (to be released this fall), they all document a particular restaurant or cooking style.
This next one is written, obviously, from the point of view of Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood.So I’m really excited about “Rick Tramonto’s Steak with Friends,” because when it is all said and done, I love steak. Though I live in Chicago (where steak is king), I have always been a huge fan of the American steak experience and the passion of meat cookery. I just outlined the book’s chapters, and some of the recipes I will include for home cooks are dry-aged New York strip, bone-in ribeye and London broil. I plan on discussing how to choose a fine cut from the butcher and the ins and outs of marbling, color and texture. I will also include recipes on all the sides that go with a great steak dinner, as well as appetizers, soups and even desserts.
So why call it "Rick Tramonto’s Steak with Friends"? Well, the answer is twofold. First, the “friends” can be considered the ingredients and dishes that accompany a great steak dinner, beyond the cut of meat itself. The second meaning, and what I want to really discuss here, is the “friends” being people who truly enjoy a great steak, or any meat for that matter, including veal, lamb, pork and chicken.
Some of you may remember a certain little incident that played itself out in the press a few years ago and coincided with a political movement in the city led by a certain alderman that made a certain product illegal to serve in Chicago restaurants. Yes, of course I am talking about foie gras! Though the ban has been repealed, the main platform in my stance against it was that if foie gras goes (which is an easily targeted product that only a small percentage of the population even enjoys to begin with), what will be next? That is the red-button issue for me: having someone else try to dictate what I serve my guests or eat myself (environmental issues aside, as a chef I consider myself a steward of the Earth and understand the implications of over-farming, over-fishing and the inhumane treatment of animals). I respect the opportunity for people to choose whatever diet that they like to sustain themselves. My restaurants, for example, can prepare a vegetarian meal or even a vegan dinner given the proper notice (even the steakhouse, though we never get that many requests for that kind of thing there!). My point is that as a chef or operator, we all go to great lengths to accommodate our guests. It has always been my vision to find the best ingredients and cook them, grill them, season them, serve them up and let the customer enjoy. We create repertoires of recipes to appeal to any type of guest that walks through our doors, because at the end of the day, all of those guests are our friends and yes, that even means those who don’t eat steak!
posted by chef tramonto @ 11:12 AM
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