arts & entertainment

What's Cookin'?

Huntington Woods
natives Eli and Max
Sussman introduce
their new cookbook
to a hometown
audience.

I

Suzanne Chessler

Contributing Writer

A

sk Max or Eli Sussman "what's
cookin'?" and you're sure to get
a tempting reply — spoken,
written, digitally or, most satisfying, at
some dining table.
The two, raised on prepared-from-
scratch meals in Huntington Woods and
captivated by international flavors through
family travel, have built careers as New
York chefs and recipe developers/com-
municators, most recently with This Is
a Cookbook: Recipes for Real Life (Olive
Press; $23).
The two, who share an apartment in
Brooklyn, will return to Michigan to intro-
duce the book at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, at
Williams-Sonoma, located in the Somerset
Collection in Troy.
Over the phone, they explain the direc-

tions of their simmering talents, showing
enthusiasm that intensified during a sum-
mer of kitchen work at Michigan's Camp
Tavor, a Habonin Dror camp in Three
Rivers modeled after a kibbutz, with a
healthy garden and kids helping in the
kitchen.
"This is a cookbook that people can pick
up and say they definitely can make the
recipes:' says Eli, 27, who works at Mile
End, a Jewish-style deli.
"They can say these things look amaz-
ing, and when they make them them-
selves, the foods are going to look like
that, too. We accomplished our goal of
making a really useful cookbook.
"Our cooking is toward the diner-deli
style. It's faster and easier, and it's going to
be things people can throw together using
a lot of leftovers — sandwiches, pastas and
salads. That's the way I cook and the way
I know a lot of young professionals need
to cook."
Colorfully illustrated recipes include
Grilled Meatball Sandwich in the
"Backyard Grub" chapter; Linguine with
Anchovies, Parsley and Walnuts in the
"Dinner Party" chapter; Beet and Yogurt
Salad for the "Night In" chapter; and
Nutella Buns in the "Lazy Brunch" chapter.
Kosher cooks will find latkes with lots
of sauces among vegetarian and adapt-
able ideas, while those who do not follow
Jewish dietary laws will be able to access
pulled pork and related choices.

10 cups good-quality, low-sodium
chicken broth
1 whole chicken, preferably organic,
about 3 lbs.
11/2 cups white rice
4 large egg yolks
juice of 3 lemons
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
(optional)

AVGOLEMONO
Detroit is famous for its Greek-American
diners called coney islands. These spots
transcend geography, race, income, age
... practically everyone who lives there is
obsessed with them. Whenever I took a
red-eye from LA, I always drove straight
to the coney island near my parents'
house to get a bowl of this satisfying
chicken soup with egg and lemon, plus a
chicken-finger pita to go. Who cares that
it was 7 a.m., I had to get my coney fix.
— Eli

46

November 22 • 2012

Di

Pour the broth into a soup pot. Add
the chicken. Cover partially, and bring
to a boil over high heat. Reduce the
heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Uncover, and use a large spoon to skin
off any foam or fat that has risen to the
surface. Replace the lid, and simmer for
30 minutes longer. Uncover, and skim
the soup again, then remove from the
heat. Using tongs and the large spoon or
a large fork, carefully remove the chicken
from the broth and place on a platter.
Let cool slightly. When cool enough to
handle, pull the meat from the bones.
Discard the bones and skin, and set the

"There are Jewish
influences through-
out our cookbook,
whether they're
overt or more
subtle," explains
Eli, who, like his
brother, attended
Hillel Day School
and Berkley High
School and celebrat-
ed his bar mitzvah
at Congregation
B'nai Moshe in West
Bloomfield.
Max and Eli Sussman
"The Lamb with
Eggplant and Orzo
Salad are Middle
Eastern flavors that we know as Jewish
flavors even though they're shared by a lot
of different regions.
"As a professional cook and an extreme
lover of food, I decided in high school I
was going to eat shellfish and everything
that came my way. That is based on my
love of food and my desire to understand
flavors and various cuisines around the

The brothers, whose first cookbook was
Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless
Cook to Creative Chef, had different careers
in mind as they were attending college.
Eli went to Michigan State University
and majored in international relations,
and Max took up American studies at the

meat aside.
Meanwhile, add the rice to the soup
pot, and return to a simmer over low
heat. Cook until the rice is tender, about
20 minutes. Return the chicken meat to
the soup, and remove from the heat. In
a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg
yolks until well blended. Using a ladle,
scoop some of the soup broth into the
bowl of yolks, about 1/2 cup at a time,
stirring thoroughly after each addition,
until you've added about 2 cups broth
total. The egg-broth mixture should be
hot to the touch. (Gradually adding the
hot broth prevents the eggs from cur-
dling.)
Pour the egg-broth mixture back into
the pot, and stir well. Do not turn on the
heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Season with
salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup
into individual bowls, garnish with pars-
ley if you like, and serve right away.
Note: If the soup cools and you need to
reheat it, be sure you reheat gently over
low heat. Don't let the soup come to a
boil, or the eggs may curdle.

University of Michigan.
They gained food-prep expertise
through work experience and liked the
instant gratification of happy eaters. Both
are on Zagat's 2012 list of top 30 under 30
food professionals in New York City.
"Eli and I are complementary:' says
Max, 29, chef de cuisine at Roberta's, a
full-service restaurant that has pizza and
a menu of American foods with different
influences.
"I'm really focused on the food, and Eli
is focused on making sure it's a really fun
time.
"We try to focus on the ingredients and
not mess with them too much. If we have
a salad, we focus on a couple of key ingre-
dients. If we have meat, let's cook it over a

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT
BUTTER PIE
This is a recipe where we tried to cram as
many delicious ingredients as we could
into a dessert that would appeal to some-
one who is terrified about the thought
of combining flour and eggs. If you're
capable of reading this cookbook, you are
capable of making this dessert look as
insanely good as the picture.

3 cups crumbled graham crackers
'/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

