Michael Symon

Michael Symon was out promoting his new cookbook/philosophy book, Live to Cook yesterday at Williams Sonoma Michigan Ave.  It was pretty intimate with just about 25-30 people hovering around the small demonstration kitchen near the front of the store. 


The Iron Chef arrived around 5:00 and before we could see him we could hear his patented laugh. He started with a brief overview of his philosophy and his cookbook.

To summarize:

• love pork
• love salt
• love acid
• use bacon fat
• use duck fat
• eat/cook what you like

He is truly a wise man.  Apparently he cooks mostly bacon fat and duck fat at home, which is amazing a brilliant.  It was makes me a little jealous.  Not for the food, but because the man is pretty slim and fit; I don't think I would be if I ate that at home.  

After the quick chat he began cooking.  He was preparing  a pork chop Milanese with an arugula salad.  He started by pounded flat the pork chop and then a standard breading (flour, egg, breadcrumbs with a little Parmesan).  In a hot pan he had olive oil and butter to fry the chops. 

Pretty impressively he used his hands for everything.  Including pulling the chop out of a hot pan covered in hot oil. I don't think I've seen anything manlier.

It makes me want to toughen my hands, but I'm not sure what's the best/fastest way to kill all the sensory nerves in my fingers.

He then composed a vinaigrette of lemon, garlic and olive oil for the arugula salad.  He salted the garlic which was a nice trick to soften and sweeten the flavor of the garlic. 

After finishing the dish, he opened up for questions.  After a polite midwestern pause the crowd began a string of food network related questions.  Here are a few of the revelations:

On Iron Chef:

• 
  
  Favorite Secret Ingrediant: Suckling Pig, Offal as runner up 
  
  
  
• 
  
  He does get a list of 3 possible ingredients prior to the battle but it doesn't help him very much because he films multiple episodes in a 3 wks period. 
  
  
  
• 
  
  The "chairman is a freak."  Apparently Mark Dacascos is ridiculously fast and can kick you in the face.
  
  
  
• 
  
  He knows the winner of the Next Iron Chef.  And he won't tell.  Poo. 
  
  
  

On Dinner Impossible:

• 
  
  He hated it.  Hated.
  

After the book signing more pork chops were made and little samples hand out.  The chop was nice and the salad had a nice aggressive acidity.