Rick Tramonto gets comfy with meaty new cookbook

You can't help but get the impression Rick Tramonto is exactly where he wants to be.

He's sitting on the patio at his Vernon Hills home on a recent warm spring day. He's already fired up the grill in anticipation of lunch. His German Shepherd, Luke, roams the yard and the cattails rimming the pond wave in the gentle breeze.

Earlier in the week Tramonto was catching (and frying) frogs in Louisiana; before that he was taping "Top Chef Masters." Later he'll check in at Tru, his internationally acclaimed restaurant in Chicago, and then head off to cook at a food and wine festival in Northern California.

For the bulk of his career Tramonto has kept his home "pretty closed off," so when "Steak with Friends: At Home with Rick Tramonto" (written with Mary Goodbody) hits bookstores next week it will be the first time we have a glimpse inside his home and his personal life.

"The last six cookbooks have been restaurant-driven; written from the point of view of Rick Tramonto, the big fancy chef at Tru," he says.

This, his seventh book, started as a continuation of that with a plan to showcase recipes from his Tramonto Steak and Seafood in Wheeling. But while working with the editors at Andrews McMeel the idea morphed.

"We turned 'The Rick Tramonto Steakhouse' book into the 'Rick Tramonto Steak at Home' book," he says.

The evolution made sense, he says.

"I grew up in a steakhouse," he says recalling his early days at Scotch'n Sirloin in Rochester, N.Y. "I've been in Chicago for 22 years and it's certainly all about steak here.

"When Mary and I started to write it, it all unfolded."

The phrase "Steak with Friends" plays on two levels: enjoying a great steak in the company of great friends and family, and enjoying a great steak in the company of great accompaniments like potatoes, wine and cheesecake.

The recipe takes cooks through the menu, from cold and hot appetizers and salads (Hamachi Sashimi with Pineapple Bubbles, Chicago-Style Garbage Salad) to soup and desserts (Vidalia Onion Soup, Key Lime Brulees).

"I've been blessed to be partners with the greatest pastry chef on the globe," he said, referring to dessert diva Gale Gand, his former wife and current business partner. "It was bound to rub off a little bit."

But the meat of the book is, of course, the pages dedicated to steak.

In Steak on a Plate, Tramonto opens with notes on how to choose a great steak (it's all about the marbling) and gives precise instructions for grilling dry-aged New York Strip, Hangar Steak, Bone-in Rib Eye and more. Steak and Beef Classic delves into favorites including Steak Diane, Filet Oscar and Mom's Meatloaf.

"I want this book to get dirty and greasy," Tramonto said. "I want cooks to be inspired by this ... Any chef who can inspire you to cook at home, to bring the family around the table, it's a great, great thing."

The book includes Tramonto's musical and beverage suggestions: The Beatles and Tempranillo pair with skirt steak; Alice in Chains and a Vodka-Thyme Sour with stuffed artichokes. And then there are Biblical quotes at the front of each chapter - Tramonto's homage to his strong faith in Christ.

Advice is peppered throughout the pages to instill even more confidence in home cooks.

"Steak is an indulgence," Tramonto said, so there's more pressure to get it right.

Touching the steak too much during cooking and not letting the meat rest before serving rank as the top mistakes cooks make.

"People throw steak on the grill and then touch it too much. You've got to let it crust, let the fire do what it does," Tramonto advises. When meat comes off the grill, let it rest 15 to 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.

When entertaining at home, Tramonto prefers to slice large cuts and put them on a platter. He said guests can take as much or as little as they want, because not too many people finish a one-pound steak on their own.

Keeping with spirit of "Steak at Home," the food for the photos in the book was prepared and photographed in his home and the people shown around the tables are his family and friends.

"We shot eight or 10 photos a day; they moved into my house," Tramonto said of the crew.

"We'd invite friends over every night and they'd eat what I was cooking all day, so it was cool," he said. "I have three (teenage) boys and they stuck around the house a bit more than usual because they knew there was tons of food at the end of the day."