Joanna Brady Schmida's - "Keys Cuisine"
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Cooking with la Crème de la Crème: Les Dames d'Escoffier

By Joanna Brady Schmida

If Dan Brown is looking for more secret or little-known organizations to write his multi-million dollar novels about, I have one he may not have thought of: Les Dames d'Escoffier.

I had never heard of this group until I came across a cookbook called "Cooking with Les Dames d'Escoffier, subtitled "At Home with the Women Who Shape the Way we Eat and Drink" (Sasquatch Books, 2008).

The title pretty well sums it up. It's not a flashy book. There aren't a lot of pictures or complicated menus. It's simply a compilation of the favorite recipes of the world's most famous female chefs of all time; a culinary dream team, so to speak. And the recipes are simple ones these women (or "dames," as they call themselves) would make at home for family and friends.

The members of the team the editors showcase include such all-time stars as the late M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child, as well as many others, like Georgeanne Brennan, Anne Willan, Marcella Hazan, Alice Waters and Joyce Goldstein, all well-known kitchen princesses who are alive and cooking today.

Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) is, in fact, the premier organization of female culinary and hospitality professionals. It was started in 1973 by Carol Brock, who was then food writer for the New York Times, in response to an all-male group of international chefs, Les Amis d"Escoffier.

The history of the LDEI parallels the feminist movement that began in the 1960s. Around that time, the food, wine and hospitality industries were no different from other fields, in that a woman's place was squarely in the home. Those who ventured out into the workplace were not allowed the same opportunities as men, even if they were venturing to work in a kitchen. Which is pretty ironical, if you think about it.

Today, this active and vocal worldwide group includes 27 chapters in the United States and Canada, with more than 1,300 members. For the past three decades, these distinguished professional women have made it their personal duty to ensure that we all eat well, as they have exerted their influence on the many areas of food preparation. Not forgetting its feminist roots, the LDEI has, over the years, raised considerable amounts of money to fund scholarships and grants for the purpose of mentoring women in the food and beverage industries.

Members of the group include word-famous chefs and restaurateurs, caterers, founders of farmers' markets, winemakers, horticulturists, educators, best-selling authors, manufacturers, food scientists, marketers, writers, television and radio personalities, and other experts devoted to good food, wine and hospitality.

Their name, however, honors a man: His name was Auguste Escoffier, and he was perhaps the most famous chef of all time. Born in 1846 in the Provence region of France, his father took the young Escoffier to Nice when he turned 13 to apprentice at a restaurant owned by his uncle. This launched a career that he was to enjoy for the next 62 years.

Escoffier's culinary art took him to work in fabulous restaurants in Paris, Monte Carlo, Switzerland and London. Later, he met Swiss hotelier César Ritz, and in ensuing years, their collaboration brought about significant changes in hotel industry development, raising the standards of hospitality to remarkable heights. Along the way, Ritz opened several famous hotels and Escoffier developed a superior reputation for haute cuisine.

Three of Escoffier's most noted career achievements were to revolutionize menus, write his books on the art of cooking, and reorganize the professional kitchen. To reduce the number of courses served, his mantra was "Faites simple!" ("Simplify!"). He got rid of ostentatious food displays and elaborate garnishes, concentrating more on quality food in just a few courses. This was at a time when the upper classes expected lavish meals of up to 10 or 11 courses, so it was considered a radical change in thinking. He also emphasized the use of seasonal foods and lighter sauces. Escoffier received many honors throughout his lifetime, not the least of which was praise from Germany's Kaiser, Wilhelm II, when he told him "I am the Emperor of Germany, but you are the emperor of chefs."

I liked the book "Cooking with Les Dames d'Escoffier" for its easy, delicious recipes, and the fact that it is sprinkled throughout with invaluable little tips offered by the women who contributed to it. They put forward many good ideas that can cut down on work, bring out the best in foods, and simplify the whole process of cooking.

It was difficult to choose recipes to feature in this article, but you might like to try these three:

Walnut Fennel Tarts

(Seattle caterer Dame Lisa Duparhas has cooked for Martha Stewart, Bill Cosby and President Bill Clinton. These tarts are often requested.)

Tart shells:

1/4 cup walnut meats

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup plus 5 tbs all-purpose flour

2/3 tsp salt

1/4 cup ice water (or more if needed)

Topping:

1 large fresh fennel bulb

1 tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, cut in 1/8 inch dice (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium tart apple (e.g. Granny Smith), peeled and cut into 1/4 inch

dice (about 3/4 cup)

1 tbs finely chopped garlic

3/4 cup dry white wine

3 tbs heavy cream

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided

3/4 tbs fresh basil leaves, cut finely

In a food processor, place the walnuts and chop them just roughly. Remove them and reserve.

Put butter, flour and salt in processor. Pulse until butter disappears into flour, about 30 seconds. Add 3 tbs of ice water and pulse a few more seconds. Then add 1 to 2 more tbs, pulsing briefly until dough begins to clump. Remove to some plastic wrap and pat into a flat disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).

Let dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out dough on a lightly floured board to about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle dough with the chopped walnuts and roll them into the dough, flattening it to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch rounds. Bake shells on a parchment-covered cooking sheet until pale and crisp, but not brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Trim and core the fennel bulb and slice thinly. Heat olive oil on medium, add onions and cook until carmelized, about 20 minutes. Add fennel, apple and garlic. Cook until tender, another 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer, reducing by 90 per cent until mixture is almost dry. Add cream, salt and pepper. Remove immediately from heat and bring to room temperature. Add cheese, except for 2 tbs. Add basil.

Oven should be 375 degrees. Assemble tarts: Spoon filling onto center of shells. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cooked and golden, about 8 minutes. Serve hot as an appetizer. Especially good with bourbon or sherry drinks. Makes 30.

Quail Escabeche

(A make-ahead dish from Dame Mariquita Cobes, owner of La Villette, a catering company in Houston.)

6 whole quail

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch crescents

1 1/2 cups (4 medium) carrots, peeled and thinly cut on the diagonal

3 thin slices of lemon

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 Turkish or Mediterranean bay leaves (not Californian)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1/4 cup minced parsley, chives or thyme leave (or mix all three)

Wash quail and tie the legs together with string. Place them in a stovetop-proof casserole dish large enough to hold them in a single layer, along with the vegetables. Add the garlic, onion carrots, lemon, oil, vinegar, wine, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer until the quail is cooked and the vegetables are tender, but not soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, refrigerate and serve at least one day (or more) later, either at room temperature or reheated.

To serve, remove the bay leaves from the mixture. Place a quail in the middle of each individual serving dish. Remove string from legs. Distribute the vegetables about the birds and nap generously with the juices. Top with a light sprinkle of the fresh minced herbs. (Alternatively, serve the dish family style on a large platter.) Serve with warm bread.

Blackberry Cobbler

(Dame Edna Lewis (1916-2006) was the grand-daughter of freed slaves, and was a New York City chef, food writer and cookbook author for many years. This is an unusual cobbler, since it divides the dough as for pies. You can make it with other fruits, too.)

Pastry:

2 cups sifted unbleached flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cups lard

1/3 cup cold water

1 cup coarsely crushed cube sugar (use a rolling pin)

1/4 cup light cream

Filling:

5 cups blackberries

4 thin slices butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsps cornstarch

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Blend in the lard with a pastry blender. Sprinkle all the water in at once and shape dough into a ball. Divide in half and let stand for a few minutes. Roll out one piece and place in an 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking pan.

Sprinkle 2 or 3 tbs of the crushed sugar over the dough in the pan, cover with wax paper and set it into the refrigerator until ready to fill it. Also refrigerate the other half of the dough.

Remove from refrigerator and roll out the top crust. Remove pan with crust and fill it with the berry filling, distributing the pieces of butter and sprinkling over the 3/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with the cornstarch.

Wet rim of the dough in the pan and place the top pastry over, pressing down all around to seal, trimming away excess. Make a decorative edge with knife handle and cut slits in the center for steam to release. Brush top with a thick brush of cream and sprinkle on the remaining crushed cube sugar. Place in a preheated 450 degree oven and when door is shut, turn down to 425. Bake 45 minutes and set on a rack to cool down.

Serve at room temperature or warm. Serves six to eight.