Les Dames d'Escoffier Cookbook

With this book, we celebrate the delicious way to save the world -- by cooking and eating. Enjoy these splendid recipes from Dames who have shared wonderful meals and want to share them with you. The instructions are all laid out for you; there’s no expertise needed. All you need is to begin.”
- —Alice Waters and Jerry Anne Di Vecchio (from the foreword)

What if you could invite Julia Child, Alice Waters, M.F.K. Fisher, and Marcella Hazan into your kitchen as you make dinner? Imagine Julia looking over your shoulder as you prepare Julia’s Lobster Newberg, or Gina Batali giving you her prized recipe for Batali Family Stuffed Artichokes. COOKING WITH LES DAMES D’ESCOFFIER (Sasquatch Books; October 2008; $35.00/hardcover; ISBN-13: 978-1-57061-530-6) assembles a dream team of culinary stars to share their most essential dishes — the ones they make at home for family and friends.

Members of Les Dames d’Escoffier include world-famous chefs, founders of farmers’ markets, winemakers, food media, restaurateurs, educators, and many others. In the organization’s first national cookbook, the Dames share their most essential dishes — the ones they make at home for family and friends — including:

M.F.K. Fisher’s Black Olive Tapenade with Tuna and Hard-Cooked Eggs
Stuffed Figs (Georgeanne Brennan)
Smoked Whitefish and Nori Pâte (Betty Fussell)
Seared Scallops with Surprise Sauce (Dorie Greenspan)
Pork Rib Guazzetto (Lidia Bastianich)
Summer Salad of Watermelon, Feta Cheese, and Mint (Paula Lambert)
Greek Yellow Split Pea Soup (Joyce Goldstein)
Fresh Blackberry Cobbler (Edna Lewis)
And many more, all featuring a suggested beverage
Les Dames d’Escoffier (LDEI) is the premier association of women culinary professionals, started in 1973 in response to the all-male Les Amis d’Escoffier. Their story parallels the feminist movement that began in the 1960s. At that time the food, wine, and hospitality industries were no different from other fields: A woman’s place was squarely in the home, and those who ventured out into the workplace were not allowed the same opportunities.

Today the group includes 28 chapters in the United States and Canada, with more than 1300 members, including many of the most influential names in the food world. LDEI and its chapters have raised nearly $4 million for scholarships and grants for mentoring women in the food and beverage industries.

As LDEI grew over the years, many of its members have pioneered culinary trends so beloved in America today. Grand Dame Julia Child and Anne Willan encouraged our love of French food, Alice Waters and Judy Rodgers taught us about local and sustainable ingredients, and Flo Braker and Leslie Mackie have introduced us to artisan-baked goods.

COOKING WITH LES DAMES D'ESCOFFIER celebrates the collective wisdom of this impressive group of food professionals. A definitive resource, the cookbook is filled with insights and tips for the home cook, together with 125 of the Dames’ most essential recipes. Here are such delights as Lidia Bastianich’s hearth-warming Pork Rib Guazzetto; Susa Feniger’s Roasted Black Cod with Horseradish Coulis and Farmers’ Carrots; Anne Willan’s elegant Twice-Baked Spinach Soufflés; and Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet Soufflés with Nibby Cream. More than 120 recipes include appetizers, first courses, soups, main courses (including vegetarian options), sides, baking, and desserts.

The Dames also serve up a wonderfully eclectic and informed array of sidebars: the lowdown on screw-cap wines, how boxed phyllo dough can be a lifesaver, how to pair beer and food, new ways to enjoy caviar, favorite kitchen tools, and much more. The result is a wide-ranging and essential cookbook for anyone who cares about food and its many nuances. COOKING WITH LES DAMES D’ESCOFFIER offers a wealth of delicious dishes that invite cooks everywhere home for dinner.
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COOKING WITH LES DAMES D'ESCOFFIER
At Home with the Women Who Shape the Way We Eat and Drink
edited by Marcella Rosene with Pat Mozersky
Sasquatch Books • October 2008 • $35.00 • 400 pages • Hardcover • Color photographs
ISBN-13: 978-57061-530-6

About the Editors

Marcella Rosene founded Seattle’s premier take-out food shop, Pasta & Co. She lives in Seattle. Pat Mozersky founded the Ma Maison Cooking School and is a past president of Les Dames d’Escoffier International. Tracey Maurer is a freelance food photographer. Both live in San Antonio.