ALL ABOUT FOOD: Cooking with ‘les Dames’

What do Julia Child, Alice Waters, Barbara Kafka, M.F.K. Fisher and Lidia Bastianich have in common, besides being famous female chefs? Did you know that they all belonged to an organization called Les Dames d’Escoffier, a worldwide philanthropic society of professional women in the field of food, fine beverage and hospitality? The invitation-only membership has 27 chapters across the U.S. and Canada and is the only organization of its kind. Interestingly enough, it had its roots in jealousy.

In 1959, when Eda Saccone was envious of her husband’s yearly dinners at the Boston chapter of Les Amis d’Escoffier, an all-male organization of eminent chefs, she planned a lavish dinner of her own and started the first ever women’s food society.

Carol Brock, the Sunday food editor of the New York Daily News, became interested in this Boston group and envisioned an organization that would open doors for women into the professional world of food and beverage. With the help of women in the field, Brock eventually received a charter to form the “ladies chapter” of Les Amis d’Escoffier. The earliest members included such notables as Marcella Hazan and Paula Wolfert.

Our local connection to this esteemed group is Marcella Rosene, who lived in Bluebird Canyon in the ‘70s, then moved to Seattle with her husband in 1980 to open Pasta & Co., a chain of high-end take-out food shops they sold eight years ago. Longing for Laguna, she and her husband bought a cottage in 1993 on Brooks Street, where they now spend about a third of their time.

Author of three previous cookbooks, Marcella embarked on the ambitious project of putting together “Cooking with Les Dames d’Escoffier,” a compilation of recipes by her colleagues, some of the best cooks in America; but not the recipes you might expect from a group with Escoffier in the title. These are the ones they cook at home for family and friends that are not difficult to make, including: ethnic, regional, vegetarian, classic dishes and food kids would like. No tomatoes need to be peeled, no butter needs to be clarified and no stock needs to be homemade. Furthermore, every direction is detailed and clear.

We know this because we talked to three of a group of Marcella’s good friends who live in Laguna and helped her out by testing some of the recipes in the book. All of them agreed that Marcella is a wonderful cook herself and they reminisced about many fabulous meals they have shared with her.

Robina Allen, a Bluebird neighbor, recalls summer evenings when they would get together for delicious potluck picnics in the canyon. What she likes best about the cookbook, besides the ease of using the recipes, is the focus on fresh, seasonal food, preferably from the Farmer’s Market.

Her absolute favorite party dessert is Fran’s crustless cheesecake, which substitutes brie for part of the cream cheese and is really simple and really good.

Noelle Von Bargen, Marcella’s vegetarian friend, who loves to cook, also volunteered to help test recipes with her. She recommended a dessert “” bittersweet chocolate soufflés with nibby cream.

She loves it because you can make the batter in advance in just a few minutes, divide it into individual ramekins that you can put in the refrigerator for several days or hold at room temperature for several hours and then bake at the end of the meal while making coffee for your dinner guests.

Bette McIntyre describes herself as an ordinary cook. She says that the directions in the book are so specific that “it’s like having one of the dames in the kitchen with you. This kind of detail has helped me become a better cook.”

Chicken Adobo, a take on the Filipino classic, is a dish that impresses everyone. We also like this economical, do-ahead, one-dish family meal served over fresh greens.

The cookbook has been getting great press and is a Book of the Month club pick.

Locally, it is available at Laguna Beach Books and can be ordered at Latitude 33.

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected]