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December 2008
On Rue Tatin with Chef Susan Herrmann Loomis
Having taken a course with Susan Loomis in Patricia Well’s left bank cooking studio in Paris, it was decided that I would work with Susan and assist her with other classes in Paris and Normandy during the month of November. I would like to share with you some of my experiences with her in her lovely home and cooking school in Louviers, France.
Upon arriving in Louviers, Susan showed me to my room upstairs, and I got settled in. My room was cozy and I couldn’t help but notice the gothic cathedral that stood at the center of the city, outside my bedroom window. I changed into my work clothes, and hurried downstairs to the beautiful French kitchen, I couldn’t wait to start working!
That evening Susan explained the process of setting up for the school and my mind raced with excitement. Every piece of copper gleemed and every utensil, cup and saucer was shined and returned to its coveted place on the beautiful shelves. Susan manicured the terrace and garden and I started on a punch list in the kitchen. We stopped for a delicious dinner of braised endive and a fresh green salad with a dressing made of nut oil. Our dinner was absolutely delightful next to the wood-burning fire in her kitchen.
Saturday morning Susan had already displayed the pristine French pottery teapots and serving dishes on the high shelves over-looking the French-tiled kitchen. We decided to meet early, so that we could beat the crowd at the market. Susan poured me a hot cup of tea, we talked about the adventures for the day and set off to the beautiful outdoor market with our over-sized straw baskets to purchase the fresh ingredients for the upcoming cooking classes.
At the market the air was mixed with the smell of fresh chickens on the rotisserie and the crisp cool air of winter ladened with a tinge of smoke coming from the fireplaces of the ancient story-book like homes that filled the city.
Huge crusty loaves of artisan bread were being sliced with a ragged bread knife and fresh picked apples were being stacked in their wooden crates as Susan told me the story of the proud ‘apple man’ who consistently and passionately shares his delight of being able to offer such great apples to his customers this season. I pictured the apple man as an old man graying and jolly, my vision was quickly interrupted as I zeroed in on the real apple man—a young man in his twenties with a chocolate brown turtle neck and big, smiling eyes. My thoughts of a farmer, will never be the same.
We then made a turn to the left down into the bustling produce area where Susan introduced me to Baptiste, the vegetable farmer who quickly exchanged the xxx—the quick friendly kisses on each cheek the French give upon greeting and departure. I had orders to purchase potatoes, so I quickly returned to business, purchased the pommes de terre and bid my new friend, Baptiste, “Auvoir!”
When Susan approached the cheese display, where everyone knows her well, she requested her selection of cheese and the experts asked when it would be eaten, then several of them hovered into a group as they discussed the best piece for ripeness. I just love France.
I watched as Susan so fluidly asked each artisan for her choice of poultry and meat. Then after she purchased fresh whole rabbit, guinea fowl, pork cheeks and numerous other fresh market finds, we ventured back to Susan’s beautiful home. For some reason, even though all of our bags were overflowing…the bags just seem lighter in France. The rest of the day we prepped for the course that would begin on Sunday.
That evening I took a break and found a place amongst the hundreds of people gathered in the cathedral for a special Christmas program. The church is being totally restored, a young new priest had recently taken the post at the church and according to some of the townspeople, the church had made a real comeback with record numbers of people attending every week. Seeing this special holiday program was a very special memory of this lovely French town.
Back at On Rue Tatin, Susan and I had dinner and then went over more preparations for the class. We decide to meet back in the kitchen the following morning to set up the mise en place, French for ‘everything in its place’ for the cooking class.
Running up the stairs to my room, I was anxious to get to sleep so that I could wake up to the new day. I changed into my pajamas, turned down my bed and turned off the light. As I slid into my bed, I noticed a beautiful warm glow that covered me and poured onto the opposite wall. I turned around in my bed and looked through the wooden elf-like windows towards the mysterious light. I gasped as I saw the clock tower and the towering cathedral shining like a Lambeth method encrusted wedding cake in the night. Tears welled up in my eyes, what a beautiful place. I turned back around and pulled the covers up around my face to warm up. No need to sleep tonight…I felt as if I was already dreaming!
—Aprilxxx
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Spotted Dick, Anyone?
London was great! In between my jaunt to the luxury travel show at Olympia, London and my interview with author Michael Booth (whom I will introduce you to later in an article) and after sight-seeing a lot of the touristy type things, involving the Royal family, Borough Market, and Harrod’s, I think my favorite part of my trip was the dinner with new friends, Freya, Sarah, and Emily.
My English friend in Paris, Charlotte, called her three best friends to meet for dinner Friday night, and this did prove to be a great event, indeed. After texting, emailing and phoning we all four met at the famous Sloane’s Square in the heart of Chelsea.
Dinner in London was really great, Freya glowed the entire dinner as she sprinkled our conversation with colorful anecdotes about her recent engagement to her American boyfriend. She said she will have an English wedding in the country in a church with a reception in a beautiful tent in an English garden. I loved talking about her wedding, with weddings being such a large part of my career thus far, she described the table settings and the florals with shades of ivory and green. Her eyes sparkled like her flawless diamond he had given her, her mind wandered when others at the table spoke, I am sure she was having fond thoughts of her beau across the world, at the moment.
Both Freya and Sarah are accountants, and Emily is finishing her Masters degree in Art History. Currently, she works at a upscale fashion auction house, she quietly mentioned how sometimes she and her coworkers like to try on the vintage Chanel, when no one is looking. Then there was the time recently when a local celebrity brought in a huge amount of horrible clothing from the 80’s and 90’s to be auctioned off. Tongue in cheek, the owner of the auction house had to call the woman and ask that she come retrieve the items, for they weren’t appropriate for the auction house’s elite clientele.
Also mentioned at dinner was our trip to Borough Market the following morning, where Emily recounts many times Gwyneth Paltrow has been seen wearing her large, dark shades and picking through the organic vegetables.
As we finished up our dinner, we each ordered dessert. Emily suggested I have the treacle English pudding and I was delighted to have an authentic English dessert.
Later, in a conversation with Charlotte, I found that I actually had the famous English dessert called Spotted Dick. Yes, it’s true. I first learned about this dessert in my readings in Larousse Gastronomique in 1998 and wondered about the reality of this dessert. I just could not fathom someone asking for the Spotted Dick for dessert at a fine restaurant and I couldn’t shake the idea that it somehow must have ended up in the re-runs of bad Benny Hill shows.
I did some more research and found the clearest and I think best description of the 19th century English dessert came from the following source, thestraightdope.com. Hopefully, it will introduce you to a delightful traditional English dessert with a quite misunderstood name. The description is as follows:
“The word “dick” has appeared in any number of strange places. Around the 1840s, “dick” was used to mean a type of hard cheese; when treacle sauce was added, it became “treacle dick”, and finally when currants or raisins were added (looking like little spots), the “spotted dick” was born.
The earliest recipes for spotted dick are from 1847. For non-British readers, “spotted dick” is a boiled suet pudding, with bits of dried fruit (usually raisins or currants) that (as already noted) look like little spots.
The Oxford Companion to Food comments that, strictly speaking, “spotted dick” is made by taking a flat sheet, spreading sugar and raisins on it, then rolling it up. A similar dessert is “spotted dog,” a plain cylinder of suet paste with the raisins and currants and sugar stuck into it, so that the spots are visible on the outside. Both spotted dick and spotted dog were traditionally boiled (or even steamed) in a cloth, but nowadays they are usually baked.”
The most humorous story about Spotted Dick was reported with the BBC, when a Gloucestershire hospital changed its menu from the traditional Spotted Dick pudding to the Spotted Richard…I give up sigh.
The reason the hospital chose to make the change is that the patients often opted for the traditional puddings, but, may be uncomfortable or too embarassed to ask for it by name. The hospital changed the menu back after three years, the final point being, the patient’s don’t even ask for their food by name, they ‘simply tick a box on a menu card to order their food.’
So, I enjoyed the English dessert Spotted Dick, ignorant to the name cleverly disguised on the menu in Sloane Square. I am glad that the cafe owner was cautious enough to be kind to it’s patrons.
Fortunately, since I have now enjoyed the dessert and have been educated on its origins, I will gladly ask for the dessert by name while on future holiday in England.
But, I can’t promise I won’t blush.
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Update on April In Paris
Hi, everyone! I just wanted you to know there will be an updated entry on Thursday, December 4, 2008! I have been in Normandy (with no internet access) assisting an amazing chef and upon returning to Paris, I have been in classes again from morning until night at Le Cordon Bleu. I look forward to updating you on all of the amazing experiences here in Paris and Normandy. I miss you all! Best Regards, April
