Chicago Cooks
25 Years of Culinary History and Great Recipes
from Les Dames D'Escoffier
edited by Carol Mighton Haddix
Agate Surrey, 2007
$30, cloth
208 pages
Chicago brings to mind big-shouldered steaks, old school ethnic traditions, and trendy chefs who use more lab equipment than kitchen equipment. But there are long-lived and less well known traditions celebrated is this book by Les Dames D'Escoffier of Chicago.
Whenever people are thinking about food, talking about food, cooking and enjoying food, it's bound to be good. Les Dames is an association of women in the food business, with chapters around the country. While they are business networking groups, Les Dames members also act as educators and mentors, supporting local culinary students.
The Les Dames Chicago chapter celebrates its 25th anniversary with memories of the group's founding and sharing these recipes that include dishes classic to Chicago and members' own specialties. The book begins with a recounting of local food history that parallels the rising professionalism and variety of culinary skill across the country.
Chicago has always had a strong culinary tradition. Haddix notes that the city takes its name from the American Indian word checagou, a wild onion that grew in the area. Stockyards, immigrant communities, and contemporary trends in cooking have all added to the city's particular savor.
This history is studded with recipes like Italian Beef Sandwiches and Chicken Vesuvio. The Cinnamon Buns that have been a specialty of the catering team at the Chicago Bar Association are soft and tender with just the right balance of dough and spice. It's easy to see how attorneys during the Depression made lunch out of two rolls and a five cent cup of coffee.
Other recipes feature member specialties, like Karen Levin's Summertime Margaritas, which apparently made for some memorable meetings. Some of the recipes are very Chicago, like a Stuffed Spinach Pizza, an interpretation of a classic Chicago deep-dish pizza.
Sometimes the recipes feel a bit personal, not particularly Chicago, like a smoked whitefish Spread or Spiced Couscous with Vegetables, but they are tried and true. Like the best community cookbooks, this is a collection of the cooks' bests. After all, who would share anything mediocre?
Most of the book's 75 recipes are arranged into menus for entertaining at an Elegant Christmas Dinner, a or New Year's Eve with Friends. A Valentine's Day Dessert Buffet includes a Graham Cracker Cake, Haddix's mother's recipe, that is in the tradition of Viennese tortes that take a distinct flavor and texture from bread crumbs. In this cake, the graham crackers lend a burnished color and a nutty flavor to the tender cake. Haddix suggests serving it with a custard filling and fruit garnish, but even with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar, the cake is a treat.
This glimpse into professional and home kitchens and the shared traditions of entertaining reflect well on the energy and hospitality of Chicago cooks.
© 2007 Claudia Kousoulas
