Madeleine Kamman dies at 87

[barolo]

Madeleine Kamman, 87, Who Gave Americans a Taste of France, Dies

 

She’s not as well known as some we’ve remembered recently, but she was a formidable presence. 

Edited July 31, 2018 by barolo (log)

[heidih]

There are a few cookbooks on my nightstand that have permanent residency. "When French Women Cook" is one of them. A heartwarming memoir of the women who formed her food knowledge during childhood.  Yes, a low key but powerful force in the food world I am grateful to have been exposed to. 

[heidih]

I said low key as in she always appeared calm, knowledgable and in control. The feud with Julia Child well.....   

 

I love and respect the line in the dedication of the above mentioned book:   "This book, in its own way a feminist manifesto, is dedicated to the millions of women who have spent millennia in kitchens creating unrecognised masterpieces". The line goes on to thank the grandmother and mother of Paul Bocuse and her Aunt Clair Robert.

 

 

[Martin Fisher]

Very sad news. 😓

[Smithy]

She sounds like an interesting and formidable person. I'll have to look into some of her books.

[barolo]

Here’s an old Ideas in Food article on When French Women Cook

[Martin Fisher]

Her recipe for Beef Bourguignon may be one of the most unique, if not one of the most detailed or complicated.

[heidih]

One of my favorite stories, which I've shared on eG bfore is her attitude toward snails.Very very young with her Mimi Cherie who went round Paris making mattresses and was very frugal she had a run in with the snails being purged. Madeleine could not resist removing the cover of the pot and when they returned the snails had left and slimed the walls. She was spanked and said to the day she rejoiced in seeing the juices bubbling in pots of snails in snail butter  

 

Mimi Cherie had also abandoned Sunday church after son killed in WW1 so they spent their Sundays in the train tunnels findng mushrooms that MC sold to famous chefs in Paris and it afforded them some little luxuries. Just a taste of her wonderful writing.

 

 

[barolo]

A Food 52 tribute, including a great testament in the comments: How Madeleine Kamman changed the way these food writers cook.

[rotuts]

She had a French Bistro in the Boston area that I was unaware about.

 

I could have afforded it on occasion as it was not expensive , but very French w a fixed price menu.

 

I saw her on one of her earlier PBS shows and learned early on how tasty and inexpensive Blade Steaks were.

 

the key was to cut out the central tendon before you plated , and have a a Large Labrador handy to catch the trim.

 

I will always remember her point , in a classic french accent while cutting out the tendon :"  These are for the Doug "

 

I indeed later had a two large Labradors , but they never got the ' trim '

 

I have her books , and refer to " The Making of a Cook " from time to time.

 

The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Techniques, And Science Of Good Cooking