Today’s New York Times had a significant number of letters commenting on Marcella Hazan’s Op Ed piece from November 29th.  Seems like she hit quite a nerve in the controversy between calling one a chef versus a cook, and the ramnifications of the decision.

Although I’ve been cooking most of my adult life, and produced most of La Cuisine’s food for the first 8 - 10 years of our existence, I have never thought of myself as a chef.  I am a fairly non-hierarchical guy, I call my doctors by their first names along with anyone else I happen to run into.  I don’t think it’s disrespectful, just a way to diminish barriers and promote conversation.  Here in the kitchen, we have an Executive Chef, but no one refers to him as such, his name is Uli.  Our Pastry Chef is Kevin, our Sous Chef Louis, etc.  The titles are descriptive of their roles in the organization, not what we call them.

My son Alex is completing his externship from the Culinary Institute at Restaurant Daniel, a fairly traditional French kitchen, where titles are used more often than not as a sign of respect.  Most of the instructors at Hyde Park are referred to as Chef as well.  It is simply a different orientation.  Neither is right or wrong for every one in every situation.  Does it “cheapen” the title as some in today’s paper thought, when applied to today’s celebrity “chefs”?  Probably a bit - can you equate four or five years of experience to 20 or thirty?  Does the definition need to be expanded a bit to embrace the radical shift in training, experience and exposure that today’s chefs receive?

The most interesting point Marcella made back on the 29th is the need to remember that “the food prepared and shared at home…has provided a solid center to our lives.  Which is why, as we come together over the holidays, we should take a moment to think about how we can become cooks again.   Cooking delivers its truest and most enduring gifts when it is savored in intimacy, prepared by a cook with love.”

I think back to my grandmothers’ kitchens in Brooklyn, the aunts, uncles, cousins and more gathered around large tables laden with food, cooked with joy, eaten with delight.  In many respects, it is why I do what I do.  Cook or chef, chef or cook, I’m not sure it really matters.  What seems most important to me is the simplicity of great ingredients, well seasoned.  Gather those you care about most, then cook, eat, drink, enjoy.

Ben

Tags: chef, cook, Culinary Institute of America, ingredients, marcella hazan, New York Times, Op ed, Restaurant Daniel, seasoned

Julia Child would be 96 today. The recent revelations about her career as a spy (New York Times, 08/14/08) have only added to the incredible stature of one of the first true stars de cuisine in America. Her first tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published shortly before I started law school in Boston. Written with Louisette Berthole and Simca Beck, the volume was both scary for it’s incredible detail and exciting for the door it opened to French cuisine. Watching the taping of her shows at WGBH, buying heretofore unheard of ingredients at Cardullo’s in Harvard Square or the stalls of Haymarket downtown became one of the few affordable activities on a student budget that occasionally produced some good food as a by product. She defined technique, the illustrations were typically helpful, sometimes not so, but the recipes did work if you followed them with precision.

Her style evolved as our palette’s did, focusing on ingredients as well as process, pulling back from the grand cuisine of her early works to embrace a more fluid, relaxed approach, much easier for the novice to try. Even in her 90’s, her persona lit up the TV screen in the specials she did with a variety of chefs, including our local celeb, Jacques Pépin. The chemistry between them was delightful.

One of my all time favorite Julia recipes, done in conjunction with Jacques, is for Leg of Lamb. It’s perfect for this time of year with some grilled eggplant, steamed just dug potatoes, and the last of the haricot vert in the garden. See below.

I, like many, can still hear that distinctive voice in the pages of her books, and remember her signature sign off: Bon Appetit!

Leg of Lamb a la Julia Child

2 1/4 pound leg of lamb, butterflied

Marinade

2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp thyme
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Puree garlic into a small bowl and mash to a paste with the salt. Whisk in the mustard, soy, herbs (one may also use rosemary or oregano, or a mixture of all three), lemon juice. Add the oil slowly, still whisking, to make a mayonnaise-like cream.

In a dish large enough to accommodate the leg of lamb, coat with the marinade. Let sit at least 8 hours, overnight if possible. Note - I use a large ziplock that I can rotate and turn every hour or so.

Preheat oven to 325. Roast lamb in a roasting pan until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees (approximately 45 minutes — as determined from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, it should be about 24 minutes per pound). Let rest under foil tent for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Tags: America, Bon Appetit, Boston, Cardullo's, chefs, chemistry, eggplant, French cuisine, Garden, grand cuisine, grilled, haricot vert, Harvard Square, Haymarket, Jacques Pépin, Julia Child, Julia recipes, Leg of Lamb, Louisette Berthole, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, persona, potatoes, Simca Beck, WGBH