The Cooking of the Grand Meres

     The talented women chefs who were practicing in Lyon, France at the end of the nineteenth century were affectionately called meres, mothers.Their reputations rested on their mastery of cuisine bourgeois, home cooking raised to a higher level by the application of passion and perfectionism. Curnonsky wrote, "without resorting to artifice, this cuisine attains that peak of artistry: simplicity." They did not cook to impress. Their demeanor did not allow for thrills. It was and is the joy that they lavished on their food, the comforting, motherly warmth of their simple honest cuisine that made them loved.
     They understand the intuitive and organic nature of cooking. Their hands revel a mastery of knowledge rooted in years of kitchen toil. They learned, as I did, the basics of cooking from their mothers, you in turn learned from their mothers, and they learned from theirs and so on. It is the meres that paved the way for some of today's greatest chefs. They treat their ingredients with respect and possess a fundamental understanding of how to harmonize flavors. Fresh ingredients, careful mixing of flavors, simple methods of preparation, and slow cooking over properly controlled heat are all patiently combined through a love of food. After all, cooking is about charm, seduction, sharing, and above all, loving those for whom you prepare the feast.

Market inspired menu of the meres:
Pate de campagne with pistachio(meat)
Pate de Grandmere with prune(meat)
Chicken liver mousse with red wine gelee(meat)
Citrus gravlax(meat, gluten free)
Escarole, ham, and vegetable soup(meat, gluten free)
Duck confit(meat)
Roasted baby gold and candy-stripe beets(vegetarian, vegan, gluten free)
Beet, local goat cheese, and walnut salad(vegetarian, gluten free)
Sauteed escarole with pine nuts, garlic, chilies, and sultanas(vegetarian, vegan, gluten free)
Red wine onion marmalade(vegetarian, vegan, gluten free)
Roasted whole onions stuffed with vegetable couscous(vegetarian, vegan)
French walnut tart(vegetarian)

Be inspired by the market and taste local flavor!