One of the historic trio that propagated French cooking in America (a trio that included Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle), her recipes were taught to us in cooking school. I loved her lettuce timbale and chocolate cake. My favorite teacher, who went to Gourmet and after the magazine closed, where?, was Paul Grimes who used to spend summers in the south of France with Simca and neighbor Julia Child.
When I took on my one-month unpaid culinary apprenticeship in Mendocino, CA, I was working with chefs Margaret Fox and Chris Kump (son of the cooking school owner). I’d spent all my savings on cooking school and renting a car and luckily a waiter had a sublet for me for the month. It was very cold at night and my cabin had no heat, broken windows and a privy lock (hook and eye) for security. My funds were spent on $5 a day for wood for the stove that burned out around 2-3 a.m.
My solace was one book I bought at a used bookstore in Ft. Bragg for $8, Simone Beck’s “Simca’s Cuisine.” That’s what I read when it was light enough to read. Now it’s in storage but I looked it up for a reader who commented on Cassoulet (because that’s in the book) and new, it’s going for $817.19 on Amazon!
Let’s all try to make a version of cassoulet before Spring. How about it? I’m willing if you are. There’s a site that provides all the traditional ingredients online, or make up your own. As for me, Simca’s Cuisine is in storage a half a country away so I’ll have to punt. Happy cooking, Dee
Cooking with Dee 