Susan Loomis

Easy French Dinners with Susan Loomis’ PLAT DU JOUR Book

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) Today I am an American in Paris from afar. And I share with you a revelatory brunch and lesson by way of Susan Herrmann Loomis’ definitive new culinary lifestyle book, PLAT DU JOUR French Dinners Made Easy. 

Poached Eggs with a Wine Sauce from Susan Loomis’s newest definite book on French culinary lifestyle, Plat du Jour, French Dinners Made Easy (photo courtesy of the author)

The French have always been known to love food, even everyday meals. Featured on bistro menus and dinner tables throughout France, the plat du jour, plate of the day, is the centerpiece of a two- course meal.  Parisian, Susan Loomis uses this idea ingeniously in her newest book, Plat du Jour, French Dinners Made Easy.  Dishes can also be a part of  a bigger meal or served on their own. There are also marvelous histories

Antoine-Auguste Parmentier and how potatoes came to even be eaten, and why his name is on most potato dishes is one of the engrossing stories in Plat du Jour, French Dinners Made Easy. (photo courtesy of the author)

By pairing substantial main dishes such as Boeuf Bourguignon, Poule au Pot, and Bouillabaisse with just the right starter, side, and/or dessert, Plat du Jour is advertised as getting dinner on the table as easy as un, deux, trois. But even though this “one, two, three” time may feel flowing, we found it can take hours and hours  of cooking before we start on the pile of pots and pans. So we used American short cuts.

The dish we tried first was Poached Eggs on Carrot Purée with Red Wine Sauce and Bacon. And it may not have been as complex as the original version by Burgundy Chef Bernard Loiseau. We used a modern egg poacher to do our eggs.

We had such a “French time” farmers markets experience preparing our meal from PLAT DU JOUR French Dinners Made Easy. . Here is the Parisian and the American story in pictures!(top left and bottom left photos courtesy of the author)

 

We happily found the same sort farm vegetable displays in America with the earth still clinging to them, and also the strong (made in Mexico) old Oster blender to make the carrot puree AND a kitchen scale to measure the baby carrots
We used a modern egg poacher to do our eggs for our breakfast from PLAT DU JOUR French Dinners Made Easy.

Otherwise we loved our “French” experience. It was filled with the simple yet sophisticated Parisian pleasures I longed for after reading Susan’s stories – walking at the markets, knowing your vendors and history of the dish you are preparing and taking the time to focus on each of the many steps as you cook.

Susan and this beautiful, bold book with photos of each dish are complete with her accomplished teacher ASTUCES or tips. I read all of her engrossing histories even before marking the pages for “must-make” recipes. 

A sample of a recipe with tips in PLAT DU JOUR French Dinners Made Easy (photo courtesy of the author).

Delvigne Bakery added a French flourish to our market trip in California with an extra bouchon, our favorite chocolate thing in the world, added to our bag as a surprise

Delvigne Bakery at the Culver City Farmers Market added a French fluorish to our trip.

Country Omelet with Wild Mushrooms and Potatoes was another dish we tried from PLAT DU JOUR. We quickly learned that cèpes is the French name for Italian porcini Mushrooms. And it is one that has directions for making an omelette the classic, (almost runny) French way, other than a la Julia Child, where the pan is gently shaken until the omelette is done, which is always use.

Mushrooms and Potatoes Omelette Campagnarde Aux cèpes et Pommes de Terre from PLAT DU JOUR (top left book photo courtesy of the author)

When Parisian Market gardener Baptiste Bourdon convinced our cookbook author friend, Chef Susan Loomis, to cook potatoes his way, Susan fashioned Baptiste’s New Potato Fries into a recipe. I was reminded of weekly home dinners with a version of these potatoes and could not wait to try them. I already knew that horizontally sliced and baked potatoes were the best ever because my European mom (French cooking school) changed to this version – always with roasted chicken 😋 – after reading a magazine article about how unhealthy her fabulous deep-fried french fries and chicken were for us. 

Batiste adds blanching them first to add a more tender potato interior to contrast with the crispy outside. Of course, called them “frites” makes them even more delicious! And so does the continuing story. 

Susan fashioned the potato creation of market gardener vendor, Baptiste Bourdon, into Baptiste’s New Potato Fries from PLAT DU JOUR. Our version here

Susan is a France-based (she and her husband live in a converted convent!), award-winning author with fourteen books to her credit, a professionally trained chef, and a cooking school proprietor. Included among her titles are The THE GREAT AMERICAN SEAFOOD COOKBOOK, FARMHOUSE COOKBOOK, CLAMBAKES AND FISH FRIES, FRENCH FARMHOUSE COOKBOOK and ITALIAN FARMHOUSE COOKBOOK, (all Workman Publishing, Inc.). ON RUE TATIN (Broadway Books. 2001) a narrative about her life in France, with recipes which won the IACP best literary food book for 2002, TARTE TATIN (Harper Collins UK, 2003), the sequel, COOKING AT HOME ON RUE TATIN, (William Morrow, May 2005) and NUTS IN THE KITCHEN (William Morrow 2010), IN A FRENCH KITCHEN (Penguin, 2015). FRENCH GRILL (Countryman, 2019); PLAT DU JOUR (Countryman, 2020).  All are available online.  Loomis has contributed to many newspapers and magazines including the NEW YORK TIMES, LA TIMES, BOSTON GLOBE, COOKING LIGHT, CULTURE.  Loomis has participated in many television and radio shows, including Good Morning America (ABC), Home Matters, Epicurious/Discovery, The Splendid Table with Lynn Rosetto Kasper@ (MPR); A Food Talk with Arthur Schwartz@ (WOR); A Good Food Hour with Evan Kleinman@ (KSRO).   Loomis, who has lived in France for more than thirty years, teaches cooking and the history of French gastronomy in Normandy, Paris, and in the U.S.  

 

How the Lowly “Pee Wee” Potato Became Kitchen King

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The French Potato Salad from the Silver Palate Cookbook, perfect for Melissa’s Produce peewees and Trader Joe’s bacon ends

(Gerry Furth-Sides)  You always want to know more about what you love,  and in the case of Peewee potatoes, adoration at first sight and bite for me. The history beyond the cultivated potato story as fascinating and exciting as how the American way of doing business made it popular.  The Incas basically domesticated the potentially toxic potato, then invented the first all natural processing system. Basically, once Farmers Market customers started buying the mini-potatoes, initially offered up as an experiment by growers although they had no commercial classification, sales earned them on as well as a place in market produce bins.

The well-deserved darling of dinner place needed an original name before the fingerling ratings were changed, so the name “peewee” became used to get around it.   How can you not love this story. We made a bouquet in honor of it!

A bouquet of Melissa’s Produce red, white and blue baby potatoes in honor of 4th July and summer!

And what is not to be loved about roasted petite potatoes,  their jackets so delicate they can even be kept on for cooking, delicious with any seasoning or none at all.  The rougher skin of Idahos, are perfect to me in texture and taste, that was the only part of the starchy potato I ate, more as a bed for butter, sour cream and chives.   And peewees easily adapt to refined French and Italian cuisines.

Melissa’s Produce Yukon Gold Peewee potatoes, so sweet even in their little mesh bag!

 

Peewees hold best in a potato bag, placed in a dark, cool place

Fresh rosemary adds a distinctive, fragrant touch to warm or cold pee wee potato dishes

Extra salad dressing in small canning jars is novel and perfect for easy storage

Melissa’s Grinders spice up any Peewee potato dish without buying an entire array of herbs

Mixed, adaptable Peewee are delicious roasted, boiled or baked –  almost any application – served cold in potato salad.  Raw is prohibited and unhealthy.   Slicing them in half for roasting, and used as a side dish or salad is addictive. Note: the potato salad the next day was even tastier because the flavors had seeped through.   Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins  used the Southern Italian influenced, Potatoes Fonteccio recipe in their Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, which adds mint.  Fontecchio is a small, medieval village in the Province of L’Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

What’s in a Name? Potatoes have always inspired novel names!

Seasonings influence the neutral-flavored Peewees, with rosemary, thyme or garlic being the most popular.  To enhance the Peewee flavor further, pairit with lemon, arugula, tomato, meats, poultry, truffle oil, and goat cheese. They are most elegant, sliced and holding creme fraiche and caviar.

As with many love affairs, I was reluctant about the initial introduction.  But when my slender potato-loving friend, who happened to be Irish, and I roasted a party platter of fingerling potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and rosemary, I joined in to “nibble” an entire 1/3 as the pans came out of the oven.  I was smitten ever since.

And what is there not to love with  Peewee’s? Here Susan Loomis’ delightful French version with creme fraiche and

Ah, the luxury of fragrant fresh rosemary with Peewee roasted potatoes

Cookbook author, Susan Loomis, with Robert Schueller of Melissa’s Produce, who joyously shared her French PeeWee recipe

 

Though they have very much the same taste and texture, fingerling potatoes are often confused with new potatoes.  Peewees are simply a smaller fingerling variety, and are defined by their size and length, not by their color or variety.  Peewee fingerling potatoes are smooth though round or oval, measuring less than 2 centimeters in diameter, and are yellow, red or blue-purple in color.   Fingerlings are less starchy and are typically waxy and moist or dry fleshed and have a creamy, buttery taste.  Peewee potatoes are botanically classified as Solanum tuberosum, and are most often a mix of Russian Banana, Red Thumb and Purple Peruvian fingerling potatoes.

Hoorah for the peewee that packs punch with its small portion, and with less water, starch and carbs. After all a  raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), and only 2% protein.  Potatoes still provide so much energy because they also are  a rich source vitamin B6 and vitamin C, providing nearly a quarter of daily value. They are also a good source of fiber. With a shorter cooking time, and a smaller size, Peewees are healthier since more nutrients are lost with the longer cooking time of a when a large potato, and potatoes are classified as having a high glycemic index (GI)

Mixed Peewee potatoes are botanically classified as Solanum tuberosum, and are typically a mix of Russian Banana, Red Thumb and Purple Peruvian fingerling potatoes, depending on availability. Peewees are the smaller version of the fingerling varieties and are defined by their size and length, not by their color or variety.

Mixed Peewee potatoes shine when roasted, boiled, and baked. They are most popular as a side dish when sliced in half and roasted. Mixed Peewee potatoes pair well with rosemary, garlic, thyme, lemon, arugula, tomato, meats, poultry, truffle oil, and goat cheese.

French Potato Salad with Bacon from The Silver Palate Cookbook

Ingredients for French Potato Salad with Bacon from the Silver Palate Cookbook using Melissa’s Peewee Potatoes and Melissa’s Garlic Herb spice grinder

Ready in the bag! Melissa’s Fresh Peeled Garlic lend a refined French touch to any  Peewee potato recipe

Extra dressing for the Potato Salad in a whimsical, and easy-to-store container

 

Always a satisfying meal: beef, green veggie, a colorful mix of boiled peewee potatoes, garnished with parsley

 

The Peewee influenced history. First domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia  between 8000 and 5000 BC Peru still boasts thousands of varieties.   One of the first steps in the domestication of the potato, 8,000 years ago,  was the selection of non-bitter tubers to avoid their natural compounds called glycoalkaloids, contained in many wild potato species,  While it is the plant’s way of resisting insects and diseases, they impart a bitter taste and can be toxic at high enough levels,  so selection and propagation of non-bitter type was crucial.

One intricate system to eliminate these substances that involves freeze-drying was also developed in the Andes. Bitter tubers are exposed to freezing temperatures for three or four nights. During the day in the warming sunlight, the potatoes are trampled by foot to remove moisture and potato skins. The trampled potatoes are then transferred to a stream of water to allow the bitter compounds to leach out.

The final freeze-dried product was known as chuño. It could be stored for a year or longer!  It is essentially represents the oldest known form of potato processing. Chuno was used by populations from higher altitudes to barter for products from lower elevations.

In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor.  Wild potatoes there were probably first eaten by people as early as 13,000 years ago.  Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century as part of the Columbian exchange.  European mariners introduced it to territories and ports throughout the world.