Forget basketball and March Madness. Instead, think March is National Women’s History Month. Hats — well, toques — off to groups that honor women in the kitchen. First among these is Les Dames d’Escoffier, the distaff side of the all-male and very prestigious Les Amis d’Escoffier Society. But unlike its male counterpart, founded for like-minded amateur gastronomes, Les Dames d’Escoffier accepts only women professionals in the food and hospitality industries — including chefs, wine experts, food journalists, publicists, cookbook authors and cooking teachers.
Launched in New York City in 1976 by Dame Carol Brock with an initial 50 members, Les Dames d’Escoffier, under the heading Les Dames d’Escoffier International, now numbers 26 chapters with almost 1,200 members. It has taken great strides forward for women, who have not always found equal footing in the kitchen.
LDEI’s second chapter started in Washington in 1981. According to Dame Carol Cutler, one of D.C.’s founding members, “Carol Brock decided that Washington was important enough, so she came down and we had an initiation at the home of Barbara Witt.” (A former State Department employee, Witt owned a restaurant in Georgetown called The Big Cheese.) The initial group of 15 included food writers — such as Cutler, Phyllis Richman and Marion Burros — restaurant owners and others in the food industry.
“We had no insignia or emblems at the beginning. Then I designed stationary, and my address was the official one for Les Dames for ages,” she says, adding that it was a casual, close-knit group. “We didn’t have anything, no treasury, and most of the meetings were at my home.”
Today, D.C.’s chapter consists of nearly 100 members from every aspect of the food world and coming from as far away as Baltimore, Warrenton and Lexington, Va.
As the current D.C. chapter president Dame Joan Hisaoka of Hisaoka Public Relations, says, “We give grants to organizations and scholarships to young women entering the field, and we support the community and are involved in community outreach,” noting that the chapter is holding a major fundraiser, The Art of Food, on April 30, with the area’s top female chefs providing artistic cuisine to honor the nation’s capital’s “ColorField remix.”
Dame Katherine Newell Smith, former president of the D.C. chapter and on the threshold of becoming president of LDEI, echoes these thoughts.
“We have so much to share. … We have great passion for what we do, so we are very good in our professions,” she says. “And we are excited to share what we know.”
But perhaps former member Dame Julia Child said it best: “Since its incorporation … Les Dames d’Escoffier has followed its mission to elevate the profession through mentoring members and helping worthy students succeed in their culinary careers. …” For women who love the food world, those are enabling words.
Two Les Dames members, who are chefs at D.C. restaurants, provided the following recipes.
Asparagus Frittata
Janis McLean, formerly the executive chef of Silver Spring’s redDog Café, McLean recently started as executive chef of D.C.’s renowned Morrison-Clark Inn, where, ironically, she began her career years ago.
She says, “This is one of my favorite spring quick suppers. Serve this frittata with a loaf of crusty bread and a nice green salad, and you can have dinner on the table in nothing flat. Also lovely on a spring brunch table, it can be served room temperature, so it is perfect for entertaining.”
Serves 1
4 asparagus spears
1 scallion
1/2 tbsp. butter
3 large eggs
1 heaping tbsp. ricotta cheese
2 pinches salt
Pinch ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dunk the asparagus spears in cold water to clean the heads. Cut each stalk into thin slices on the bias, working down to the woody end. Slice the scallion in the same way.
Heat a 7-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Toss in the butter and let sizzle. When the foaming subsides, add the asparagus slices and cook until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a medium-sized bowl, add the ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, and whisk until thoroughly blended.
Reduce heat, add scallions and pour in egg mixture. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, gently draw in the base of the frittata as it sets, pulling in from the sides toward the center, working your way around the outside of the pan in a cloverleaf pattern. After two times around, stop.
Bake the frittata in the skillet until it is set, about 3 minutes. Place a plate over the pan and carefully tip the pan over to remove the frittata. Slide the frittata back into the skillet, and return to the oven for 1 minute to set the bottom. Remove from oven and slide out onto a plate.
Seared Sea Scallops
Jamie Leeds, owner/chef of Dupont Circle’s Hank’s Oyster Bar, offers this recipe at her restaurant — and it’s simple to reproduce.
She says, “Offer the scallops with a dollop of pureed roasted butternut squash sweetened with maple syrup or a scoop of mashed potatoes.”
Serves 2
6 sea scallops
Olive oil or butter for brushing
1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/2 cup Spanish sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sherry
3 shallots, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes, cooked slightly in butter
3 tbsp. chopped chives
3 tbsp. Italian parsley
1/2 cup walnut oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Squeezed fresh lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a large skillet at medium heat, brushed with butter or olive oil, sear the scallops on both sides, season with salt and pepper. For the walnut vinaigrette, simply combine all the remaining ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle each serving with some of the vinaigrette, and sprinkle each with several walnuts. Serve.
