Loomis - French grill: 125 refined & rustic recipes

REFINED & RUSTIC RECIPES

Susan Herrmann Loomis

I dedicate this book to Family
(Mom, Dad, Joe, Fiona, Jeff, John, Mary, Kate, Ellen, Lena, Karen, Brinn).
They get you started; they keep you going.

CHAPTER 1
APPETIZERS (AMUSE-BOUCHES)

CHAPTER 2
FIRST COURSES

CHAPTER 3
POULTRY, FISH, RABBIT, AND SOME TOFU

CHAPTER 4
LAMB, BEEF, VEAL

CHAPTER 5
PORK: DE LA BARBE LA QUEUE (FROM BEARD TO TAIL)

CHAPTER 6
SIDE DISH VEGETABLES AND A FEW GRAINS

CHAPTER 7
DESSERTS

CHAPTER 8
BASICS: THE BUILDING BLOCKS

O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention!

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Though I am responsible for everything in this book, I could never do anything like this without the help and inspiration of many, near and far. Part of the beauty of a project like this, aside from learning how to dance around flaming whiskey, tip coals without any falling on your foot, and trying to avoid looking like Cave Girl by the end of a grilling evening, is the people who come forward. To that end, many thanks are in order:

Thank you, Bruno Verjus of Table restaurant, Chef Eric Trochon of Semilla and Freddys, Chef Bertrand Simon of Le Monde newspaper, my handyman Christophe Gugan, and my dear and darling friend Astrid Bonnafont-Serre. Each of you contributed a nugget or more of vital information that set me on this particular grilling path with stability, excitement, and an abundance of ideas that have made it such a wonderful project and have resulted in what I hope is a wonderful work!

Research is a huge part of writing a book. A wise friend once told me that I would always end up doing 10,000 more hours of research than I would ever use, and she was right. One has to read, read, and ask, ask so much to digest and figure out the hows and the whys. Ive researched and read, and I want to thank my old friend and colleague Steve Raichlen, grill maestro extraordinaire, for his books and all of his very classy and world-wise grilling wisdom; Jamie Purviance, for his amazing work and multitude of books; and Meathead Goldwyn, for his book and blog. Youve each written and explained so much about the technical aspects of grilling and have done it so well and thoroughly that I dont have to. Thank you. Ive absorbed your wisdom. Dear reader and cook, I direct you to these three fine grill experts for tips and tricks on how to set up your grilling universe.

Thanks to Lindsay Kinder for cheerfully keeping my business going during this process; thanks to sweet Helen Liang and brave Carolyn Johnson for reading through the manuscript (Carolyn while on a Doctors Without Borders ship off the coast of Libya).

Thanks go to my team of US recipe testers, particularly Kelly Lytle, who always says Sure! even when shes asked to test coconut ice cream; Shannon Lemon, who stops at nothing, is happily surprised at everything, and keeps me smiling; and Sandy Kitchen, Robin Currie, Rochelle Rush, Christine Dutton, Kim Wiley, Marion Pruitt, and Vivian Savaris. Youre terrific and your comments and wisdom have made everything better. I also want to thank testers in extremis, Karen Kaplan, Cathy Arkle, and Deborah Ritchkin. My group of lifesavers.

As for music, which is so important to life, the artists that helped me through this book include Simon & Garfunkel, Erik Satie, Ottmar Liebert, and occasionally Country Joe & the Fish.

My friends are now accustomed to my various projects, and I must salute them for joining in once again, having patience (wine and appetizers helpturn to Carmelized Dates Stuffed with Almonds, Sweet and Salty Grilled Almonds, and Smoky Olives!), even when dishes were in their early stages of development, and generally adding their two centimes to the whole affair: Ellen Cole and Michael Daum, Christian Laporte for his special support, Rod Hildebrandt and Matthew Meehan, Christian and Nadine Devisme, Betty and Louis Garcia, Baptiste and Mathilde Bourdon, Nathalie Souchet and Arnaud Hridon, Edith and Bernard Leroy, Lena Sodergren, Salah and Dalila Boufercha, Michel and Chantal Amsalem, Elisabeth Hyde, Randy and Chris Shuman, Franois Xavier and Ins Priollaud, Bernadette Gohel, Therese Leduc, and the unforgettable Overs, Nelleke Geel and Sabine Baak, who keep me going.

Thank you to my next-door neighbor, Mr. Stphane Coutard, the butcher. Always there, always ready to help with gorgeous meats, advice, and recipes. Slow is his byword.

Thank you, Bruno Richomme, the fishmonger. Always there, always ready to help with gorgeous seafood of all kinds. As Herodotus said, Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these fish mongers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Thank you, BaptisteI talk about you all the time because you nourish me, my family, and my friends on a daily basis. Without people like you, life and our plates would be a sad affair.

Now, for Francis Hammond, photographer: a huge, big thank you for the photos, for the great photo sessions, and for the seriously silly jokes that doubled us over time after time. Youre an artist and a pleasure to work with. Anytime, Francis Francis. Anytime.

Thank you to my magical agent Jane Dystel, for endless encouragement, patience, and sincerity, and Miriam Goderich, for her enthusiasm and excellence. Thank you to my fantastic editor Ann Treistman, and to Aurora Bell for keeping all the strands untangled. Thank you, too, to the promotion team of Devorah Backman, Maya Bayan, and Chloe Rose for getting the word out to the world about French Grill.

Last, but first, there is Fiona, my darling daughter, who gracefully lived through this entire project with me on an intimate basis. She is usually vegan, always vegetarian, and extremely tolerant as she watched me grill pound after pound of meat and seafood, then sat down to eat around them. She inspired me because she has a fine palate and a fine mind, and she helped out always, as she always has.

And thank you to my wonderful son, Joe, whose first contribution was lighting the coals on my kitchen stove. Im not sure how he does it, but his encouragement, ideas, and support from across the miles are as immediate as if he were here every day.

Finally, but not finally at all, I thank my brother, Jeff. A consummate grill chef, he came, he oversaw, he contributed his vast knowledge and a panoply of accessories that have made my grilling life easy and professional.