Dorie Greenspan: In My Life and Around Her French Table

By Marni Elyse Katz
June 15, 2011

Dorie Greenspan, Cover

Dorie Greenspan (photo credit: © Alan Richardson), Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan (photo credit: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

To French food and pastry fanatics, Dorie Greenspan, is worthy of a cult following. To me, the celebrated cookbook author and family member (the wife of my dad's cousin, to be exact), represents food world glamour, family cooking and my first forays into the publishing industry.

My earliest memories of Dorie are of her visits to Connecticut on the weekends. (She and her husband bought a "country" home across the street from my family’s house after falling in love with the area during a family reunion. She still maintains a home there, along with a strong connection to the area.) There, she could easily be found in the kitchen among an absurd mountain of oranges because she was testing an orange cake recipe. She always “dressed” to travel back to New York City on Sunday evenings (a habit I found quite grand). And when I was a teenager, she bought my (non-gourmand) mother her first food processor. I can chronicle my journey through adulthood by the publication of her cookbooks, of which there are 10 total, including original recipes and collaborative projects with other chefs.

In 1991, around the time I started at my first magazine job (and, by the way, it was Dorie who got me the interview), Dorie was publishing her first cookbook, Sweet Times. Having the chance to attend the party at the James Beard Foundation, where I sampled the amazing treats (which, if I remember correctly, Dorie had cooked at Sarabeth’s Kitchen, a Manhattan brunch institution) is one of my earliest New York memories. Next, in 1996, was Baking with Julia, a cookbook written by Dorie to accompany the world famous chef's TV series of the same name. A year later came Waffles: From Morning to Midnight, which I was lucky enough to receive from her and her husband as a wedding present, along with a waffle iron. I still use that cookbook and iron to make waffles for my kids when the occasion calls for more than the frozen kind from Trader Joe’s.

Dorie Greenspan

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good; Gougères; Fresh Tuna, Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza from Around my French Table

Somehow I missed the publication of Paris Sweets in '02, a collection of amazing desserts from the city's best pastry shops—not surprising as it was published the same year as the birth of my second child in as many years. But when I told a friend a number of years later that I wanted to go to Borders to buy her latest tome, her 9th, Baking: From My Home to Yours, said friend flipped. Apparently it was her Bible. She followed Dorie religiously in and out of those Parisian pastry shops on every visit.

Turns out she was not the only one. Although I knew Dorie had found considerable success (I mean, she lived with Julia Child for a summer when writing the baking cookbook) it was my friend’s amazement that made me realize Dorie is, as they say, "a big deal." (That along with similar expressions of excitement from Boston-based food publicist Sarah Hearn, who represents chef Barbara Lynch.)

The New York Times called Dorie Greenspan “a culinary guru,” The James Beard Foundation awarded Baking: From My Home to Yours the best cookbook in the baking and desserts category in 2007. She contributes to various publications, can often be heard on NPR, and recently started a cookie business with her son (who I will eternally think of as four-years-old, no matter how grown up he is). She’s also the centerpiece of two online cooking and blogging communities, “Tuesdays with Dorie” and “French Fridays with Dorie,” the origins of which were just chronicled in O magazine. .

Earlier this month, the International Association of Culinary Professionals named Dorie’s most recent book, Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes From My Home to Yours (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010), the best cookbook of 2010, as well as the best general cookbook of the year. It’s a hefty volume, full of honest unfussy French fare. I wish I could say I use it every day, but alas, my writing assignments usually win out over home cooked meals. However, my mother-in-law (who does cook, and quite well) prepared a braised chicken for my family recently, straight out of the book, and it was superb. I plan to bake this apple cake (recipe below) for weekend guests over the summer.

For more up close and personal tales, from Dorie herself, read her spirited and informative blog, “In the Kitchen and On the Road With Dorie."

(Author & food photos: © Alan Richardson)

Dorie Greenspan found plenty to like on eBay, from kitchen gadgets to high fashion.

Roll over items for details

Staub 12-Inch American Grill Pan in Cherry Cast Iron

(buy it now price, $99.99)

New Diptyque Mousses Candle

(buy it now price, $47)

All-Clad Stainless Professional Steamer Insert

(buy it now price, $99)

Sous Vide Supreme Demi Water Oven

(buy it now price, $439)

Weston Heavy Duty 9-Inch Meat Slicer

(buy it now price, $109.44)

Excalibur 2900 DELUXE 9 Tray Food Dehydrator

(buy it now price $179.95)

Issey Miyake Black Star Jacket

(buy it now price, $425)

Hermes Vintage Equestrian Pocket Square

(buy it now price, $187.50)

Georg Jensen Bernadotte Dinner Fork

(buy it now price, $141.95)

Dorie Greenspan: In My Life and Around Her French Table

1. Staub 12-Inch American Grill Pan in Cherry Cast Iron: Staub is Greenspan’s preferred brand of grill pan.

2. All-Clad Stainless Professional Steamer Insert: A must in any kitchen for steaming vegetables.

3. Georg Jensen Bernadotte Sterling Salad Fork: Georg Jensen’s Bernadotte is the silver pattern Greenspan uses at home.

4. Weston Heavy Duty 9-Inch Meat Slicer: An electric slicer is great for cutting meat quickly. You can use it for vegetables, too.

5. Issey Miyake Black Star Jacket: Parisian chic with a New York sophistication, this Issey Miyake jacket is quintessential Dorie style. She loves Issey Miyake’s pieces.

6. New Diptyque Mousses Candle: Greenspan’s favorite scented candle.

7. Sous Vide Supreme Demi Water Oven: “I have no idea if this machine is any good, but I've wanted one for a while now.”

8. Excalibur 2900 DELUXE 9 Tray Food Dehydrator: Another gadget Greenspan has been hoping to try.

9. Hermes Vintage Equestrian Pocket Square: “I wear Hermes men's pocket squares as scarves," Dorie tells me.

Marie-Helene's Apple Cake Recipe

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, Pinch of salt, 4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds), 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons dark rum, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan and put it on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl.

Peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1- to 2-inch chunks.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half the flour and when it is incorporated, add half the melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the apples, turning the fruit so that it’s coated with batter. Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s evenish.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.

Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan. (Open the springform slowly, and before it’s fully opened, make sure there aren’t any apples stuck to it.) Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan, wait until the cake is almost cooled, then run a long spatula between the cake and the pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving dish.

Serving: The cake can be served warm or at room temperature, with or without a little softly whipped, barely sweetened heavy cream or a spoonful of ice cream. Marie-Helene served her cake with cinnamon ice cream and it was a terrific combination.

Storing: The cake will keep for about 2 days at room temperature and, according to my husband, gets more comforting with each passing day. However long you keep the cake, it’s best not to cover it—it’s too moist. Leave the cake on its plate and just press a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper against the cut surfaces.

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