Reflecting on the mother of modern french cooking

"All that I am or ever hope to be," said Abraham Lincoln, "I owe to my angel mother." Today is the day we take time out to reflect on that sentiment.

In addition to paying tribute to our own mothers, however, today might also be a good time to celebrate mothers who have made a difference in the lives of many besides ourselves: women like Marie Curie, the Mother of Modern Physics; Rosa Parks, the Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement; or even Anna Jarvis, the Mother of Mothers Day, to name just a few.

Among this group is a little known restaurateur, La Mere [Mother] Brazier, the Mother of Modern French Cooking. She was the first woman to garner three Michelin stars and the first of either gender to win a full six, three for each of two restaurants. That was back in 1933 and was a feat not duplicated until 65 years later.

Brazier was one of several so-called Mothers of Lyon responsible for making that city the capital of French gastronomy. No other French city, not even Paris, tantalizes the taste buds like Lyon, the birthplace of traditional French cuisine. Whether it's simple workingman's fare or the heights of haute cuisine, Lyon, with more than a 1,000 restaurants, fully deserves the title bestowed on it many years ago by the celebrated French food writer Curnonsky as the capital of gastronomy, not just of France but of the world. Not surprisingly the city is the home of Paul Bocuse, named Chef of the Century by the Culinary Institute of America. He apprenticed under Mère Brazier.

Lyon is well situated to be a gastronomic center. At its doorstep are the best onions in France, the plumpest snails, the juiciest sausages and the freshest of fish from the RhÃ~ne. But the most important ingredient of all was the Lyonnaise mothers who, operating tiny bistros called bouchons, established Lyon's gourmet reputation. The most significant of these was Mère Brazier.

Shown here at a typical restaurant in Lyon, the city's namesake salad, topped with a poached egg, is one of many dishes which have earned the city the title of capital of French gastronomy. (TOM HARTE)

She was a mere country girl who learned how to cook on a farm and wound up a legendary chef who could count Charles de Gaulle, among others, as a fan. A modest woman, but with exacting standards (her chicken supplier joked that he practically had to give his cockerels a manicure before they would pass her inspection), she once turned down an offer from The Waldorf Astoria to move to New York for a salary of $150,000 a year. An imposing figure, underscoring the maxim that skinny cooks are not to be trusted, her impact on French cuisine is still felt today.

On Mothers Day particularly, all of us who like to eat great food should say, "Merci beaucoup, Mère Brazier."

Salad Lyonnaise

One of the classics of Lyonnaise cuisine, this recipe, adapted from the Culinary Institute of America, is the one used at the Bocuse Restaurant there, named after Paul Bocuse, Mère Brazier's most famous pupil.

The official emblem of a bouchon displayed on a street in Lyon, signifying a typical little restaurant of the sort where Mere (Mother) Brazier pioneered modern French†cooking. (TOM HARTE)

Tom Harte stands outside the main food market of Lyon, which has been named for Chef of the Century Paul Bocuse, who got his start with Mere (Mother) Brazier, the mother of Modern French Cooking

• 8 ounces slab bacon
• 2 minced shallots
• 2 heads frisee lettuce
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup sourdough croutons
• 2 quarts water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced chervil
• 1 teaspoon minced chives
• 1 teaspoon minced tarragon
• salt and pepper

Cut the bacon into 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch by 1-inch lardons. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until evenly browned. Remove all but two tablespoons of the bacon fat, add the shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent.

Make a vinaigrette by whisking together sherry vinegar, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper and gradually whisking in oil until incorporated. Separate frisee into leaves and toss with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette. Combine water, white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Break each egg into a cup, then slide carefully into water and cook until whites are set and opaque. Drain on paper towels. Heat one tablespoon vinaigrette over medium heat, add bacon/shallot mixture, and cook until just warm. Divide lettuce evenly over four plates and top each with croutons and a poached egg. Combine parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon and sprinkle over each serving, seasoning with salt and pepper.