When Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte went on their first date, they both shared how they dreamed of opening a restaurant. Elisa wanted to open a place that reminder her of the warm, comforting home she grew up in, in Montreal. Ben wanted a place to remind him of the French home he left behind to play college basketball in the States. It took them a while to find the right place, but when they came upon a former art gallery in New York City, they knew it had just the aesthetic they were wanting, and Maman was born.
Maman (that’s “mother” in French), the café, is a place where you can get coffee to ease into the day, share brunch with friends, turn lunch into a tasty respite, or order a cookie and a drink and find comfort in the welcoming atmosphere. Elisa and Ben have worked hard to turn each location into a place that reminded them of the homes they grew up in, and they want to share that with their customers. But if you’re not in New York City or Toronto or Montreal, and you want to find a taste of Maman wherever you are, you can start with the cookbook.
Maman: The Cookbook is filled with stories about homemade food and time spent with family. In fact, the book starts off with letters from Elisa’s and Ben’s mothers, talking about how their kids got started in the kitchen and how their first restaurant came to be. It shows the depth of family support that (I imagine) you feel walking in the doors and the comfort and nourishment you get from the food. I haven’t had the privilege of visiting one of their restaurants in person, but reading this cookbook makes me feel like I know how it would feel there, and I think it would be delicious.
The cookbook is divided into thee parts. There is breakfast and brunch, the meals for later in the day, and then the sweet stuff. The recipes are made for home cooks and meant to be shared with family and friends. Whether you’re making the Croissant Pain Perdu or the Heirloom Tomato and Sausage Casserole, the Olive Oil-Blood Orange Loaf or Provencal Eggs Ratatouille, the Cherry-Rosemary Crumble or Maman’s Breakfast Sandwich with Bourbon-Bacon Jam, you can find something that everyone will love. And that’s just their breakfast recipes.
For when you’re hungry later in the day, there are a variety of quiche recipes, including the traditional Quiche Lorraine as well as quiches that they have created specifically for the restaurant and named for family and friends. There is a Summer Vegetable Spiral Tart that is a colorful beauty that would steal all the glory from any table, and their take on the king of French sandwiches, the Croque-Maman (it’s a favorite of mine; can you tell?).
More sandwiches and salads are named for their supporters, like the Janice Tartine (Egg Salad with Avocado, Watermelon Radish, Pickles, and Sprouts) named for Elisa’s mother or the Julia Salad (Cumin Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Feta, and Scallions) named for Ben’s. There is the Saucisson Pasta Salad, Sweet Corn Soup, Summer Strawberry Gazpacho, and a Red Wine, Mushroom, and Onion Soup.
And then it’s time to get sweet. Here are the recipes for Maman’s Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate-Hazelnut Brownies, S’mores Cookie Bars, and Pumpkin-Maple Madeleines. There is Champagne Cake with Crème Fraiche and Strawberries, Ashleigh’s Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting, and a Mandarin Orange Chocolate Cheese Cake. There is the traditional French Tarte au Citron as well as modern creations like Lavender Hot Chocolate Tart with Chocolate Shortbread Crust and the Matcha Blueberry Tartlets.
They even include recipes for some of their drinks (Earl Grey Tea Latte, Cinnamon Apple Cider, Rose and Elderflower Lemonade, or Holiday Sangria) as well as syrups that can be added to coffees. And there is a recipe for Crumpet’s Dog Cookies, so it really is for the whole family.
The thing I loved most about Maman: The Cookbook is the sense of place that rings out. There is clearly a lot of personality in these cafes, and while I can’t be there in person, that feeling of being there comes through on these pages. The photography, the writing, the love of these restaurants, of these restaurateurs, fill these pages, and it is enchanting. I love that I can sit here in on my sofa and feel it all.
A copy of Maman: The Cookbook was provided by Clarkson Potter for a free and unbiased review, with many thanks.
