CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN

About three days ago, caught in the throes of egg cookery, I realized that Ann Seranne’s name doesn’t ring a whole lot of bells these days in food circles.

Who?

Even Alice Arndt’s celebrated Culinary Biographies fails to mention Seranne.

We shouldn’t ignore this lady and her place in the pantheon of culinarians contributing to the world of food. After all, not only did Seranne serve as executive editor of now-defunct Gourmet magazine, she worked as food editor of the New York Post, food consultant to NBC and other institutions, and contributed articles to Family Circle and other magazines, in addition to her pedestal at Gourmet.

Yet she wrote over two dozen cookbooks, edited scads more,* and counted among her friends American food icon James Beard.  She wrote The Art of Egg Cookery and The Complete Book of Egg Cookery. Of eggs, she said, so truthfully:

Eggs play a most important role in all our cooking. First, they are essential in the construction of sauce, soufflés, custards, and mousses. Second, eggs leaven our cakes, meringues and frostings. Third, eggs emulsify our salad dressings and mayonnaise. Fourth, eggs bind our meat loaves and croquettes. Fifth, eggs clarify our consommés and bouillons. Sixth, eggs prevent crystallization in our ice creams, and, seventh, aggs are responsible for the crisp crusts achieved on fried foods and the golden crusts on pastry. In sum, eggs are indispensable to any cook.

Here’s a list of her books: