Sharing and Cooking with Julia Child

November 7, 2016

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As I was putting this blog post together my intention was to share a recipe from one of Julia Child’s cookbooks, but things don’t always go as planned. I have expanded from one recipe to four and added some personal stories relating to Julia Child. I hope you enjoy this blog post and maybe be inspired to try one of her recipes. Bon Appetit!

My earliest introduction to Julia Child was during my childhood years. My parents would tune to her television cooking shows on PBS and often times I was there to watch it with them. Having followed her over the years, I didn’t attempt to make anything she featured on her shows or from her cookbooks until my later years when I started to cook for Bill and I. Early in our marriage, Bill noticed I was missing one particular cookbook and surprised me with a brand new copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking“. The cookbook became my resource for basic cooking questions such as how to boil eggs, cook vegetables, and bake simple desserts. I can’t recall which particular recipe was my first attempt, but one I do remember well was trying to follow all the steps to the recipe on how to make the perfect scrambled eggs {oafs brouillés}. The recipe called for 8 eggs…I might have reduced the quantity by half for the two of us and I think it came out well and we ate it. I have expanded my repertoire since then, but there are still many more recipes that I look forward to trying. Julia Child published her first cookbook in 1961 and her last book came out in 2006, “My Life in France“. To see the entire collection of all her cookbooks, the Julia Child Foundation has on their website a page chronicling them all and when they were published.

· print recipe, Scrambled Eggs ·

Can you guest as to who this might be? This is a mini doll version of Julia Child from my daughter, Grace’s elementary school project from a few years ago. Her teacher assigned the students to write about someone special, who made the world a better place, and was an inspiration to others. Julia Child, was the person she picked for the project. Grace came to me and asked if I could help her make a doll to be a part of the presentation, and of course I said, “Yes.” She drew a picture of how she wanted Julia to look and my part was to make it {easier said than done}. I took some miscellaneous scraps of fabric/felt and other supplies we had around the house and used them to make the doll. The pearl necklace was the last added touch. That was how this little “Ms. Child” came into being.

· print recipe, Roast Chicken ·

This delicious Roast Chicken recipe came from Julia Child’s most well known cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is a fairly simple recipe with a few important steps to follow during the 1½-2 hours of roasting. Here I have decided to use a Vallauris casserole pot {an oven safe pan/deep dish will work as well} to roast a four pound chicken and the result was delicious.

{Ruthie was holding her signed copy of the cookbook, From Julia Child’s Kitchen}

When the cookbook, “From Julia Child’s Kitchen“ came out in 1975, Julia Child along with her husband, Paul Child began a cooking demonstration tour that started here in Seattle with stops in San Francisco and Honolulu. My friend, Ruthie, had the privilege of attending one of the four classes that were held here in Seattle to benefit St. Mark’s Cathedral. Julia Child didn’t just talk, but gave those who attended a wonderful cooking experience showcasing a wide range of dishes similar to the ones she demonstrated in San Francisco {Caneton en Aspic à la Parisienne and Charlotte Malakoff, Beef Wellington and Quiche aux Asperges, Le Loup en Croûte and Crêpes à la Pagode en Flammes}. To end the evening, Ruthie went home with a signed copy of the cookbook as a reminder of the lovely time spent with Julia Child.

In an interview with The New Yorker, Paul Child recalled, “In Seattle we performed in the auditorium of the cathedral, on a set put together mostly from found objects. Somebody had contributed a stove, another person a refrigerator, and there were chests of drawers for work spaces and a couple of child-sized tables under the counters for shelves. It was really very clever and workable, and it didn’t cost much.”

A mini tour of Ruthie’s Pantry where she kept her cookbooks, kitchen supplies, and her beautiful serving pieces. To see her other kitchen pieces, click here.

· print recipe, Crème Fraîche ·

From Julia Child’s Kitchen was the fourth cookbook published by Julia Child. The recipes are easy to follow and could be read like a novel. She would often accompany the recipes with such detail as to how to prepare and serve it, explain the reasons for certain techniques and methods and sometimes a little history was told. One of the recipes she included in the cookbook is crème fraîche. It is a thick cream with a slight nutty flavor. This cream is a versatile ingredient in French cooking to use in pasta sauce, cream soup, with fruit and vegetables, and to accompany desserts such as pies, tarts, and poached pears.

To make 1½ pints of crème fraîche, in a saucepan combine 1 cup of soured cream and 2 cups heavy cream, and stir to make a smooth blend. Heat gently on medium heat to take off the chill and to start up the fermenting action. Do not let the mixture temperature go over 85 degrees or you will kill the ferments.

Pour the liquid mixture into a container.

Set the container on the kitchen counter partially covered for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, until the cream has thickened.

Stir the thick cream, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. It can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

· print recipe, Poached Pears ·

Poached Pears is a wonderful and simple dessert to make for this time of year. I discovered this recipe many years ago from the cookbook, Baking with Julia, and have enjoyed making it often. I recently featured it on the blog along with the recipe, here.