“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” – Julia Child



Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Land of Desire. The first episode of 2018 is finally here! his year, we’re kicking things off with a salute to one of France’s most curious cultural ambassadors – a woman who has helped generations of Americans discover French culture while remaining relatively unknown within France itself: Julia Child.

Episode 39: “Julia Child – Part 1”

Cooking with Julia

If you’ve never done so before, please take some time to watch an episode of The French Chef or read a bit Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She’s a wonder to behold: so funny, so friendly, so approachable. She makes an omelet seem like the easiest thing in the world, and if you should drop your omelet while trying to flip it, no big deal! Julia dropped hers too – on live television!

I belong to this online cookbook club which selects a different book to cook from each month. This January it was Mastering and I was so excited to have an excuse to pick up a copy – but be warned, it’s definitely a New Years Resolution killer. Mastering isn’t so much a book about how to cook every kind of French food there is, it’s more about helping clumsy American home cooks figure out the techniques behind French food. For example, I tried out her recipe for Sûpremes de volaille d’archiduc, that is, chicken breasts poached in butter with onions and paprika. It was HEAVENLY and more important, it taught me the technique for poaching chicken in butter which is my new favorite way to cook chicken perfectly, every single time.

So while you’re listening to this miniseries, please make sure to follow along at home by making at least a few of her recipes. Until next episode, au revoir – and bon appetit!

Sources:

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child – Bob Spitz

My Life in France – Julia Child

The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution – David Kamp

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 – Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck

As always, the inimitable The Food Timeline

Russ Parsons, “The name is Child, Julia Child”. The Los Angeles Times. August 15, 2008.