***
As
my family was settling in for the evening, my son wanted to watch one of Julia
Child’s programs from 1963 on how to bake quiche,
one of his favorites since he started studying French at school. I love
Julia, and readily agreed. No matter what recipe she was demonstrating
during her 35+ years on television, she always offered some great tips on how
to obtain, prepare and serve food.
To
learn more about Julia Child (1912-2004), start with her Wikipedia biography, and then explore the
web to your heart’s content. Be sure to visit the site of WGBH, her television home for many years;
YouTube also has many classic episodes of The French Chef.
With her distinctive voice (lovingly made fun of by comics) and impressive
stature (she was 6’2”), Julia was both inspiring and invincible in the kitchen
and convinced ordinary cooks that they too could take on formidable French
favorites.
The
quiche program included some great tips on how to handle pie crust … with
authority! Julia used an industrial grade roller that she would loudly
smack the dough with, clearly enjoying herself. With ease she assembled
several quiche. I promised him I’d give it a try this weekend – I will be
sure to pack my pie shell with loads of fresh veggies from Pathfinder Produce.
Of
course, one good episode led to another, which focused on French Onion
Soup. In that show, she impressively showed off her cutting skills,
dicing onions at a dizzying rate. She used a staggering sharp blade, and
then explained that one does not need ultra-expensive knife, but just one that
will retain a good edge. (She also showed how to use a sharpening steel, and
said that knives should be hand washed and immediately dried; they should not
be stored in a drawer with other utensils as the blade can get dulled that
way).
French
dishes prepared by Julia tended to liberally use butter, cheese and cream, all
things that are a bit of a no-no today. However, there’s no reason one
can’t use smart substitutions and more fresh veggies to achieve flavorful
French-inspired dishes. (I will use milk instead of heavy cream in our
quiche, and in the show Julia said it was perfectly fine to do so!)
To
learn more about healthy cooking methods, visit this website from the BBC, and explore recipes
from Southern France at epicurious.
Until
next time, Bon Appetit!
Lori
