Almost 50 years after its publication, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the weighty compendium of French recipes with its recommendation of butter, butter, more butter! will be Number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Have Americans just discovered Julia Child? No, in fact, Americans of my generation have had a love affair with Julia ever since her first cooking show (in black and white) on public television. A new generation, however, have discovered Julia, thanks to the new film "Julie and Julia." It seems that people leaving the theater make a detour to the bookstore to get a copy of the book for themselves so they can have their own experiment with Julia's recipes.
The question is--do they know what they are getting into? This is the age of 20 minute meals and wacko diets--with everyone weighing in on the harmful effects of butter. Julia Childs never met a pound of butter that she could not find some use for. Take for example this direction in the recipe for Navets à la Champenoise: "sauté the bacon in the butter for several minutes...." Bacon sautéed in butter--now that is a dish from another age.
Regardless, it is very satisfying to see Julia Childs get the recognition she deserves. And it is further testimony to the abilities of Meryl Streep--she can not only fit into any role that she performs, but she can sell cookbooks as well!
The question is--do they know what they are getting into? This is the age of 20 minute meals and wacko diets--with everyone weighing in on the harmful effects of butter. Julia Childs never met a pound of butter that she could not find some use for. Take for example this direction in the recipe for Navets à la Champenoise: "sauté the bacon in the butter for several minutes...." Bacon sautéed in butter--now that is a dish from another age.
Regardless, it is very satisfying to see Julia Childs get the recognition she deserves. And it is further testimony to the abilities of Meryl Streep--she can not only fit into any role that she performs, but she can sell cookbooks as well!
3 comments:
I wonder if the proportions in the more recent editions have increased like they did in the "Joy of Cooking" book.
I don't know--we have the original--very used and dog eared.
I have to say, I'd heard of Julia Child, but didn't really know who she was till this movie. Did you know that the State Fair of Texas is serving up FRIED BUTTER this year? Julie would be proud.
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