My Julia Moment

On August 15th, Julia Child would have turned 100 years old.  I often think of her when I'm in the kitchen, grateful for the things she taught, and for her ability to demystify cooking for so many home cooks.  I like to think of her digging into a huge chocolate cake, maybe drinking a glass of Burgundy with it!

In the 80's Julia came to San Diego to a benefit for the UCSD Medical Center auxiliary and I was privileged to be able to attend the sessions.  The sessions were held in a cavernous auditorium, and she would wander around the stage, dissing the butter that was given to her (too much water for the puff pastry she was making) and say how much she loved California.  I was star struck.....here was Julia, my Julia from WGBH in my home town of Boston in my adopted hometown of San Diego....it didn't get much better than that...or so I thought.

As Julia was making puff pastry dish after puff pastry dish, they sold raffle tickets for people to take the finished dishes home with them.  I bought a few tickets, at this point, I'd blown my money on the tickets to this shindig, and wasn't thinking that I could afford to invest too heavily in the raffle tickets, but my friend and I decided we would each buy one....what could it hurt?

Julia pulled this beautiful pithiviers out of the oven to the ooh's and aah's of the crowd....two layers of puff pastry, sandwiched with almond paste and cream.  The raffle ticket was pulled, and it was mine!  I got to meet JC and take home her creation.....and the pie plate it was made in. 

This very humble 10-inch Pyrex pie plate, is still in my cupboard.  I'm not sure anyone in my family knows its significance except me, but Julia Child cooked in it, and that's why I've kept it all these years.  I did eventually share a few meals at conventions with Julia, and found her to be just what you would expect; honest, forthright, and a lot of fun. 
I'm sorry she's gone for many reasons, but the most important reason is that she taught people about food; no one on television is her equal when it comes to teaching you about cooking and ingredients, and that's a shame. 
Happy 100th birthday Julia, you are missed. 

Weighing in On Paula Deen

It's taken me a day to get over my anger and disgust at the Paula Deen roadshow yesterday.  Now I know there are a lot of people who love Paula Deen and I understand that watching someone who cooks like she does is really spectator sport, but I am in Anthony Bourdain's corner on this one.  He described her as the most dangerous woman on the Food Network.  Here's exhibit A:

The Krispy Kreme Burger with two Krispy Kreme donuts, fried egg and bacon.  Just because she makes food like this doesn't give you permission to eat like this.  Ms Deen's admission (after knowing about her diabetes for over 3 years) came only after she had secured a lucrative spokesperson gig with a drug company.  The Food Network denied knowing about this but it's interesting that Paula's son has a show that began airing a few weeks ago titled "Not My Mama's Cooking", I find that all a bit too coincidental.

Anyone who has to deal with a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes, has to deal with a life long battle, and I do sympathize with that, but  when Ms. Deen said that "diabetes isn't your fault" I was flabbergasted.  I would say serial overeating, no exercise, and smoking are probably contributing factors.  How about this dish?

This is the deep fried baked potato....now I know it looks great, but could you really eat a steady diet of this?  Julia Child lived to be 92 years old; no one enjoyed good food and drink as much as she did, the operative words here are good food, fresh, simply prepared food.  Her quote was always, everything in moderation  which should be the American mantra when it comes to our diet. 
Now, I realize we are all adults here, and we make our own decisions, and face the consequence of our actions, but cooking with Ms. Deen can be hazardous to your health.  I think we all should follow my friend Cookie Monsters' advice...

Enjoy your day, and I'll be back tomorrow with a few tips for weekend cooking. 

What are You Reading?

I am a voracious reader; with dyslexia and ADD, I still manage to read through stacks of books....I have wide interests and so the books that I read are all over the map as far as their content.  This week, the Oscars of the Culinary world were awarded....the James Beard awards.

If you are too young to remember him, James Beard was to American cooking what Julia Child was to French cooking in America.

 

Beard celebrated the simple, developing cuisine of our country, and when he died his home was turned into a gathering place in New York where foodies could show off their culinary talents and awards were given for best chefs, and best cookbooks.  Which brings me to my soap box

Not one of the winners on the Beard award list were on the Amazon or NYT advice bestseller list; what's sad about this is that the average home cook is missing out on some amazing information about areas in the food world, from Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking to Oaxaca al Gusto by Diana Kennedy, the award winners and the nominees are a treasure trove of usable information about how to cook and why it's important to try and eat sustainably.
So, what's on the Amazon bestseller list?

#1 is Gweneth Paltrow's book My Father's Daughter
#2 is Hungry Girl, 300 recipes under 300 calories
others on this list are
Guy Fieri and another book Why we Get Fat
and at #14 Recipes from the Chef Boyardee Family

If you are interested in who won the Beard awards for cookbooks, click here.
Rather than a popularity contest, the Beards are for scholarship and for excellence in writing and recipe success.  No Food Network stars on this list, and and no ridiculous diet books, either.

The focus on the other awards was decidedly sustainable with the best publication of the year being
Edible Communities.

With the myriad of information out there, it's important to choose the right book for the right moment; whether it's fiction, non-fiction, or cookbooks.  Buy quality, like the ingredients you buy, the book should inform you and teach you, rather than tell you how to combine cans and boxes to make dinner.

 I'll be back with some recipes later today, I hope you have a great one. 

The Best Stew Known to Man

As I said yesterday, today was a test day for my latest book, and I made what Julia Child once called the best stew known to man.  I took a few liberties with her original recipe here  and Dr. C gave it two thumbs up!  

Prime short ribs from Siesels' meats

Sauteed onions

Altogether now!

Rich wine and beef flavored sauce

Mushrooms and purple pearl onions

Voila!  The blue plate special at Chez Phillips

Since I can't give you this recipe until it's published, I thought it might be nice to give you a recipe for my favorite accompaniment for this dish:  Mashed Yukon gold potatoes with Boursin Cheese.  

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Boursin Cheese

Serves 6  

8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
One 5.2 ounce container Boursin cheese
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan with water to cover.  
2. Bring to a boil, and boil until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
3. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the milk and Boursin, until they are warm. (see note) 
4. Drain the potatoes, and return them to the pan, and shake over the heat, to dry them out.  
5. Add some of the Boursin mixture, and mash the potatoes, adding more of the boursin/milk mixture until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.  
6. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or pepper to taste.  Serve immediately. 

Stay tuned for more side dishes this week; I'm thinking about spinach gnocchi tomorrow with braised chicken and leeks in the slow cooker. 

Remembering Julia

"Life itself is a proper binge"

Julia the early years

As a teenager in Boston, I was glued to WGBH whenever this astounding woman would appear on the screen. Way too large for the small 19" set my folks had, she would hack, and sauce, and toss ingredients with the dexterity of a surgeon, making food that looked as good as the exotic names that rolled off her tongue. Julia would have been 98 on Sunday; she died 6 years ago, but her legacy lives on in the books that she wrote, those she inspired to get into their kitchens, and the DVD's that abound with her wit and wisdom.


Here are a few of her quotes that still make me smile:

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook"


"In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport"


"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate"


and last but not least to lead into this clip from the David Letterman show:

"I think every woman should have a blowtorch"

Thanks to Dr. C. I do have access to a blowtorch when needed! Enjoy the day, and I'll be back tomorrow with a few new recipes.