celebrating "mastering the art of french cooking"

our finished coq au vin

julia child inspired me to cook; julie powell inspired me to blog; and meryl streep just makes me want to watch movies.  so i don’t think it surprises anyone that i was pretty friggin’ excited for last weekend’s opening of “julie and julia.”  since this was no ordinary movie to me, i couldn’t make it just any ordinary movie outing.  it had to be an event that celebrated the real star of the movie, julia child’s gift to the culinary world, her book “mastering the art of french cooking.”  my own 684 page voluminous copy sits on a shelf in my living room as a testament to my love of jc (not to be confused with the jc of “what would jesus do?”).  i couldn’t think of a better way to honor her than cooking a few of the french recipes she shared with us in her first publication. 

thickening the coq au vin with a beurre manie

this past sunday, six of my favorite female foodies joined me in my kitchen to remake julia’s ratatouille, coq au vin and crepes fines sucrees (filled with strawberries and nutella) to get us in the mood for our afternoon matinee.  with three dutch ovens on the stove, you knew we weren’t messing around (and yes, i own three – ergh, actually 4 – dutch ovens).  under her trusted direction, we fearlessly poured cognac over the chicken for our coq au vin and lit it on fire (though she does warn us to avert our faces).  with great conviction, we shook the casserole back and forth until the flames subsided, just like she told us.  the sauce of our coq au vin came out silky and rich enough to get drunk off of.  the chicken cooked to perfect tenderness filled with flavors of the wine it basted in.  our ratatouille reminded us how decadent vegetables can be, and our crepes brought us to back to the crepes stands in paris.  snacking on cheese, pate and bread, we diced, chopped and seared, all the while channeling the voice of julia, just as julie powell did for a year while she cooked all 524 recipes from the original jc bible. 

if you haven’t heard of julie powell, she is a secretary turned blogger turned published author turned subject of a movie.  powell’s unexpected rise to fame started when she took on a unique personal mission – to cook every recipe from “mastering the art of french cooking” in 365 days and blog about it.  eventually the blog was turned into the book, “julie and julia,” which is now a movie playing under the same name at your local movie theatre starring the glorious meryl streep as jc.  competing with julia’s romantic and inspiring life journey and paris in the 1950’s is no small challenge, but i’d consider powell a bit of a modern day hero.  to twenty-and-thirty-something’s still wandering aimlessly in life, her story reminds us that fame is just 524 recipes and 365 blog entries away.  ok, maybe that’s not the real lesson, but her story does provide all of us that want more than our office day jobs some hope, right?  maybe all it takes is that one recipe (or 524) to help us find our way in life.  in the meantime, i'm happy to just find my way in the kitchen. 

thank you julia child for helping all of us to find our way in the kitchen; thank you julie powell for doing what you love; and thank you meryl streep for bringing julia child back to life for us. 

bon appetit!

some lovely french tunes that i imagine jc would love to cook to, as well as a playlist for your julie / julia party:

french tunes julia child could cook to

for more photos of our "mastering the art of french cooking" celebration:

Comments

[DocChuck]

As a 67-year-old American who survived World War II (although several of my relatives did NOT survive), Coq au Vin, has always been a favorite in my family.

Of course, my father, who fought to liberate France during the war, brought home many recipes which he loved.

Our housekeeper (and cook) was taught how to prepare many of Julia's recipes such as this delicious chicken-based recipe.

Of course, our Hispanic housekeeper also knew how to spell, how to properly use the English language, and how to communicate with American folks.

Thank you for reminding us Americans, who can trace our ancestry back to the Mayflower, about the 'joys' of Julia Child's recipes.

Of course, I am a bit disappointed in your lack of respect for the English language.

[Fleur]

I liked your post quite a bit, and it made me hungry very late at night.

DocChuck, I do believe I spotted a misplaced comma in your comment.

Of course, I also think you may be a bit of a dick. And I'd lay money on the fact that your Hispanic housekeeper would agree.

[DocChuck]

Well, actually, "Fleur", I AM " ... a bit of a dick", as you so wisely wagered.

In fact, nearly EVERY American woman I have ever known (in a Biblical sense, that is) would tell you that I am a HUGE, " ... bit of a dick", including my Hispanic housekeeper.

Thank you for reminding me about my "bit of a dick."

We Germanic types are rather proud of our " ... bit of a dick", as you so aptly put it.

Have a good day, 'Fleur'.

[BigGirlPhoebz]

I'm so glad to see you tried the Coq au Vin. I too was gearing up for a Julia and Julia celebration. But without the book on hand, I ended up going for the other classic: Boeuf Bourguignon. It was strange to be delving into someone else's mastery. But it felt great to be cooking rich French fare. Thanks so much for your report, I will definitely try the Coq as well now!

http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2009/08/cooking-for-others-julia-servantless.html

[lynn]

Well, Julia Childs hated Julie Powell and rightly so. Julie is just an opportunist who used Julia's good name. Julie has turned out to be a strange strange woman, likely a sociopath and we readers would all have been blessedly free of her literature if Julia had had her way. We should have ignored Julie when Julia disapproved of her, Julia was right along, this is why we loved her.

The lover, the one night stands, the s&m, the obsession and stalking, all while Eric could was aware of it and put up with it, reading the texts, gross, who cares. She sullies julias name.
http://www.amazon.com/Cleaving-Story-Marriage-Meat-Obsession/product-reviews/0316003360/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

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Of course, our Hispanic housekeeper also knew how to spell, how to properly use the English language, and how to communicate with American folks.

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Incidentally it was on the door side and I was standing right by the door. It took good 5 minutes before we managed to shift bodies enough for doors to open. A lot of fun!

[KeepItRealDoc]

"DocChuck" (Charles Richard Treuter) your father, Richard Oscar Treuter who was born on April 1, 1920 worked at a shipyard in Gulfport, MS. during most of WWII and joined the navy toward the end of the war (Germany had already been defeated and France was liberated prior to your father's enlistment). Although he did serve our country his service in the navy was relatively short and his wartime experiences were all within the Pacific. He was stationed briefly for a short time in the Philippines during "mop up" assignments after Japan had surrendered.

Richard O. Treuter never, during his entire lifetime, ever visited France and you certainly didn't grow up (if indeed you have so far - many feel that you never will) with a housekeeper. However, your mother, Nellie Vernon Treuter was an immaculate homemaker where you and your parents and two brothers (they'd like to forget that they are related to you but nonetheless admit that they unfortunately are) resided at 1020 West 42nd Street in Houston, Texas. Pssst, none of your ancestry traces back to the Mayflower.

You don't have and never have had a Hispanic housekeeper but what you do have is a very twisted mind filled with hatred, racism, venom, wannabe elitism, and farcical imaginations about yourself, your fat-assed wife (a prison nurse and not a M.D. neurologist as you claim on the Internet).

You are sarcastic, vile, petty, miserable in your own skin, and have a sad criminal history. Also, you have become a boring troll and quite a droll individual, as well as a rather pathetic excuse for a human being.

Perhaps if you visit the site below you will be shocked enough to do yourself and others a favor and take a step or two back toward reality and then move on to civility.

http://exposingdocchuck.blogspot.com/

[KeepItRealDoc]

UPDATE:

The Weird "DocChuck" epic of Charles Richard Treuter's years of trolling, stalking, harassing, and sending threating emails (including death threats) may very well be moving toward a swift and just conclusion. For details visit: http://theweirddocchuckepic.blogspot.com/

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waiting for few more recipe.

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