The Incomparable Julia Child

Julia Child is a mentor of mine. When I was beginning to consider culinary education, I was able to attend a book signing for Julia Child's then-recently released The Way to Cook. I was living in Athens, Georgia, and set out on a road trip to Atlanta for the signing. When it was finally my turn in front of my idol, I was really nervous. I blurted out, “If I wanted to go to culinary school, where would you recommend?” Mrs. Child responded in her signature vocal register, “Can you get to France? You should go to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris!” Even though I had taken three years of French in high school, I wasn't very comfortable with my conversational French and was too scared to go to Europe by myself. After lots of research and campus visits, I settled on The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York as my Plan B. 

Julia Child was 50 years old when Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published. It was 1962 when The French Chef debuted on WGBH-TV in Boston. She pioneered cooking shows on television - there would be no Food Network without Julia Child.

Julia and her co-authors tested and re-tested recipes multiple times before being put in a book. Most of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 2, and The French Chef uses classic ingredients such as butter, cream, and lard with wild abandon. Some of the recipes can take days to prepare (think Cassoulet). It is fun to read these books (yes, I read them like many would read a novel), and I often find my mind wandering about what it would have been like to be in that kitchen when the recipes were being developed. Oh, to be a fly on that wall! (Not that there would be flies in Julia Child’s kitchen!)

I think of her often, but more so in the summer. I suppose it is because of her August birthday, but maybe it is because I have more time on my hands during the off-season. Julia’s 112th birthday is August 15 - she passed two days shy of her 92nd birthday in 2004. She ended her last book, My Life in France, with "... thinking back on it now reminds that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite – toujours bon appétit!" Julia was a class act who loved all things gastronomic. I wish to continue in her light, living a rich life of family, friends and food!

For this week’s recipe, how about a classic Quiche? Julia recommends starting with a partially cooked 8” pastry shell. Fast forward 60 years, I use a premade pie shell from the grocery store.