Mastering the Art of Julia

The Nora Ephron film of the lives of the eminent chef, Julia Child, and the blogger, Julie Powell, who replicates all 536 recipes in 365 days from Mastering the Art of French Cooking will be in theaters this weekend. We thought we’d look back at the PBS American Masters essay by Marilyn Mellowes about Julia’s life:

“Scooping up a potato pancake, patting chickens, coaxing a reluctant soufflé, or rescuing a curdled sauce, Julia Child was never afraid of making mistakes. ‘Remember, if you are alone in the kitchen, who is going to see you?’ she reassured her television audience. Catapulted to fame as the host of the series The French Chef, Julia was an unlikely star. Over 6′ 2″, middle aged and not conventionally pretty, Julia had a voice careened effortlessly over an octave and could make an aspic shimmy. She was prone to say things like ‘Horray’ and ‘Yum, yum.’ Her early culinary attempts had been near disasters, but once she learned to cook, her passion for cooking and her devotion to teaching, brought her into the hearts of millions and ultimately made her an American icon. To the fans who knew and loved her, she was known simply as Joooolia.”

Don’t overlook the PBS KTEH 1995 presentation on UTube about Julia’s OSS sojourn. Perhaps more interesting from a culinary standpoint is Mrs. Child’s view of McDonald’s French fries, especially after ‘the nutrionists’ got at them … and they’ve been limp ever since.’

For a classic French omelette, Julia’s take on the quick meal is classic. A hot fire, a bowl, some butter, salt and pepper and, of course, eggs. Don’t forget the omelette pan. Ignore the ‘prestige’ pan and choose the no-stick pan, says she. And the secret to a slightly overcooked omelette? A little butter, giving it a shine.

Even though a critic has disparaged the combination of the two ‘true’ stories in Julie and Julia, and impatiently wanted a return to the scenes with Mrs. Child, we love the actress Amy Adams in our house, so we aren’t prepared to complain.

Are we getting down our new paperback version of Mastering (the original was too food-spattered as many of our cookbooks are after half-a-century of non-stop meal preparation) to whip up a few of the recipes? You betcha!