Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

I am often asked if I created Clearly Delicious “after seeing that movie.  You know, Julie and Julia.”  

My immediate answer is always a stern, “No,” and I’m quick to calculate that Clearly Delicious existed about six months before I ever saw the film.  I don’t know why I become so defensive.  

It’s not like Julie and Julia ever did anything to me.  It’s not as if this culinary blockbuster caused a negative stereotype around food blogging.  Actually…it did make food blogging freakishly main-stream.  Hmm…perhaps this is why I get so defensive.

But I understand why people ask and more importantly, I understand why movies like Julie and Julia are made.  Julia (Child) just has this affect on people.  She changes them…she inspires them…she teaches them how to cook the most wildly insane things from the French culinary repertoire.  

Like the Larousse Gastronomique cookbook, Julia Child’s magnum opus Mastering the Art of French Cooking is in and of itself, a culinary feat.  The at-home-chef has to be one of the most bold of cooks if he/she is to attempt a number of her recipes.

I remember the first time someone mentioned Julia Child to me.  It was the aunt and uncle of a high school friend and knowing that I loved to cook, they asked me about Julia (I was 16).  Not so surprisingly, I didn’t actually know who Julia was.  After my mom died, there was a sudden disconnect in didactic cooking in my life for many years and I found myself grappling with foreign cooking techniques, bad recipes, and an overall lack of guidance in the world of cooking.  At 23 years old, Julia changed many of my misconceptions about French cooking with her simple little book on “Mastering” it.

The Good-Humored, Encouraging Teacher:

Honestly, I don’t know how Julia does it. 

She takes some extraordinarily complicated recipes and explains them with such precision and accuracy, that you cannot help but appreciate every word. 

In between the instructions, Julia’s authorial voice emerges in each of her recipes.  She’s humorous, light-hearted, and always positive.  Julia ensures that if she can a pastry from scratch, certainly you, with the better kitchen appliances and ingredients can too. 

It’s almost as if you can sense her teacherly/cheery self telling you that yes, you are insane for wishing to debone that duck, but it’s going to be okay.  

Have a glass of wine with me.

Extensive, Thorough Instructions and Illustrations:

Let’s be honest, Julia really has taught me 90% of what I know about French cooking.  I discovered linguistic blunders and poultry techniques with her Pâté de Canard en Croûte and discovered my favorite Provincial French Vegetable dish with her Ratatouille.  In each recipe, she supplies the most thorough of explanations on how to peel a tomato, make a pate stuffing for a duck, or make your own pastry.  Along with each instruction exists an illustration from the 60s publication that is still reprinted today.  Images are detailed and thorough corresponding with the text directly above or below it.

–Helana Brigman

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

 

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, 3.5 out of 5 based on 2 ratings Google+