Posts Tagged ‘Julia Child’

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Why am I saying, “Bon appetit?”

August 15, 2020

Today is Julia Child’s birthday and I think it deserves remembering.

Theses are some of my favorite quotes from Julia:

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

You are the butter to my bread, and the breath to my life.

A party without cake is just a meeting.

 

And speaking of cake here is a recipe for a cake worthy of Julia’s birthday:

Reine De Saba (or Queen of Sheba) Chocolate and Almond Cake

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1

Serves 6 to 8 people

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter and flour a round 8-inch cake pan. Set 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and 2 tbsp. rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and place in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe.

3. In a mixing bowl, with a wooden spoon or electric beater, cream 1 soft stick butter and 2/3 cup granulated sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.

4. Beat in 3 egg yolks until well blended.

5. Beat 3 egg whites and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

6. With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in 1/3 cup pulverized almonds, and 1/4 tsp. almond extract. Immediately stir in one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of 1/2 cup sifted cake flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all are incorporated.

7. Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes.

8. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake onto a cake rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two.

To serve, use the chocolate-butter icing, and press a design of almonds over the icing.

Bon appetit!

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Whose birthday am I celebrating today?

August 15, 2012

Julia Child would have been 100 years old today.  There is a nice tribute to her on the PBS site.

I loved Julia – both in her early TV appearances – she originated the television cooking show while revolutionizing American cooking – and in her later shows when she cooked with other master chefs.  This was reality TV in its infancy with all of the mistakes left in.  What is your favorite Julia moment?  The production line omelets?  The lobster dinner with the gargantuan lobster?

With over 300 cookbooks, I of course, have a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but I especially enjoyed My Life in France, written with Alex Prud’homme. In this book, Julia describes how she arrived in France with her husband Paul, after the war and to occupy her time, decided to enroll in the Cordon Bleu cooking school because she had no cooking skills at all at that point, nor did she speak French.  Needless to say the experience changed her life and ultimately influenced so many other peoples’ lives.  It is a warm and charming book, as was the author, herself.

So raise a glass today in a toast to this remarkable woman.

As Julia would say, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream!” and “Bon Appetit!”

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