Julia Child's legacy heats up in new film

(Julia Child shows off tomatoes in the kitchen of her home in Cambridge, Mass., August, 1992./Associated Press file photo)

Everyone's favorite chef has to be Julia Child, the grande dame of French cuisine who inspired generations of cooks, long before there ever was a Food Network that made cooking chic.

(Meryl Streep portrays Julia Child in a scene from, "Julie & Julia."/Associated Press photo)

I'm looking forward to seeing the biographical movie, “Julie & Julia,” which opens in theaters Friday. Meryl Streep portrays America’s first celebrity chef, and as with all the other films in which Meryl has starred, she's likely to channel the role of Julia onto the big screen.
The film is based on “My Life in France” (by Julia and her grandnephew Alex Prud’homme) and on author Julie Powell’s yearlong effort to cook — and blog — her way through Child’s landmark “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Amy Adams portrays Julie Powell in the film.

Julia Child was no stranger to the Hudson Valley. She conducted many demonstrations as part of the college's "CIA Presents ..."' series, was one of the culinary school's commencement speakers, has an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from the school and was one of 10 industry leaders inducted into the CIA Hall of Fame there.

I remember covering her appearance at the school in Hyde Park in October 2001, when she was presented with a lifetime achievement award.

Today's Busy Cook in the Poughkeepsie Journal features one of Julia's classic recipes for Quiche Lorraine. There is also a feature story in the Life section about Meryl Streep and how she becomes an acting "chameleon whose face transforms from movie to movie."

Any chance I get, I love watching Julia and legendary chef Jacques Pepin ham it up together in the reruns of the 1994 PBS special "Julia Child & Jacques Pepin: Cooking in Concert" and the 1996 sequel, "More Cooking in Concert."

In this day and age, when celebrity chefs have prime-time TV shows and look like Hollywood stars themselves, Julia was 51 when she made her television debut as "The French Chef," which began in 1963 and continued for 206 episodes. She made cooking accessible and promoted the serious study of food and cooking.

There are so many signature recipes that are part of her legacy. Here are a few more compiled by The Associated Press.

Happy cooking!


Julia Child didn’t hesitate to blend modern convenience and traditional technique. In “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” she introduced Americans to “French pancakes,” or crepes, as well as the traditional iron pans used to cook them in France. But she also urged people to make the batter in a blender, which saves time and effort. She later recommended cooking the crepes in a nonstick skillet, rather than the hard-to-find and care for crepe pans. Child extolled the virtues of crepes in both sweet and savory recipes, suggesting them as dessert as well as a fitting wrap for leftovers. In one of the most iconic episodes of her public television series, “The French Chef,” Child made crepes suzette, in which crepes are bathed in an orange-butter sauce and liqueur, then ignited.

(Julia Child introduced crepes and the crepe pan to Americans in her cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."/Associated Press photo)

All-Purpose Crepes

Start to finish: 45 minutes (15 minutes active)
Makes 20 5-inch or ten 8-inch crepes

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
2. 2/3 cup cold milk
3. 2/3 cup cold water
4. 3 large eggs
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for brushing on the pan
• In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat a 5- to 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium-high until drops of water dropped onto it dance. Brush the pan lightly with melted butter. Pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter and tilt the pan in all directions to cover the bottom evenly.
• Cook for about 1 minute, or until browned on the bottom. Turn and cook briefly on the other side.
• Cool the finished crepe on a rack while repeating the process with remaining batter. When cooled, crepes can be stacked and refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for several weeks.

(Recipe adapted from Julia Child’s “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom,” Knopf, 2009)


Though Julia Child never hesitated to adopt new technology in the kitchen, when it came to pureeing soups she favored the old fashioned food mill to blenders and food processors. Child said that while blenders and processors are faster, they whip all of the vegetable fiber into the soup. But vegetable mills — a colander-like bowl fitted with a hand-cranked rotary blade that mashes the food and pushes it through the holes — holds back most of the fiber, producing a smoother, creamier soup. Child included the food mill — which was invented in the 19th century — among her list of basic kitchen equipment in her seminal “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

(When it came to pureeing soup like this Vichyssoise, Julia Child passed over food processors for the classic food mill./Associated Press photo)

Vichyssoise
(Chilled Leek and Potato Soup)

Start to finish: 1 hour, plus chilling
Servings: 6 to 8

1. 3 cups peeled and sliced potatoes
2. 3 cups sliced leeks, white parts only
3. 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock or broth (vegetable broth can be substituted)
   
4. Salt, to taste
5. 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
6. White pepper, to taste
7. 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
   

• In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium-high, simmer the potatoes, leeks, stock or broth, and a bit of salt for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
• Pass the mixture through a food mill or transfer it to a blender and puree until smooth. Pass the milled or pureed soup through a fine mesh strainer. Stir in enough cream to reach desired consistency, then season with white pepper and additional salt. Oversalt slightly, as salt loses flavor in chilled dishes.
• Chill the soup. When ready to serve, ladle into cups and garnish with chives.

(Recipe adapted from Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking: The 40th Anniversary Edition,” Knopf, 2001)


Ever the pragmatist, Julia Child knew American cooks needed both an understanding of classic recipes and tips for taking shortcuts. Which is why in her “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” she offered traditional versions of eggy hollandaise sauce, as well as a blender version she described as “well within the capabilities of an 8-year-old child.” Hollandaise can be notoriously tricky to make, especially for inexperienced cooks, for whom the sauce can curdle. Child’s blender version is foolproof, though she acknowledges it’s not quite as good as traditional, hand-whipped versions. While hollandaise sauce goes with any number of dishes, it’s especially nice over poached eggs.

(Julia Child was not adverse to embracing anything that would help a home cook be more successful. A Blender Hollandaise Sauce, while possibly not as good as a hand-whipped version, can be made by anyone attempting this tricky sauce./Associated Press photo)

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Start to finish: 5 minutes
Makes about 3/4 cup

1. 3 egg yolks
2. 1/4 teaspoon salt
3. Pinch black pepper
4. 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
5. 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
   

• In a blender, combine the egg yolks, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high, add the butter and heat until foaming.
• Blend the egg yolk mixture at top speed for 2 seconds then, with the blender running, remove the cover and pour in the hot butter in a thin stream of droplets. By the time two-thirds of the butter has been added, the sauce will be a thick cream. Continue pouring, but don’t pour in the milky residue at the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• If not using the sauce immediately, set the blender carafe in tepid, but not warm, water.

(Recipe adapted from Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking: The 40th Anniversary Edition,” Knopf, 2001)

Poached Eggs

Start to finish: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

1. White vinegar
2. 4 large eggs
3. Salt
   

• Fill a medium saucepan or deep skillet with 2 inches of water. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar per quart of water. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat.
• While the water heats, fill a large bowl with cold water.
• When the water in the pan is just simmering, break one of the eggs into the water, holding it as close to the water as possible. Immediately and gently, use a wooden spoon to push the white over the yolk for 2 to 3 seconds.
• Maintaining the water at the barest simmer, repeat with the remaining eggs. After 4 minutes, one at a time use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs. The whites should be set and the yolks still soft to the touch.
• Place the eggs in the bowl of cold water to rinse the vinegar and stop the cooking. The eggs can be kept for several hours in cold water, or drained and refrigerated.
• When ready to serve, use a knife to trim off any trailing bits of white. Fill a large bowl with hot water and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart. Place the eggs in the hot water for about 30 seconds, or until heated through.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water, rolling the egg back and forth a bit to drain.

(Recipe adapted from Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking: The 40th Anniversary Edition,” Knopf, 2001)


When Julia Child first started teaching Americans the fundamentals of French cooking, they tended to use electric beaters for basic blending and mixing. Then she introduced them to the wire whisk. Child used whisks in numerous recipes, including sauces, creams and soups, as well as for beating eggs. She encouraged cooks to get a variety of sizes, including a large balloon whisk for beating egg whites. Child featured a whisk during the pilot to her public television show “The French Chef.” She used it to make an omelet. Her method for unmolding the eggs from the pan may seem complicated, but it produces a nicely folded omelet ideal for filling.

(In her pilot show for public televisions "The French Chef," Julia Child featured a wire whisk and used it to make an omelet like this French Omelet./Associated Press photo)

French Omelet

Start to finish: 10 minutes
Servings: 1

1. 2 extra large or 3 large or medium eggs
2. Large pinch salt
3. Several grinds black pepper
4. 1 teaspoon cold water (optional)
5. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra to garnish
6. Several sprigs parsley, to garnish
   

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper and water, if using, until just blended. Set aside.
• Place a nonstick skillet over high. Add the butter and tilt the pan in all directions to coat the bottom and sides. When the butter foam has almost subsided but just before it browns, pour in the eggs.
• Shake the pan briefly to spread the eggs over the bottom of the pan, then let the pan sit for several seconds undisturbed while the eggs coagulate on the bottom. If adding any fillings, such as sauteed vegetables, do so now.
• Start jerking the pan toward you, throwing the eggs against the far edge. Keep jerking roughly, gradually lifting the pan up by the handle and tilting the far edge of the pan over the heat as the omelet begins to roll over on itself. Use a rubber spatula to push any stray egg back into the mass. Then bang on the handle close to the pan with a fist and the omelet will start curling at its far edge.
• To unmold, maneuver the omelet to one side of the pan. Fold the third of the omelet furthest from you over on itself. Lift the pan and hold a serving plate next to it. Tilt the pan toward the plate, allowing the omelet to slide onto it and fold over on itself into thirds.
• Spear a lump of butter with a fork and rapidly brush it over the top of the omelet. Garnish with parsley.
  

(Recipe adapted from Julia Child’s “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom,” Knopf, 2009)