I have been known to jump on a bandwagon or two. (Yes, I waved the “homer hanky” when the Twins made it to the World Series.) But my love of Julia Child did not start with the movie Julie and Julia. This admiration goes all the way back to my childhood.
We did not have cable or satellite TV in the North Country, so we only picked up four channels, and sometimes not all of them were very clear. PBS was on channel two. Julia would be cooking up a storm every week and her voice was distinguishable even if the picture was fuzzy. She was the first person who I knew cooked not just to sustain, but to entertain. And with wine! (I can honestly say I don’t think we ever had wine with dinner my entire life.) She would pull out pots, pans and bowls in large numbers, an idea that was foreign to my mom’s kitchen as my childhood home has yet to have a dishwasher installed.
Julia had a flair for food that was very entertaining. She would chop the heads off fish and show you how to clean them. She would attack large roasts with cleavers. (I think until then the only other cleaver on TV was named June. Now of course with cable, cleavers make an appearance almost daily in reality TV.) She made all dishes sound exotic and fun. I remember her throwing a lobster into a pot and holding it down with the lid, chatting away the whole time like all of us cooked a lobster every week. I was fascinated. Even canned peas were given a French flair by adding shallots and butter.
I also admired her love of food. When she cooked she tasted everything and licked the cake batter from spoons, sometimes saving the rest in the bowl for later. (This, my friend, was a woman after my own heart!)
I never had a fear of cooking. I started to try following recipes at an early age, making jelly roll cakes filled with whipped cream and browning beef for barley stew in the crockpot. Fortunately my mother knew how to stock a kitchen with staples so I usually had the ingredients on hand to make things from scratch. The Julia Child mantra? “Never skimp on the butter or the cream or you’ll regret it.” Julia was known for saying her recipes were “French cooking from the American supermarket.”
Bon Appetit!
The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.
Julia Child
Chicken Salad
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
bb6 cups cooked chicken, cut up into good-sized pieces
bbSalt and freshly ground white pepper
bb1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
bb2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
bb1 cup diced tender celery stalks
bb1/2 cup diced red onion
bb1 cup chopped walnuts
bb1/2 cup chopped parsley
bb1 teaspoon finely cut fresh tarragon leaves
(or 1/4 tsp dried tarragon)
bb2/3 cup or so mayonnaise
bbFresh salad greens, washed and dried for decoration
bbAll or a choice of sliced or chopped hard-boiled eggs,
parsley sprigs, strips of red pimiento
Directions
Toss the chicken with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, celery, onion, and walnuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or overnight. Drain out any accumulated liquid; toss with the parsley and tarragon. Taste analytically and correct seasonings. Fold in just enough mayonnaise to enrobe ingredients. Shred the greens, arrange on a platter, and mound the salad on top. Spread a thin coat of mayonnaise over the chicken and decorate with the eggs, parsley, and pimiento strips.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Yield: About 2 quarts (6 servings)
Ingredients
bb4 tablespoons butter
bb1 cup minced onion or leek
bb1/4 cup flour
bb1 cup hot chicken stock
bb6 cups milk
bb1 quart fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, and diced
bb1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
bb1/2 cup or more heavy cream or sour cream
bbSalt and freshly ground white pepper
bbDrops of lemon juice, optional
bbSprigs of fresh tarragon or slices of sautéed fresh
mushroom caps, for garnish
Directions
The soup base: Sauté the onion or leek slowly with the butter in a heavy-bottomed covered saucepan, for 7 to 8 minutes, until tender and translucent. Blend in the flour and cook slowly 2 or 3 minutes, stirring. Off heat, gradually whisk in the hot stock. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, and whisk in the milk.
The mushrooms: Blend in the mushrooms and dried tarragon, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Stir in optional cream, simmer briefly, and then season to taste, adding drops of lemon juice if needed. Garnish with tarragon sprigs, or with sautéed mushroom slices floated on each serving.
Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes
Yield: 8 Small Cakes
Ingredients
bb1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
bb2 teaspoons baking powder
bb1 teaspoon salt
bb2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
bb1 cup sour cream
bb6 ounces unsalted butter
bb1/2 cup dark brown sugar
bb1 tablespoon bourbon
bb2 tablespoons chopped pecans
bb6 stalks fresh rhubarb, trimmed and
cut into one-fourth-inch-thick slices
bb1 cup granulated sugar
bb2 large eggs
bbMelted butter, for greasing pans
bbLightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Directions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Brush a light coating of melted butter on insides of eight 4-inch-wide, 1-inch-deep cake pans. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together; reserve. In a separate bowl, stir vanilla into sour cream and set aside. Melt 4 ounces butter; add brown sugar and bourbon and cook over medium heat until the sugar melts. Stir in pecans and turn off the heat. Divide caramel evenly among the pans. Arrange rhubarb in circles over it; set aside. Put granulated sugar and remaining butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and pale. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately fold in dry ingredients and sour cream. Spoon batter over the rhubarb and smooth tops with a rubber spatula. Put the pans on a jellyroll pan and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Immediately turn cakes out of their pans onto a rack. Serve with whipped cream if desired. Tastes Like Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on an alpaca farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious
helpings of home-style recipes.
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