To some ‘Julie & Julia’ is 524 recipes… to me, hope for a new generation of home cooks

'Julie & Julia' starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams

Last night I watched “Julie & Julia” the story of Julie Powell aspiring to be a writer who, along with inspiration from her husband, designed and executed a year-long challenge to cook all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Julie’s blog about her daily cooking exploits launched her from obscurity in the blogisphere to stardom. For as long as I can remember I’ve been a fan of Child – for her humor, wit, culinary skill, and most importantly demystifying the French palette for America.

“Julie & Julia,” thanks to the great performance by Meryl Streep, breathed new life in Child’s legacy. Just visit your local bookstore and you’ll find new printings of Child cookbooks including “Mastering” but with new merchandising that leverages the movie’s success to sell the books. This is a good thing if for one reason alone: a new generation is learning to cook great meals from scratch, for some, like they never have done before. And with a little luck they’ll reap the true blessings of these great meals… the fellowship of friends and loved ones.

Child taught great technique and shared invaluable insights in all of her books. French cooking is as difficult or as simple as you want it to be. I like keeping it simple; one of my favorite dishes Potatoes Anna relies more on attention to detail and use of a few quality ingredients than complexity or marathon cooking times. Regardless of how much butter Child instructed to use, her recipes are healthy eating (in moderation) when compared to our contemporary food-stuffs of processed and packaged meals.  “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” is an enormous volume of work that may intimidate new comers to French cuisine.  Later cookbooks by Child make her knowledge more approachable:

• “The Way to Cook”
• “Julia & Jacques Cooking At Home”
• “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking”

And the movie? I liked it but not because I cared about Julie, her story really didn’t interest me, but for the magnificent performances by Streep and Stanley Tucci who portrayed Julia’s husband, Paul. Their life together is epic unto itself for their trials and tribulations, love for each other, and their lifetime of journey of discovery. If you feel the same then I suggest picking up a copy of “My Life In France” by Alex Prud’Homme, a memoir of Julia and Paul beginning with their move to Paris shortly after World War II.

Bon appétit!

Crème Brulee (non cook method)

Adapted from “Elegant and Easy Creme Brulee”

If cooking a custard intimidates you, or the Julia Child recipe I’ve provided seems a bit too exhaustive for a simple custard, try this very simple and tasty cr&egraveme brulee –it won’t disappoint.

Six servings

• 8 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Divide mixture among six ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath (see instructions below) and bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Longer baking time will be required for larger, deeper ramekins. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least two hours or up to two days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small, hand-held torch to melt sugar. If you don’t have a torch, place under the broiler under the broiler until sugar melts. Chill custards for a few minutes before serving.

Water bath - place a paper towel on the bottom of the water-bath pan this will prevent ramekins from sliding. Place the custard filled ramekins in the pan, and place on the center rack of the oven. Carefully fill the pan with warm water, until the level reached halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Crème Brulee

Adapted from “Julia and Jacques at Home”

This is my favorite Crème Brulee recipe for two reasons - the orange zest adds depth to the custard flavor and because it’s a Julia Child recipe it has to be good!

• 8 four ounce ramekin
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Grated zest of a large orange
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar or more if needed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the cream into a 6-cup saucepan, stir in the vanilla bean or vanilla extract and the orange zest, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover the pan, and let steep for 5 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the mixing bowl for several minutes until the yolks are thick, pale yellow, and form a fat, slowly dissolving ribbon when dropped from the whisk back into the bowl.

Remove the vanilla bean from the hot cream (save it you can use it again). So as not to scramble the egg yolks, stir by dribbles half a cup of the hot cream into the yolks, stirring (not beating - you do not want to form bubbles). Adding it in a slow stream, stir in the rest of the cream. Set the sieve over the quart measure and strain the custard mixture through it to eliminate any coagulated bits of egg and the orange rind. Skim off any bubbles from the surface of the custard.

Arrange the ramekins in a baking pan and pour or ladle 1/2 cup of custard into each, leaving 1/4 inch at the top for the glaze. Set the baking pan in the oven and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins.

Bake the custards for 30 - 35 minutes, until the tops are set but the custard in the center is still quite soft to the touch. Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven, and lift the ramekins from the hot water. Let them cool briefly, and then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least four hours. Either serve them as is or glaze.
Loosen the brown sugar if packed and break up any lumps with your fingers. Sprinkle a tablespoon or so over each custard and smooth it gently with the back of a spoon, forming an even layer of sugar that completely covers the surface.
Set the ramekins on a heatproof tray. Turn on the broiler and place the ramekins underneath, so the surface is about 5 inches below the heat. Leave the door open so you can watch as the sugar melts and starts to caramelize. Turn the ramekins if one side gets too brown, so that the glaze is consistent all around. Remove the custards as soon as the sugar has turned to a smooth sheet of brown glaze. Chill them briefly before serving.

Sautéed Pork Tenderloin with Port and Prunes

Adapted from “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home”

Pork tenderloin is a very flavorful, low-fat meat that is adaptable to grilling, roasting, and as we do here, sautéing. Even though this recipe calls for the inclusion of prunes don’t be afraid to substitute other dried fruits. For instance, I had great success using dried sour cherries.

• 6 ounces pitted prunes (20 to 24 small prunes)
• 1/2 cup port
• 2 small pork tenderloins, completely trimmed (about 20 – 24 oz.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons pure vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup brown stock
• 1 tablespoon black currant jam
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• Fresh parsley or basil for garnish

A couple of hours before cooking pour 2 cups boiling water over the prunes and macerate for 30 minutes. Drain the water and add the port to the prunes and let macerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Slice each tenderloin on the diagonal – changing the angle of the knife with each cut – into 6 equal-sized chunks, two inches or so at their thickest part (about 2 oz. each). Season the chunks with the salt and pepper.

Set the pan with the oil over high heat and swirl to film the bottom. When hot, set in the chunks with plenty of room around them. If you try to overcrowd the pan you will drop the temperature of the cooking surface down to far and the meat will not sear properly or cook evenly. If need be cook the pork in batches. Sear the chunks for about 5 minutes on all sides and the pan bottom is crusted – take care not to over cook the meat during searing. Remove the meat to the platter and place in the oven to relax and finish cooking.

Making the sauce
With the pan over medium heat, add the shallots and sauté for about 30 seconds. Pour in the red wine vinegar and stir and scrape the pan bottom to deglaze the crust. Pour in the stock and then the port and prunes. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and let it reduce for about five minutes, until slightly thickened.

Stir in the spoonfuls of black currant jam and ketchup, mixing well to melt the jam. Remove the meat from the oven and pour the accumulated meat juices into the sauce. Stir and simmer for another minute or so – tasting the sauce and adjusting the seasonings.

Spoon out the prunes and arrange them among the chunks of pork, then pour the sauce over all. Garnish with the fresh herbs.

Notes

If you’re not a big fan of prunes substitute with the same amount of dried sour cherries. In fact, I prefer the cherries over the prunes.

If black-currant jam is not available, try a blackberry or plum jam. The jam is vital to the sauce as it helps to thicken as well as add flavor.

When choosing the right pan for this dish, stay away from nonstick and cast iron. It important that the pork sticks a bit to the pan and then the sauce will pick up its flavor when you de-glaze. Use a stainless steel or anodized aluminum surface.

Brown Stock. If you want to make your own brown stock here’s a recipe that will make plenty for this dish and many more. If not, simply use a beef broth or low sodium bouillon (to create a richer flavor, simmer the canned broth with chopped carrots, celery, onion, and some dry white wine). This dish already has wine in its list of ingredients, but in the event that you are making a meal where you substitute the brown stock, also add a splash of red wine.

Side dishes – keep it simple as not to fight with the robust flavor of the port sauce. Try plain rice, a rice pilaf, or orzo pasta with a little olive oil and/or butter stirred in.

American Potato Salad

Adapted from Julia Child’s The Way to Cook

I enjoy this potato salad because it offers a good depth of flavor for accompanying a wide assortment of grilled meats. You can dress up the dish by adding halved cherry tomatoes, pimentos, fresh chopped chives or chive flowers.

Put the warm potato slices into the bowl and toss gently with the liquid, onions, celery, pickle and seasonings to taste. Let steep for 10 minutes, tossing carefully 2 or 3 times. When cool, toss with the bacon, eggs, parsley and just enough mayonnaise to cover the potatoes slightly.