Kelsey and I spent a summer evening visually savoring the delights cooked up in Julie & Julia. Meryl Streep’s portrayal of a determined but light-hearted Julia Child attending Le Cordon Bleu and then painstakingly writing Mastering the Art of French Cooking, intertwined with Amy Adams as Julie Powell, the lost secretary who changed her life by cooking all 524 recipes in a year, showed us the importance of practicing their passions. We cheered when the aspic recipe fell on the floor because none of us wanted to watch anyone eat it. The desserts were a hit all around (we’re game to try eating a whole chocolate cake with our hands), cooking a lobster may defeat us, and boning a duck we would probably throw our hands up at, but we’re all willing to cook something beyond hamburgers. We’re thinking the beef bourguignon; a pivotal recipe is several scenes. Julia describes herself as “fearless” in the kitchen and her example reignited my desire to cook.
Excited to dive into Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I leafed through it at the bookstore. Every recipe had multiple steps and a long list of ingredients. I cap out at 5, maybe 8, ingredients and a page of instructions made my head ache. I put the book down. Mastering the Art of French Cooking is not The Way to Cook, Julia’s book that first taught me how to cook.
Prior to marrying Keith, I prepared one dinner for him. It was a given that he would be the cook in the family and with 5 recipes under his belt, his knowledge surpassed mine. One year later, I couldn’t bear to eat another bite of any of those recipes. Keith’s parents came to the rescue by giving me The Way to Cook. Read the rest of this entry »
Claire
Kim
