Time To Rock Out With Julia Child!
First of all, when August 15th comes around, it means all foodies need to shout:
“Happy Birthday Julia!”
This iconic chef changed the way everyone thought about food, and she broke many barriers as well! Her big smile and love of food will certainly always be missed! So let’s sing a song to her!
Julia Child Remixed!
In celebration of her 100th birthday two years ago, PBS posted this: “Julia Child Remixed” by John D. Boswell, aka melodysheep, for PBS Digital Studios. Please support your local PBS station to show your support for this terrific work:
So Let’s Celebrate Julia Just A Bit More!
Julia wrote a great memoir that details how she grew to love food, her life learning to cook in the kitchen, oh – and her time in the bathtub with her husband as well!
My Life In France – Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme.
Here is her classic book about her life in France, which led to her becoming America’s greatest cooking personality.
Here is how the book is described on Amazon: Julia Child single-handedly created a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and her television show “The French Chef”, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef. Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But even before she could cook, Julia knew how to shock – just look at this Valentine’s Day card she sent out one year!
Her book vividly recounts her culinary education, from taking classes at the Cordon Bleu to her struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook, and a nearly fifty-year long marriage that took them across the globe. She became an icon – so much so that Dan Aykroyd parodied her on Saturday Night Live in the 70’s:
And of course, Meryl Streep portrayed her brilliantly in the movie “Julia & Julia…”
Cooking With Julia!
I never had the chance to meet this great personality, and I certainly didn’t get to cook with her – but I got close! t had the chance to actually cook on her stove…thanks to Patricia Wells!
More on cooking with Julia in a moment, but first, here is a look at the terrific memoir from Patricia Wells:
“We’ve Always Had Paris…And Provence” by Patricia and Walter Wells.
Here is the Amazon writeup of Patricia Wells and her memoir:
“Patricia Wells, long recognized as the leading American authority on French food, and her husband, Walter, live the life in France that many of us have often fantasized about. After more than a quarter century, they are as close to being accepted as “French” as any non-natives can be. In this delightful memoir they share in two voices their experiences—the good, the bad, and the funny—offering a charming and evocative account of their beloved home and some of the wonderful people they have met along the way.”
Patricia Wells has published a number of food guides and cookbooks, and they are all terrific. Here is just one of my favorites:
Patricia and Walter own a home in Provence, which they open up several weeks a year for a cooking class – one that Alex and I were able to attend in 2009 and cook with Julia!
PATRICIA WELLS COOKING CLASS IN HER KITCHEN!
We and the best time cooking with Patricia Well and her husband – a group of 12 of us – for five delicious days. Every day you plan, prepare, cook and consume a terrific series of dishes, made as a team, under Patricia’s expert direction…
Here we are with Patricia, posing in front of the Julia Child’s stove – a gift to Patricia from Julia – this is her provencal stove she cooked on for years – so, I did cook with Julia, just many years apart!
What is so much fun about the cooking class is that it takes place at their home – which they call Chanteduc – located in the shadow of the french village Vaison la Romaine, near Avignon:
Their book is full of stories of the life they have built together in Provence, and when you spend a week cooking with them, you see what a terrifically happy couple they are. Here is Alex getting some instruction from Walter:
After cooking together, you eat the food in a group setting – here we are on the veranda enjoying lunch together – a wonderful way to savor the hard work that went into the meal.
Every day another meal, another adventure – so much fun, and always with the full support and guidance of Patricia:
The twelve of us had the best time cooking with Patricia, as she guided us through an amazing array of dishes, always using the best local ingredients, many from her own garden…
OK, I mugged to the camera while Patricia did most of the work…
ALEX’S EGGPLANT DISH!
Look at how beautiful this dish is, made with eggplants you harvest from Patricia’s garden!
It was one of our favorite vacations ever, and we learned things that influence our cooking to this day. Check out Patricia’s website for a bunch of great stuff, including information on her classes:
Here is our view of the town from our room…
We stayed in the small village of Vaison la Romaine, so french and perfect for a cooking adventure…the picture above is the view from our front den window, and this was our view of the town’s old fortress from our back terrace outside our room…
The medieval streets of Vaison la Romaine were so much fun to wander….
As you can tell, we loved it! Even if you can’t cook with Patricia, pick up one of her many cookbooks – and read her memoir with Walter – and live the provencal life!
And click the story below to read all about our cooking adventure with Patricia!
http://johnrieber.com/2012/06/10/tasting-provence-cooking-with-patricia-wells-food-and-travel-unite/
And happy birthday Julia!
