The other night, I went to see the film, Julie and Julia, based on the memoirs of Julia Child and her aspiring follower, Julie Powell, who blogged her way through the first volume of Julia's cookbooks over the course of a year. (Both of which I received as a birthday gift this year.)
Although it may be a film about food and cooking, for all intents and purposes it is primarily a full-fledged chick flick. I mean, it would have to be based on the director's (Nora Ephron) previous track record, such as Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. It is hugely an analysis of how these women's enterprises affect their relationships with their husbands. Nevertheless, it was also a culinary inspiration to me -- a kick-in-the-pants, you might say -- to get my butt back in the kitchen and start cooking on a regular basis again.
There is much talk throughout the film about Julia's famous Boeuf Bourguignon. Julie's favorite childhood memories include that of her mother making the dish. The thought of the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen when she was young spawned the idea of using Julia's cookbook as inspiration for her blog. In Julie's first attempt at making the dish -- no less on a night when someone famous is scheduled to come to dinner -- she falls asleep during the 3 hour cooking process, misses the alarm, and wakes up to a charred mess. It turns out splendid on the second round, although her dinner guest cancels due to inclement weather.
Her husband's perfectly happy to take care of the leftovers though.... ;-)
At any rate, this weekend's family supper will feature this delicious dish. It's about time I do Julia proud by whipping up this fantastic beef stew. I'll let you know how it goes.... :-)
Ecole des Gourmandes, here I come.
2 comments:
It also renewed my interest in baking and cooking simply for itself, not just to blog about it, but to really focus on technique and the fun of it.
Can't wait to see the beef bourguignon!
My mother just GAVE me her vintage copy of MtAoFC. I. Died.
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