Julie Child is Having a Time

My early memories of Julia Child involve her PBS cooking show serving as background noise on Saturday afternoons (before The Frugal Gourmet and This Old House came on). That, and the Dan Aykroyd sketch from SNL where “she” is bleeding profusely while continuing to cook (very disturbing and I don’t know exactly why I was able to see that sketch as a small child). After her death a few years ago, I hadn’t really heard much about her. That is, until recently. I feel like Julia Child is making a comeback. Her cookbook Mastering The Art of French Cooking apparently serves as a dog-eared bible for many professional chefs. It recently became a fixture in my home as my husband works his way through, making Crème Caramel and Chocolate Soufflé on the weekends. America’s Test Kitchen, the Consumer Reports of foodies, recently adapted her Coq au Vin recipe to a more modern audience, with only fresh supermarket chickens at their disposal. Chef Barbara Lynch, of No. 9 Park fame, is hosting sold-out cooking classes at Stir, A Tribute to Julia Child complete with recipes from her books and anecdotes. She is clearly still relevant; in our modern society of fast and processed foods, it’s nice to get back to basics and know exactly how your food is made. I hereby proclaim March Julia Child Month. Everyone must cook one French dish, “from scratch” this month, whether it’s Quiche Lorraine or Fricassee de Poulet au Paprika. You choose. Just use real butter. And don’t cut yourself, Dan Aykroyd.