>>in praise of Julia

Hi--Cass Wilde here.

Remember me? I'm China's and Ruby's partner in a new venture called The Thymely Gourmet, a personal chef business. We met when Ruby was starring in the play in Dead Man's Bones. Not long after that, I pitched them my idea for a personal chef business. We tried it out, and by the time Susan wrote Bleeding Hearts, the business was up and running--and that's when I solved the mystery of the missing Bleeding Hearts quilt. Actually, finding the quilt was sort of an accident, but I still get a plus in the "solved" column, don't I?

In case we haven't met yet, here's what China says about me in Hearts: "Cass, our new partner, is a beautiful, bountiful blonde, light of spirit and much lighter on her feet than you might expect from someone her size—'my sweet, sassy, sexy size twenty-two,' she says modestly. 'All curves, and nothing to lose.' Cass is not shy."

Yep, that's me. Sweet, sassy, sexy and not shy. Definitely not shy.

Anyway, China and Ruby invited me to do a guest post in their new blog. So I'm here to tell you that this week is the birthday of my hero, Julia Child, who was born on August 15, 1912. China included this entry (or something like it) in her upcoming Book of Days.

Fannie Farmer may have made us aware of our “American cuisine” and led us to practice the science of cookery, but Julia Child seduced us from our casseroles and gave us France—and became an American icon in the process. Her profound and far-reaching influence on American cookery earned her the title of “Mother of the American Food Renaissance,” while her sparkling joie de vivre turned cooking into an exciting adventure and focussed our attention on the pleasures of the table and the delight of cooking.

As food writer and chef Sara Moulton says, it was Julia (St. Julia, Our Lady of the Ladle) who urged us all to march into our supermarkets and “demand leeks and shallots.” And it was Julia who brought the phrase “herbes de Provence” into the vocabulary of American cooks.

Herbes de Provence is the name given to a group of herbs that are favorites in southern France: bay, rosemary, thyme, summer savory, cloves, lavender, tarragon, chervil, sage, marjoram, basil, fennel seed, and orange zest. They are available in a dried mix, or you can create your own fresh blend (as Julia always recommended) to complement the dish you’re making.

For the fresh blend, simply mix together 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh oregano, savory, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and lavender. Or you can use your harvest of dried herbs for gifts, with the basic recipe below. Package the herbs in colorful calico bags tucked into small terra cotta pots and tied with a raffia bow.

Herbes de Provence

3 parts dried rosemary, crushed fine
3 parts dried marjoram
3 parts dried thyme
2 parts dried summer savory
2 parts dried lavender flowers, crushed
2 parts dried orange peel, crushed to a powder
2 parts dried bay leaves, crushed fine
1 part dried mint
1 part fennel seed
1/2 part ground cloves
1/2 part coriander

Blend thoroughly. Store in an airtight container.

Celebrate St. Julia's day with a special Julia Child birthday dinner of chicken (or turkey) salad, chilled leek and potato soup, and fresh lemon sorbet. Toast with your favorite wine and a hearty "Bon appetit!"

Read about Our Lady of the Ladle: Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child, by Noel Riley Fitch.
Read Julia's last published work: Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking, by Julia Child.
For a full list of St. Julia's sacred texts, go here.

Reading note. "It's a shame to be caught up in something that doesn't absolutely make you tremble with joy!"--Julia Child

[This is an expanded and linked version of the August 16 entry in China Bayles Book of Days.]

Comments

[Marti]

Hi Cass,

An amusing tribute to Julia Child is found in the book, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.
The subtitle to Julie and Julia is 365 days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen or How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job & Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living. Julie's quest is to recreate, in her miniscule apartment over the course of one year, all 524 recipes from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She titles this quest "The Julie/Julia Project."

Upon learning of Julia Child's death, Julie Powell said, "She enriched the lives of thousands... She died well-loved, and I hope she died well fed. There is no tragedy here. It's a day for remembrance and celebration."

So Cass, let's put some rosemary, the herb of remembrance on our kitchen table, raise a glass and say, Bon Appetit Julia.

Marti

[Vicki Shimp]

Julia Child was one of my heroes. I love reading about her.
I loved her book written with Alex Prudhomme. She was "who she was". I'll drink to her also!!! Vicki