I 'met' Julia Child

Before the movie “Julie & Julia” was filmed and eventually released, I had already met Julia Child. Not in person, but like Julie Powell, the encounter was through one of her books and another in which she collaborated with an equally respected culinary guru, Frenchman Jacques Pepin. It felt as if I had personally known her, perhaps because of my great love for cooking. Thus, after watching the film with great delight, there was no choice but to renew acquaintances with the lady who had a strong influence and great impact on the culinary world.

The movie, actually, is more about Julie, a writer who wanted to put vigor into her otherwise dull life. With unbending resolve, she set out to do all 500 plus recipes in Julia’s first book, published in the 60’s, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1,” doing them all within a year. It became a period of hits and misses, of blogs that chronicled her struggle and final success.

This made us hurry back to our library of cookbooks and get re-acquainted with the great ‘Lady of the Kitchen,’ Julia Child. It was in 2005 when we picked up “The Way to Cook,” her seventh book, published in 1989. At that time, Julia Child was becoming THE Julia Child, who had her culinary beginnings as a wife of an American diplomat in Paris where, with the help of two lady friends, learned about French cuisine. Tirelessly she scoured the markets and then planned to write. When her husband got re-assigned to Washington, Julia brought to her native land the techniques of French cooking.

What impressed us most was a quote from the movie, where the Guru cautioned cooks not to offer “any excuses, nor explanations,” for indeed each dish is supposed to be done with passion. Different people have varying tastes, what may be too salty for one individual can be just right for another.

The author deviated from the usual cookbook form and established a different way of grouping, such as all lamb dishes together, or all beef. Methods have also been put together, like pork and veal chops because they cook the same way. The technique is very important, cooking a stew as stew, a roast as roast. When one realizes this, he/she is on the road to good cooking. We have actually adopted Julia’s cooking methods – like preparing a dish by stages/days.

Here is a local example: for cocido or pochero – tenderize the meat by boiling with leeks, celery, tomatoes, onions and carrots a day before it will be served. Cook the bacon and store in the fridge. Slice all other ingredients. Do the final sautéing (in olive oil) the following day, prior to adding the vegetables.

One aspect in this book we find so practical is the many possibilities a dish has in transforming itself to new offerings. She gives a master recipe then adds variations. A garlic soup can be a chicken soup, or provençal with poached eggs can become a potato soup the following day. Our leftover nilagang manok normally ends up as chicken salad to which we add hard boiled eggs. Did you know that Julie’s frustrating Boeuf Bourguignon is a spin off from the master recipe of Zinfandel (a wine) of Beef (Chunky Stew of Beef in Red Wine)?

Conscious of the then emerging healthy eating principles, Julia says, inspite of fad diets, fitness programs and health concerns, we must not lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal.

We visited the original Terry’s on Pasong Tamo extension a few days ago. The store, as it has always been, is a haven of the most precious imported and local food items. However, one needs a fat wallet. The meat cuts are premium pieces, the chicken are free range fowls, the dairy products include a wide selection of cheeses, the hams and sausages are outstanding. We noted the brand Rioverde with bottled cocktail onions and gherkins, among others. They have the new variants of canned olives – chorizo-stuffed and with blue cheese. It’s a great gastronomic adventure every time we go to Terry’s.

On a more conservative budget of P39, one can hop over to any Mini Stop outlet and satisfy hunger with their newest concoctions – Superb Bites – the ham and cheese croissant with scrambled eggs, special dressing and lettuce, the corned beef and eggs on pan de sal, and bacon and eggs, also on pan de sal.   

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