First there was the blog. Then there was the book. Now there is the movie. Julie and Julia,for anyone who has been living under a rock and missed the onslaught of lead up advertising and promotion,is about the stories of two women who love food. Set in different times,in different locations and with different circumstances the movie, drawing from two true stories,takes us into the lives of two women,their passion for food and what it brought to their lives. It is based on an adaptation of Julia Child’s My Life In France and Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia – My Year of Cooking Dangerously
Last night,I went to see the movie at a special advance foodie screening at Village Gold Class. I’m not a film critic – there are enough of those out there if an in depth critique is what you want to read. But I liked the film,there were some elements that really resonated with me,and thought I would share with you some of the reasons why.
A little bit of background first – and a minor spoiler alert.
Julie Powell was a government employee in a rather thankless job sitting in a cubicle all day answering calls about the government’s response to 9/11. Having recently moved to a new and unfamiliar borough of New York,struggling to find herself and happiness,she is at a loss until a conversation with her husband leads to the self imposed challenge of cooking each one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in just one year,blogging as she goes.
Julia Child was a popular TV chef and author from the 60s through to the 80s in America. She too started out as a government employee,although her position was with the Office of Strategic Services – an intelligence agency,where she met her husband,Paul. In the late 1940s,he got posted to Paris and Julia found herself lacking interests or a challenge. She barely spoke French and couldn’t cook but she loved food,so Julia enrolled at the Cordon Bleu school and had six months training,including lessons with Max Bugnard (one of Escoffier’s most renowned students). It was with Cordon Bleu students Simone Beck and Louisette Bertolle that she started L’ecole des trois gourmandes (The school of the three happy eaters) which lead to the writing of the Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
What I loved most was that both women are passionate. On the your first bite page of this blog I talk about what passion means to me. It was the reason I started doing this blog in the first place. I am yet to be inundated with book offers or TV shows J,but that has not stopped my passion for food providing some balance and harmony in an often incongruous world. Those things that dare to drag one down with their banality can now be tolerated,because you know that they are not what defines you.
The passion is matched with enterprise,ambition and perseverance. It is the honesty of these traits that prevent them from becoming overtly narcissistic.
It doesn’t hurt either to have someone who supports you. Both husbands in the film are doting and thoughtful as evidenced in two separate scenes where they present carefully chosen gifts to Julie and Julia. My beloved would probably not want to be called doting (!) but he is certainly supportive and will no doubt relate to the men in the film,just as I related to Julie as she sat on the floor of her kitchen on the brink of defeat clutching a chicken that refused to be stuffed.
There is another supporting role that is worthy of mention – that of butter. Butter,butter and MORE butter. If it tastes good be sure it has been bathed in butter. The food scenes from both narratives in the film are inspiring,deliciously funny and plentiful. It was enough to make you hungry!
Fortunately,as part of the “foodie screening” Julia’s classic recipe,Beef Bourguignon (which plays a prominant role in the movie) was served to us,accompanied by a glass of red wine,as it was being made on screen,wafts of the wonderful rich dish filling the cinema to add a different dimension to the experience. We also got to enjoy a little strawberry tart and a recipe booklet.
Beef Bourguignon is a famous dish,and actually very simple to make. Here is Julia’s recipe,it’s a bit different to mine but I will be trying it before the last of the wintery days depart for the year. Don’t be worried that the instructions are long,Julia (like me) can be a bit wordy. Always remember to use a wine you’d drink –not a cooking wine. As the beef is combined with braised onions and sautéed mushrooms,all that is needed to fill out the meal is a green salad and some good bread….buttered of course!
Beef Bourguignon Serves 6
For the stew
6 ounces bacon,solid chunk
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lbs lean stewing beef,cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot,peeled and sliced
1 onion,peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper,freshly ground
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux or Burgundy or Chianti)
2-3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves,mashed (you may choose to add more)
1 sprig thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 bay leaf,preferably fresh
For the braised onions
18-24 white pearl onions,peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
salt &fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley
For the sauteed mushrooms
1 lb mushrooms,quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
First prepare the bacon:cut off the rind and reserve.
Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4″think and 1 1/2″long
Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water
Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large (9″–10″wide,3″deep) fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them,a few at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
Once browned,remove to the side plate with the bacon.
In the same oil/fat,saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
Now,lower the heat to 325°F and remove the casserole from the oven.
Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
Add the tomato paste,garlic and herbs and the bacon rind.
Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.
Cover and place in the oven,adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
While the meat is cooking,prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
For the onion,if using frozen,make sure they are defrosted and drained.
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes,rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible,without breaking apart.
Pour in the stock,season to taste,add the herbs,and cover.
Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
For the mushrooms,
Heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes. As soon as they have browned lightly,remove from heat.
To finish the stew:
When the meat is tender,remover the casserole from the oven and empty its contents into a sieve set over a saucepan.
Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it (discarding the bits of carrot and onion and herbs which remain in the sieve).
Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two,skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
If the sauce is too thick,add a few tablespoons of stock.
If the sauce is too thin,boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
Taste for seasoning.
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
If you are serving immediately,place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles,potatoes or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
If serving later or the next day,allow the casserole to cool and place cold,covered casserole in the refrigerator.
20 minutes prior to serving,place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes,occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
As Julia would say
Bon Appetit!
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