I've been nudged out of my summer cooking stupor by a viewing of the movie Julie & Julia. I saw it with my friend Moniqua, and liked it quite a lot. Meryl Streep is always so much fun to watch, she would make a user 's manual interesting. I read the book by Julie Powell when it came out a few years ago, and I thought the concept behind the book was great- now there's an idea for a blog! One year to cook your way through Julia Child's iconic cookbook, in the process teaching yourself the rudiments of fine cooking, finding yourself through your bliss, and learning from other assorted mishaps and adventures that occur along the way. So good I'm sorta jealous. But the thing about the book, and I only read the book- not the original blog, is that I found Julie Powell a little irritating, I found the author's voice cloying. So, the parts of the movie I enjoyed most were the ones that had to do with Julia Child, as portrayed by the wonderful Meryl Streep. To begin with it was set in Paris, and this is the Paris of my fantasies. Vintage Paris with women in hats, shapely suits, and high platform heels. The quaint patisseries, open markets, salons de the with platters of pastel colored macarons and trays of perfect petit fours - men in berets, chefs in toques. It was kind of like Ratatouille come to life minus the gross rat. Julia Child was depicted as an inspirational woman, an indomitable force, and all-around great dame. A chick who wasn't afraid of boning a duck, a televised gaffe, or a pound or three of butter. Her tender relationship with her husband Paul (played by sexy Stanley Tucci) was also beautifully described in the movie. Julia's jubilant personality and love of life and of food made me leave the theater planning a beurre blanc and soon.
Tonight's dinner will be a L'Chaim to Julia Child who's been gone for a few years but whose spirit was great and lives on strong. I'll be serving pan fried fish accompanied by a beurre blanc, potatoes cubed and bathed in hot clarified butter until it becomes the most comfy shade of golden brown, and then some naked asparagus. For dessert: fresh, sweet strawberries with homemade vanilla whipped cream...... Bon Appetit!