Mastering Julia Child

My French may be terrible but my love for French food exceeds expectations. When I was in Paris for two weeks last year, I ate some form of duck almost every day and couldn't be happier. Duck breast, duck confit, foie gras. I even had dinner at a small restaurant called Canard & Champagne where sommeliers suggest Champagne pairings for each duck course. 

I was there for a work trip which I then extended into a two week vacation in France and Italy. Before my boyfriend met me, I had two days to myself in Paris. One of the highlights was climbing the steps to Sacre Coeur, wandering the streets of Montmarte, then settling down at an outdoor table at Le Consulat. I ordered a Croque Monsieur and a glass of rose and people watched. A newly wed couple walked by and everyone in the square started clapping. Ironically, the last place I had a cocktail before NYC shut down was at The Consulate on the Upper West Side. 

We were supposed to go back to Paris in April but sadly had to cancel our trip due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Since the start of quarantine, I have made some classic French dishes—coq a vin, steak frites, croque monsieur, and of course lots of duck. 

My mom recently sent me both volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child so now I really get to feed my obsession! 

The first dish I made was quiche Lorraine. I learned that Julia Child REALLY does love her butter. The recipe calls for a mix of butter and shortening—according to Julia, American flour mixed with butter will result in a brittle crustle so she uses shortening to achieve the flaky, buttery crust known in France. I had never used shortening before and was looking up and down the refrigerated aisles before I found it near the oils. Silly me. 

Call me a spoiled millennial, but I'm not used to reading an actual cookbook. I find all my recipes online and save them on Pinterest, where I choose mostly based on photos. I'll have my flour-covered iPhone next to me as I follow recipes with step-by-step images. I tried to pop up my cookbook against my breakfast bar and used a chip clip to keep it open—time to invest in a cookbook holder. 

Next I attempted a classic Hollandaise sauce using a blender. I immediately knew I was in trouble when I halved the recipe and the base of my blender was too wide to blend and thicken the egg yolks. I still proceeded in adding the melted butter but it was just a thin sauce of egg yolk and butter. I spooned it over eggs Benedict and the liquid quickly disappeared. Huge fail. At least my poached eggs stayed intact. 

Since the blender was a fail, I figured I had no choice but to work my arm during an intense whisk session. I made bearnaise sauce for a NY strip steak and it thickened up beautifully over the stove after 6 minutes of whisking (and sweating). I probably could have minced the shallots a bit more but the taste was perfect. 

What should I make next?