On Monday, I took at class at Central Market's cooking school on Julia Child. We watched the making of and sampled her Cream of Mushroom soup (surprisingly "quick and easy" but not that amazing in the end), Boeuf Bourguinion, and Chocolate Mousse with Creme Anglaise.
I could write sonnets about this Boeuf Bourguinion. I was more than licking the bowl. And the mousse! With this amazing vanilla creme sauce...and toasted almonds...and amaretto whipped cream. It was a blissful, captivating, world-shaking experience. I've always liked to cook and experiment, but if a recipe called for too many ingredients or had too many steps or took too long...fugetaboutit.
And Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguinon takes 4 hours, at least 16 ingredients, 12 steps (plus the two sub-recipes for the garnish)! So I tried Friday afternoon. If you'd like to spend an afternoon "mastering the art of French cooking," the recipe and pictures are nicely detailed at this blog: Boeuf la bourguignonne. Except don't go back and forth from pan-to-pan like she does. That's madness. And unnecessary dishes. Julia dirties enough dishes without that, and you lose the flavor of the "fond" that develops on the bottom of the pan. Julia doesn't waste flavor like that.
This is what I made, served over egg noodles. It wasn't as good as the one made by Central Market's chefs. But it's a very good beef stew, and I shared it with some friends, and they really liked it. "Gourmet"--Amy said. Julia Child, definitely.I will keep trying. I vow to no longer steer away from a challenging recipe, because it might just be the best thing I ever ate.
1 comment:
that's amazing! you are the master chef =)
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