Julia Child dead at 91

I just heard this, and was a bit saddened. She was, of course, an early influence on me, and I still refer to her books for inspiration. I'm guessing that heaven's canteen will be vastly improved now.

I loved watching Julia cook.

I saw a home tours show once where they went to tour her home, especially her kitchen.

Beat up old pots and pans and ancient utinels hanging off peg boards! Who needs those fancy kitchen stores?

Her "The Way To Cook" is my cooking bible.

Ah, I'm sorry to hear that.

ooooohhhh, no. That's sad, but I'm glad she went in her sleep (assuming it was peaceful).

Actually:

"Oh, I've cut myself horribly!" (blood squirts all over kitchen)

"You want to apply pressure..." (more blood flies)

"Dial 911, oh, this phone is only a prop!" (drops phone)

(falls over dead)

Julia will be missed. She was a real character in more ways than one.

I'll miss her too.

Oh she was great - and a TV chef who obviously ate her own cooking, which doesn't always seem to be the case these days. She always made it sound like you could do anything, and it would be delicious and wonderful, and even if you messed up a little, it was never fatal. Later in her life she did a show with Jacques Pepin; it was great to see them together. You could tell that they truly enjoyed one another's company.


She will be missed.

She was quite a person! I remember that some years ago, she survived breast cancer.

I loved watching her show!

Jaque and Julia. Such a special pairing.

I still whip up many of her original French cook recipes, my favorite being the Coq au Creme (including culturing the whipping cream by adding a bit of buttermilk). She was one-of-a-kind and a spoof by Dan Ackroyd only added to her fame.

Julia Child's Eighty-Fifth Birthday Cake recipe
Julia Child's Eighty-Fifth Birthday Cake
From: Death by Chocolate Cakes by Marcel Desaulniers
(William Morrow; September 2000; ISBN: 0688162975; Hardcover)
Cookbook Heaven @ recipelink.com

I had the good fortune of being invited to prepare dessert for Julia Child's eightieth birthday celebration sponsored by a PBS television station in Boston in 1992, and once again for her eighty-fifth birthday bash in Washington, D.C., in 1997. The party for her eighty-fifth was a special tribute to Julia organized by the American Institute of Wine and Food. (Julia is a cofounder of this organization.)

Of course, it is an honor to receive such an invitation, and a lot of pressure as well. I asked Trellis pastry chef Kelly Bailey to come up with a concept for a cake that would embody many of Julia's favorite confectionery synergies, such as chocolate, almonds, raspberries, and liqueurs. Julia praised Kelly personally that evening, and I stood in the background, relieved that the eggs were in the cake and not on our faces.

Makes: 3 dozen

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE

1/2 lb. pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-ounce pieces; plus 1 tablespoon (melted)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup amaretto
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, finely grated

CHOCOLATE RED RASPBERRY MOUSSE
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted
1 pint fresh red raspberries

QUINTESSENTIAL CHOCOLATE GANACHE
12 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

THE FINISHING TOUCH
1 cup sliced almonds
1 ounce milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 ounce semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
Make the Chocolate Almond Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat the insides of four 9?-1 1/2-inch nonstick cake pans with some of the 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper (or wax paper), then lightly coat the paper with more melted butter. Set aside.

In a sifter combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment paper (or wax paper) and set aside until needed.

Place 1/2 pound butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then beat on medium-high for 3 minutes until soft. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle, then beat on medium-high for an additional minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating on medium for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl once both eggs have been incorporated. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding half the sifted dry ingredients; mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 teaspoons almond extract and mix on medium to combine, about 15 seconds. Gradually add the remaining dry ingredients while mixing on low speed until combined, about 20 seconds. Add 1/2 cup amaretto in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, add 3/4 cup sliced toasted almonds and the grated chocolate, and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Immediately divide the cake batter into the prepared pans (about 1 1/2 cups of batter in each pan), spreading it evenly.

Bake on the top and center racks in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean, about 20 minutes. (Rotate the pans from top to center halfway through the baking time.)

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool in the pans for 15 minutes at room temperature. Invert the layers onto cake circles (or directly onto cake plates). Carefully peel the paper away from the bottoms of the cake layers. Refrigerate the cake layers until needed.

Prepare the Chocolate Red Raspberry Mousse

Place 2 1/4 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on medium-high for 2 minutes until firm, but not stiff, peaks form.

Add 1-1/2 cups of the whipped cream to 6 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate, and use a rubber spatula to fold together until thoroughly combined. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together until smooth and thoroughly combined. Now use the rubber spatula to fold in 1 pint red raspberries.

Begin the Cake Assembly

Remove the cake layers from the refrigerator. Use a cake spatula to evenly and smoothly spread about 1 3/4 cups of Chocolate Red Raspberry Mousse over the top and to the edges of each of 3 of the inverted cake layers. Stack the mousse-coated cake layers (use a utility turner to remove the layers from the cake circles); then top with the last inverted cake layer, bottom facing up. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour, until the mousse layers have firmed, before making the ganache.

Make the Quintessential Chocolate Ganache and Coat the Cake

Place 12 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate and 4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate in a large bowl.

Heat 2 cups heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Set aside for 5 minutes before stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Smooth the mousse on the sides of the cake with a cake spatula. Use a utility turner to remove the whole cake from the cake circle. Place the cake onto a baking sheet with sides. Ladle three 4-ounce ladles of the ganache over the top of the cake. Use a cake spatula to spread a smooth coating of ganache over the top and sides of the cake. (This looks like an ocean of ganache, but it is the correct amount; of course, too much ganache is always perfect.)

Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes to set the ganache.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pour the remaining ganache over the top of the cake; then use a cake spatula to spread the ganache smoothly and evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Use a utility turner to transfer the cake onto a clean cardboard cake circle. Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes to set the ganache.

Prepare and Apply the Finishing Touches

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Toast 1 cup sliced almonds on a baking sheet in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove the almonds from the oven and cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Holding about 1/2 cup of the cooled sliced almonds at a time in the palms of your hands, crush them into irregular-size pieces (this is the best method to break almonds into irregular-size pieces without creating fine particles of almonds). Set aside.

Melt 1 ounce chopped milk chocolate in the top half of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until completely melted and smooth, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat, then transfer the chocolate to another small Ziploc bag.
(The milk chocolate may also be melted in a small Ziploc bag in a microwave oven set at medium power for 1 minute. After removing the chocolate from the microwave, the chocolate will be completely melted and ready to use.)

Now melt 1 ounce chopped semisweet chocolate in the top half of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until completely melted and smooth, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat, then transfer the chocolate to another small Ziploc bag.

(As with the milk chocolate, the semisweet chocolate may also be melted in a small Ziploc bag in a microwave oven set at medium power for 1 minute. After removing the chocolate from the microwave, the chocolate will be completely melted and ready to use.)

Snip the tip from a bottom corner of the Ziploc bag containing the melted milk chocolate. Pipe the entire amount of chocolate in the Ziploc bag across the top of the cake, going from left to right in a zigzag pattern. Snip the tip from a bottom corner of the Ziploc bag containing the semisweet chocolate. Turn the cake 90 degrees. Pipe the entire amount of chocolate in the bag across the surface of the milk-chocolate-topped cake, again moving from left to right in a zigzag pattern to create a free-form lattice of piped chocolate. Refrigerate the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the chocolate lattice.

Press the crushed almonds into the sides of the cake, coating it evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
To Serve

Heat the blade of a serrated slicer under hot running water and wipe the blade dry before making each slice. Serve immediately.

http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2000/december/chocolatecakes1.html

Julia's voice always reminded me of the cartoon hen whose only word was "Yeus". Senator Leghorn and that chicken hawk. What was that, anyway.

I am so sorry to hear about her passing. Hopefully it was as peaceful and painless as possible.

having said that.. hehe... I HAVE to point out... she ate butter,sweets,and fats all her life. She lived to a ripe age of 91. WHO SAYS delicious foods are dangerous? :-)

( im not being rude to her, I am actually in my twisted way giving her a ^5 for her cooking abilities )

shewolfnm
shewolfnm, I know, that's why I posted her birthday cake recipe. Full of the good stuff she loved.

Salude! Julia

BBB

She was probably not a trans fat eater....

I just loved Julia. She was so natural and fresh and unpretentious.

I read today that when someone asked her what her guilty pleasures were, she said, "I don't feel guilty".

She had such a genuine love of good food, and I learned how to be a much better cook watching her programs. I still rely on my copy of "Mastering The Art Of French Cooking". Her basic principle of always using the best quality, freshest ingredients is always in my mind no matter what I am making.

Although I preferred watching Julia solo, on her old programs, her pairing with Jacques Pepin was a delightful combination. I will never forget the program where they both made hamburgers, with Julia insisting that the best hamburgers were made from 80% fat chuck steak, and Jacques advocating a lower fat version. Julia chomped down on her finished burger with great gusto and pleasure--the sort of enjoyment of food and life and pleasure she always conveyed.

I am glad she was blessed with a long life. I will miss her, but I am sure she is looking down on us, glass of wine in hand, and saying, "Bon Appetit!".

Bon appetit to Julia from me, too.








I tried and tried and tried to add some photos from Julia at the smithsonian and so on, sent by a pal, but I can't seem to make the leap sans the right urls.

It was from him I learned early today of her death, and from him I saw him point out her use of various kitchen equipment.

I am trying to remember what I first cooked from her books I and II. I can't answer that honestly, so I will have to be back after thinking about it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Times
August 14, 2004
APPRECIATIONS

Ms. Child Departs the Nation's Table
By FRANCIS X. CLINES

Even her wonderfully warbling voice seemed untelegenic. But, meal by meal across the decades, the authenticity of Julia Child glowed forth from the television screen to overpower any quibbles and doubts about the presence of such a marvelously honest woman who dared to show the nation that fine cooking could be plainly taught. "You're alone in your kitchen," Ms. Child famously ad-libbed once when she flipped the day's specialty out of reach and blithely slung it back into focus as an unplanned lesson for her viewers.

But she was hardly alone. Julia Child was mesmerizing on television, especially for viewers who had never boiled an egg but savored the odd, gangly grace of her delight in life's bounty.

Ms. Child died yesterday at the age of 91, after a 40-year career as a straightforward teacher of the intricacies and pleasures of French cooking. Hers was an achievement all the more remarkable for being done before the TV masses without a shred of pretension but always with artful, low-key precision. Viewers could cherish her confessional tidbits about real life as much as the sauces she whisked. She was believable even when she said red meat and gin could work together. Then again, an ordinary viewer could only marvel anew when some fancy-sounding recipe was attempted at home at her careful urging and actually turned out to be more edible than mysterious. And wine - how much does the wine industry owe to Ms. Child's firm hoisting of a glass to punctuate life's precious days as much as its complex dishes?

Julia Child played the cook, never the chef. Her days of study in Paris at the grand Cordon Bleu cooking school were never flashed as a credential; her proof was in the pudding. She was a celebrity despite herself, one worthy of an affectionate parody on "Saturday Night Live." "Bon appétit!" she'd always sign off. Au revoir, we can only reply, comforted that Julia Child is still around on her cooking show tapes.

Her final shows with Jacques Pépin are classics, not so much for the good food as for the blunt asides she uttered to the end. Ms. Child would grudgingly acknowledge that, yes, a butter substitute was a feasible ingredient in that day's dish, then always add, "But you'll be sorry."

My copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is dog-eared, soiled with food spots and otherwise worn out. I attribute going through it and cooking dishes to passing at London Cordon Bleu with little problem. There was a couple of time I did try to emulate Dan Ackroyd's spoof and had to call the parametics, however. I suppose it couldn't have been the Merlot.