I can’t cook.
That’s not a confession, it’s a fact. My friends know it, my husband learned it- even my dog shys away from the kitchen when I’m there.
I’m the person who brings the salad to pot-luck dinners. I’m the only one I know who foiled “No-Fail Fudge”-the goo was salvaged as chocolate icing for my mother’s cake. My sister-in-law took out a dental insurance policy when I offered to bake cookies for my nephew’s birthday party.
I would feel more confident building an additional room to my house, tracking a space shuttle for NASA or even straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa than preparing a simple meat-and-potatoes dinner for four. I once bought an expensive microwave oven thinking that might make a difference: I did learn how to set the timer, but I was only able to successfully use it to reheat coffee.
That’s when I started watching Julia Child on television. I won’t say she changed my life, but she did change my attitude.
It wasn’t so important that she studied cooking at the famous Cordon Bleu in Paris-it was her sincere appreciation of food that impressed me. Here was someone who could strip beef bourguignon and hollandaise sauce of their mystery and give them loads of personality instead. Julia lovingly coddled novice cooks through the frightening steps of preparing French cuisine the way she would coddle eggs or escargots. Not only that, she could wield a butcher knife with the gentleness of a surgeon and the power of a lumberjack.
Most of all, I admired Julia’s honesty. The day her souffle fell under the watchful eyes of millions of viewers during an early morning talk show, I stood up and cheered. Was she discouraged? Heck, no! Souffles fall-so do empires. The daring is in the doing!
Julia writes in her introduction to The French Chef Cookbook, “I would far prefer to have things happen on camera as they naturally do, such as the mousse refusing to leave the mold, the potatoes sticking to the skillet, the apple charlotte slowly collapsing. One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot.”
And such is the secret of life. Thanks for the reminder, Julia. Happy Birthday!
Stirring Up Some More Great Ideas
Eleven of America’s finest chefs extend invitations to their professional kitchens and reveal their techniques for creating such delicious and beautiful appetizers as shrimp remoulade, pepper oysters, empress mushrooms and other savory recipes.
Appetizers:
A Great Chefs Special
Wednesday, August 26, at 12:05 p.m. on 13
Poached pears stuffed with ice cream, strawberry crepes, chocolate and bourbon pecan cake-from unique inventions to tasty renditions of familiar sweets, 12 renowned American chefs demonstrate how to recreate their tempting confections.
Desserts:
A Great Chefs Special
Thursday, August 27, at 12:05 p.m. on 13
This taste-tempting presentation is the “master’s” course for home chefs who want to learn from eight culinary creators how to prepare some of the world’s most delectable desserts made with everyone’s favorite ingredient-chocolate!
The Chocolate Edition:
A Great Chefs Special
Friday, August 28, at 12:05 p.m. on 13
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