I was perusing through some of Julia Child’s great cookbooks last night and came upon her recipe for Basic Vinaigrette Dressing. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’m horrible at making salad dressing. If it extends beyond a good oil, a splash of lemon juice, and some salt, I’m afraid I tend to fail miserably. Inevitably it comes out too vinegary or just simply lacking in flavor. Salad dressing should be easy, right!? I can create a beautiful cassoulet, a lovely osso bucco, delicate homemade pasta, even fresh sushi. But a simple salad dressing? Not my forté. I usually pass the task on to Barnaby.

So, I’m turning a new leaf (pardon the salad pun), grabbing the oil and vinegar bottles by the <er> horns, and approaching this salad dressing business with a new attitude.

I..will..master..the..vinaigrette!

Who better than to show me the way than our friend Julia Child. I followed her Basic Vinaigrette recipe and minced scallions, mixed in some Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, some vinegar and lemon juice, a really good olive oil, and a few healthy cracks of fresh black pepper. I gave it all a little vroom! vroom! with the immersion blender and voilà, the perfect vinaigrette. Like Julia says, you can always add more vinegar or lemon but you can’t take it out. I spooned some into the salad bowl, added my just-snipped-from-the-garden baby lettuces, and gave it all a toss. A bit of lemon zest gave it a fresh snap of flavor.

I think Julia would have been proud.

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Categories:	Author • Chefs • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • French • Salads • Sauces • condiments	5 Comments
Tags:	Dijon • julia child • lemon • salad dressing • Salads • vinaigrette

Julia Child week continues at Foodista! Last night I prepared Julia’s appetizer of Mussels Marinated in Oil and Herbs. I was looking to cook something quick and delicious and slightly off the beaten path of weeknight dinners. If you are a shellfish fan like I am, you’ll love it. Fresh herbs, vermouth and sweet mussel meat creates one tasty dish! Although created as an appetizer, these herb-y mussels would be perfect added to a salad with some scallops or shrimp or just added to a light angel hair pasta.

Love mussels? Here are three other mussel recipes that I’m planning to make in the near future.
Sausage and Mussel Soup with Kale From imafoodblog

Cedar Planked Mussels From Steamy Kitchen Food Blog

Moules Fromage Bleu From Laura’s Best Recipes Blog

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • French • Herbs • Salads • Shellfish • Uncategorized • quick and easy	2 Comments
Tags:	appetizer • Herbs • julia child • mussels • Shellfish

Julia Child once said, “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” I reminded myself of that when I cooked her dish of Sautéed Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream. Definitely not a diet dish. But what the heck, it’s Julia Week (Day 6, in fact) and we’re here to celebrate some of her delicious creations! What’s a little cream gonna hurt?

I’ve included a link to the recipe below, but one of the things I love about Julia is how she instructs us to follow our culinary instincts. There’s really no need to measure out each and every ingredient (unless of course you’re baking), but instead follow your senses.  In fact, in her cookbook The Way to Cook her recipe basically goes like this, “While the chicken is cooking, sauté the mushrooms in butter, season with salt and pepper….deglaze the pan with wine….add the cream (never does she say how much)….add the mushrooms….put the chicken back in….baste, simmer and serve.”

I’m sure she would have had a few sips of wine in there too. Love her.

So that is precisely what I did. I sautéed the chicken in a bit of butter and olive oil in one pan, and the mushrooms in another. Then, I removed the chicken from the pan, dumped nearly all the fat, and deglazed the pan with some dry white wine. (I actually just dumped the contents of my wine glass in, then gave myself a refill. It’s what Julia would have done, right?) Back in went the mushrooms along with a good splash of cream – swirl, swirl, swirl – then the chicken was tossed in.

The result: creamy, rich, mushroomy goodness. No need to even open a cookbook. But it’s nice to see Julia’s face on the pages right there next to you.

For the complete recipe:

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Categories:	Chefs • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • French • Meat & Poultry	1 Comment
Tags:	chicken • cream • dinner • French • julia child • main dish • mushrooms • sauteing

Today is the 5th day of Julia Child Week at Foodista! There are so many delicious recipes, we really could go on for months! Looking through Julia Child’s recipes and watching her episodes, it’s clear to me that she wanted to take the fear and intimidation out of cooking. Her explanations are clear and well described. She offers excellent substitutions and make-ahead suggestions to help the busy cook. I can imagine hundreds of women watching Julia effortlessly create Caneton a’ l’ Orange or cook live lobsters like it was an every day occurrence and surely thinking to themselves okay, I can handle this, or at least some of it!

Cooking can be incredibly nerve racking and awkward when you are first starting out, but instead of tackling live lobsters or roasting whole ducks right off the bat, Julia has several other recipes that are far less intimidating to start out with. For example, nothing could be more simple than making Julia’s Roquefort cheese balls. Elegant, rich and delicious, especially paired with a nice red wine, it’s a recipe that is perfect for a potluck or a party, and although easy to make, they look and taste like you slaved half your day in the kitchen!

Bon Appetite!

Other inspirational recipes for Roquefort cheese appetizers you may be interested in trying:

A Roquefort cheese roll by Homesick Texan, a leek and Roquefort tart from Too Many Chefs or some Roquefort and wine pairing tips from Rhino Wino with a scrumptious recipe for Roquefort gougeres.

Photo by Kaytethinks

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Categories:	Cheese • Chefs • Cookbooks • Entertaining • French • Uncategorized • potluck	2 Comments
Tags:	appetizer • cheese balls • Entertaining • julia child • Party • Roquefort cheese balls

Today is the fourth day in our Week of Julia Child, and boy are we having fun! So many recipes, so little time! Inspired by all the beautiful berries in our farmers market I thought a recipe showcasing their deliciousness would be fitting.

One of my favorite things to serve with fresh seasonal fruit is Sabayon, a wine custard, and found the perfect, easy recipe in Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom. Just whisk some fresh eggs with sugar and Marsala and spoon this creamy goodness over those gorgeous berries. That’s it, no fuss. Sabayon can be served hot or cold, but in the summer I prefer it well chilled for a refreshing reprieve from the heat.

Click below for the recipe:

Above photo: danielP2008

Other great vehicles for berries, or simply yummy recipes:

FXCuisine.com shows you via video how to make a Proper French Crepe
A beautiful Summer Berry Tart from Cookies on Friday
And this lovely Berry Soup With Cake Croutons (yum!) from Chow Vegan

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Categories:	Cookbooks • French • desserts • eggs	1 Comment
Tags:	berries • custard • Dessert • julia child • marsala • recipe • sabayon • Sweets • wine custard • zabaione

It’s Day 3 in our Week of Julia Child and I thought, what better recipe to bring you on a glorious Sunday morning than one for Shirred Eggs. I love nothing more than having a leisurely breakfast or brunch on the weekend, something I definitely do not have time for during the week. In fact, I’m lucky if I squeeze in a bowl of cereal before I’m off to work (I know, bad habit).

Shirred eggs – or Oeufs sur le Plat or Oeufs Miroir if you want to dazzle your honey with your fancy French – is where an egg is broken into a small buttered dish, cooked partially on the stove, then quickly finished under the broiler. Like a poached egg, the result is a liquid yolk and whites that are softly set, yet tender. I love adding fresh herbs and cream for a beautiful, rich and tasty dish. Serve with a good toasted bread – buttered just so – and some fresh fruit. Maybe even a nice Mimosa.

Why not? It is the weekend after all! And we are celebrating Julia! Let’s give her a little toast.

Click below for this easy and delicious recipe:

Check out these other wonderful breakfast/brunch recipes:

A delicious Garden Breakfast of zucchini potato pancakes from Eat Close To Home
Try this version of Shirred Eggs with Salmon from French Cooking For Dummies
A lovely Creamy Mushroom & Onion Omelette from 80 Breakfasts

Above Photo by: SauceSupreme

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Categories:	French • breakfast • eggs	2 Comments
Tags:	breakfast • brunch • eggs • julia child • oeufs

Today is the second day in our Week of Julia (Child, that is!).

There is something special about fresh garden peas. Maybe it’s their shape, their natural sweetness or their delicate appearance in a dish of melted butter. Peas are high on my list of favorite foods. If there is one thing I am guilty of, it’s stealing peas right out my mother’s garden or any garden that I just happen to wander in to. I can’t help it. So when the season is right to cook with garden peas, I’m already looking for the butter. Julia Child’s recipe for buttered peas is a simple, “let the peas shine” for themselves recipe. She actually had three recipes for peas, depending on the size and the season from when the peas were gathered or purchased. This recipe is for the ripe garden and farmer market peas, should there be any left from walking from the garden into the house, or the farmer’s market to the car. Enjoy!

Other fantastic pea recipes found here:
Buttered Snow Peas by Group Recipes

Warm Buttered Pea, Potato, Herb and Prosciutto Salad by We are Never Full

Buttered Peas by CD Kitchen

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Categories:	Cookbooks • Cooking tips • French • Uncategorized • Vegetarian • Veggies	2 Comments
Tags:	buttered peas • buttered peas with mint • julia child • julia child week • pea • side dish

Julia Child’s birthday is right around the corner, as is the much-anticipated (at least to us food lovers) new film Julie & Julia. To take part in celebrating Julia’s life and her contributions to the culinary world, we thought it apropos to have a “Week of Julia” here on the Foodista blog. We’ll highlight some of our favorite Julia dishes, as well as some we think are just simply great dishes to cook at home – even if you don’t have a lot of time.

Oh, Julia taught us so much (and continues to do so through her books)! She began by showing us how to master the art of French cooking at home, which became the title of her first book aptly named Mastering The Art of French Cooking. She taught us that the more we know about food, the less mysterious it is, and the easier cooking becomes. As we all became more health conscious and more interested in knowing where our food comes from she continued to teach us the principles of good cooking. If you knew nothing about cooking, she’d teach you the basics to get you on your way; if you were a seasoned cook, she always had new ideas and ways of approaching a recipe. She taught us how to build on our culinary experiences, how to plan an excellent meal in half an hour, how eat in moderation (yes, a chef told us that!), and how to not fear food (try those escargot!)

So here’s to Julia, and here’s to a lovely week of wonderfully French recipes!

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Categories:	Chefs • French	6 Comments
Tags:	Chef • French • julia child • Julie & Julia

Nothing tops off a Summer Solstice dinner more perfectly than an apple tart. My friend’s mother, Val, made a simply divine one the other night, and I am still daydreaming about its goodness. I’m talking the-skies-opened-up-and-the-angels-sang good.

Although tarts seem like a relatively simple dessert, it’s the crust wherein lies the excruciating challenge. And to me, it’s the crust that’s the crucial ingredient. What you put on top – albeit delicious – is secondary. But Val, sweet Val, you nailed it! If crust making were an Olympic event you would win the Gold Medal. Perfectly browned; neither too thick nor too thin; and (here’s where the angels started singing) ever so light and flaky.

Mmm…mmm…mmm!

I asked her for her recipe, afraid that she wouldn’t divulge some secret family recipe, and she responded, “It’s Julia Child’s recipe. You can never go wrong with Julia.” Amen, sister.

And so I share the Queen’s recipe for Pâte Brisée Sucrée (Sweet Short Paste), which can be found in her must-have book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Sweet short paste is made exactly like regular short paste except that sugar is mixed into the flour before you begin.

For an 8- to 9-inch shell.

1 cup flour, scooped and leveled
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
4 to 4 1/2 tablespoons cold water

Directions for making short paste by hand: Place the flour in the bowl and mix in the sugar and salt. Add the butter and shortening and, with the tips of your fingers, rapidly rub them together with the dry ingredients until the fat is broken into bits the size of small oatmeal flakes. Do not overdo this step as the fat will be blended more thoroughly later.

Add the water and blend quickly with one hand, fingers held together and slightly cupped, as you rapidly gather the dough into a mass. Sprinkle up to 1 tablespoon more water by droplets over any unmassed remains and add them to the main body of the dough. Then press the dough firmly into a roughly shaped ball. It should just hold together and be pliable but not sticky.

Directions for making short paste in the food processor: Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl (equipped with the steel blade). Quarter the chilled butter lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/8-inch pieces; add to the flour along with the chilled shortening. Flick the machine on and off 4 or 5 times. Turn the machine on and pour in the water. Immediately flick the machine on and off several times, and the dough should begin to mass on the blade. If not, dribble in a little more water and repeat, repeating again if necessary. Dough is done when it has begun to mass; do not overmix it. Scrape the dough out onto your work surface and proceed to the fraisage.

The fraisage — or final blending — for handmade and machine dough: Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry board. With the heel of one hand, not the palm which is too warm, rapidly press the pastry by two-spoonful bits down on the board and away from you in a firm, quick smear of about 6 inches.

With a scraper or spatula, gather the dough again into a mass; knead it briefly into a fairly smooth round ball. Sprinkle it lightly with flour and wrap it in waxed paper. Either place the dough in the freezing compartment of the refrigerator for about 1 hour until it is firm but not congealed, or refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. (Uncooked pastry dough will keep for 2 to 3 days under refrigeration, or may be frozen for several weeks. Always wrap it airtight in waxed paper and a plastic bag.)

Rolling out the dough: Because of its high butter content, roll out the dough as quickly as possible, so that it will not soften and become difficult to handle. Place the dough on a lightly floured board or marble. If the dough is hard, beat it with the rolling pin to soften it. Then knead it briefly into a fairly flat circle. It should be just malleable enough to roll out without cracking.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Place rolling pin across center and roll the pin back and forth with firm but gentle pressure to start the dough moving. Then, with a firm, even stroke, and always rolling away from you, start just below the center of the dough and roll to within an inch of the far edge.

Lift dough and turn it at a slight angle.

Give it another roll. Continue lifting, turning and rolling and, as necessary, sprinkle the board and top of dough lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Roll it into a circle 1/8-inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than your pie pan or flan ring. If your circle is uneven, cut off a too-large portion, moisten the edge of the too-small portion with water, press the 2 pieces of pastry together and smooth them with your rolling pin.

The dough should be used as soon as it has been rolled out, so that it will not soften.

Making a pastry shell: Mold your pastry in a false-bottomed, straight-sided cake pan 1- to 1 1/2- inches deep and refrigerate.

(A French tart is straight sided and open-faced and stands supported only by its pastry shell.) When the shell is ready for unmolding, the pan is set over a jar and the false bottom frees the shell from the sides of the pan. It is then, with the aid of a long-bladed spatula, slid off its false bottom and onto a rack or the serving dish.

Prebaking the pastry shell: Partial baking sets the dough and is a safeguard against soggy bottom crusts. Line the pastry with buttered lightweight foil or buttered brown paper, press it will against the sides of the pastry and fill it with dried beans. The weight of the beans will hold the pastry against the mold during the baking. Bake at the middle of a preheated 400-degree oven for 8 to 9 minutes until pastry is set. Remove mold or foil and beans. Prick bottom of pastry with a fork to keep it from rising. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes more. When the shell is starting to color and just beginning to shrink from sides of mold, remove it from the oven.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • French • Sweets • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	apple tart • baking • cooking • Dessert • Food • foodista • julia child • pastry • pastry dough • pate brisee sucree • recipe • recipes • sweet short paste • tart crust • tarts