If I was having an "imaginary dinner party" and inviting people who have fascinated me over time, living or dead, Julia Child would be on the list. (That is, assuming I'd have the confidence to serve food to the Queen of the Kitchen! Maybe it should be a pot luck.) So, when a Julia Child exhibit came to Jackson, Michigan, about a half hour from home, my friend Kate and I decided that this would be our "Holiday Experience" (in lieu of presents, more or less!) I'm so glad we went!
I devoured a diverse group of books in May! From Julia Child and the royals to some good mysteries and an endearing novel, it was a fine book month.
February was a wonderful month to curl up with a book and I curled up with a few good ones! The seven books I read took me from the France of Julia Child and M.F.K. Fisher to the village of Three Pines in Quebec; from the Illinois midwest to the cathedral town of Lafferton in the UK; the from wealthy homes of Paris to the farmland of Norfolk, and from war-torn London to England's Kent counry side. February's reads were well worth the time.
Then later in the day, I went to the funeral visitation of a woman who had been my grandfather's secretary in his insurance business in the 1940s and '50s. There aren't many people around who knew my grandfather, who died when I was about 10. I knew he thought the world of her, as did my mother, and remembered meeting her on a couple of occasions. I wanted to say goodbye to yet another link to my past. (The photos in this post are of my grandfather and various family, by the way.)
I was one of the first to arrive at the visitation and immediately met her daughter, who proceeded to tell me many things about her mother's experience working with my grandfather, as well as things related to the history of our city.
My visit showed me a man who gave women their due at a time when many didn't. Who recognized skill and talent regardless of gender. Who was a civic leader -- he was involved in so very much more than I ever knew.
And I loved the idea that in a sense, theirs was a love story -- not a romance. Edith had her own family and it was warm and close, and so did Grandpa (with Grandma, above, shortly before she died). But it was the love based on mutual respect, trust, companionship, camaraderie. And I loved that.
The dish plays heavily into Julie's story, as she cooks her way through Julia's book, and I had to try it!
1) Unless you are a serious cook and have all the "right pans for every occasion," plan on using every pan in your kitchen. (I didn't have a stove-to-oven casserole or the right size stove-to-oven anything, which meant I was going from skillet to baking dish and back again. Over and over!)
2) Allow adequate time. The dish calls for two-and-a-half hours in the oven after you've done all the prep work. Even with doing all the mise en place work, my ingredients in nice little bowls, carefully measured and ready to add at the appropriate time, it took me over an hour to prep it!
3) Read the ingredient list carefully. Small white onions are not the same as tiny onions (pearl onions). I discovered this the day before, fortunately. Good thing I didn't wait till New Year's Day!
I had to laugh -- Julie P. talked about her mother's experience serving this at a dinner -- it was always a hit. I thought "I hope the guests didn't have to look at the kitchen while eating." (Julia does offer a prepare-it-to-this point option in the book. Next time I'll do it the day before and try that one!)
