Chatting Books Online Day 15: So you’ve got a lot of time on your hands do you ? How about working on Mastering the Art of French Cooking ala Julie and Julia ? Today’s recommended book is the classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child . If you have ever seen the movie or read the book Julie and Julia then you know what I mean . Open this book and start cooking one thing from it everyday . I actually attempted this way back when I “retired” from my pharmaceutical career and long before opening the bookstore . I found myself suddenly with nothing to do everyday about the same time this movie came out . My husband and I went to see the movie one weekend and loved the idea so much we immediately went to a bookstore on the way home and bought a copy of this masterpiece. I did not make it through the entire book (made no aspics , and there are quite a few in the book, and didn’t debone the duck for instance ), but what I did learn has changed the way I cook still today . Once you learn to braise onions in white wine and butter for instance you will never just sweat or caramelize an onion before adding it to a recipe again . Same goes for Julia’s mushrooms - and I don’t even like mushrooms . So she doesn’t just teach you the big recipe but the little things that make any recipe better (did you know you should always wash and thoroughly dry meat before attempting to brown it or it won’t get properly crispy ?). Quite a few of the recipes have made in into my normal repertoire. For instance Julia’s Quiche Lorraine is a favorite at our house, as is her Boeuf Bourguinon, the way she steams lobster is delish , and another use for that bottle of vermouth in your bar , and her Lobster Thermidor is simply the best thing I have ever cooked, and so many more . This book is a treasure and taking the time to “master” her techniques may be just the thing to make this quarantine zip by. Besides which while cooking from a Julia Child cookbook it is practically a requirement that you also drink wine and talk in a funny voice so there’s that ....
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