My Morning Chocolate

With the release of “Julie & Julia”, many of the food stories this week have some connection to Julia Child, Julie Powell, or Paris:

Decline of Home Cooking:  In this essay in The New York Times Magazine, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, uses Julia Child’s heyday, when she taught cooking technique using real ingredients instead of processed products on her television show and in her books, as a foil to what we have become today – a nation that does not cook at home anymore.   I agree with much of what Pollan has to say (I too would love to see some shows on the Food Network that teach technique instead of convenience) and his essay made Julia’s cooking show “The French Chef” seem joyful and useful, a celebration of food and cooking.  I’ve never seen the show and now I want to watch it.  But I also understand why many people don’t cook at home.  Food shopping and preparation takes time and is hard to fit into busy schedules.  If you don’t enjoy cooking, other activities will always come first.  Still, this is an interesting, albeit long, essay.

Julie Powell’s New Book:  An excerpt of Julie Powell’s new book, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession was in the Sunday edition of The Guardian, just in time for the release of “Julie & Julia”.  The premise:  Julie takes on an apprenticeship at Fleischer’s, a butcher shop, during a time when her marriage has its problems.  I thought I would be more interested in Julie’s butchering experience – as a former vegetarian who has recently begun eating meat here and there, I feel like I should try to butcher something someday to learn how my food gets to my plate – but, reading the excerpt, found myself fascinated with what has happened in her life since Julie & Julia. The Guardian article also includes a video of Julie butchering a lamb.  For me, it was helpful to have a visual as I got lost envisioning her experience while reading the excerpt (Julie is also engaging and likeable; it was fun to see her in real time as opposed to through the written word).  The book won’t be released until December 1^st, but can be preordered from Amazon.

Juila Child’s Crepes:  If you’ve already seen “Julie and Julia” and can’t wait to make a Julia Child recipe at home, Flo Braker, who taught a week of baking classes in Julia’s kitchen in the 1980’s, offers this recipe for Crepe Gateau – a variation of Julia’s crepe recipe – in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Food Blogger David Lebovitz:  Julia Child learned to cook in Paris so The Washington Post’s profile of David Lebovitz, an American who lives in Paris and blogs about food, fits well with this week’s theme.  Although I’ve heard of him and seen his blog mentioned before, I had never read it (read his blog here).  Lebovitz has some delicious-looking recipes – his last entry is for Lime Meringue Tart (I had Lime Bread Pudding for dessert last night – could this be a sign that I should become a regular reader?) and, scrolling down the page, there’s a recipe for Chocolate-Covered Salted Peanut Caramel Cups, made all the more tempting by amazing food photography – the chocolate looks thick, rich, and so shiny that the light reflects off of it.  I can’t wait to try this recipe – the miniature treats are perfect for my morning chocolate fix!  Lebovitz also has a new book, The Sweet Life in Paris.  From the reviews I’ve read, his amazing brownie recipe is worth the book’s price.