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Jacques and Julia are cooking once again
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
To some, she is a culinary legend. To others, she is a television pioneer. But Julia Child sees herself as "a good home cook."
"Once you know the basics, you can do anything," Child said modestly. "All you need is the desire. And the hungrier you are, the better you will be."
At 87, Child continues to churn out cooking advice with the same gusto she had when her first cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," was published in 1961. She has written nine more since then.
Now Child and Jacques Pepin have teamed up for a new PBS show, "Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home" (Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. on KCTS/9) and its companion cookbook of the same name (Alfred A. Knopf, 430 pages, $40).
Child said she appreciates her success.
"I didn't plan anything out," she said. ". . . Things happened, which is nice. I think if you plan it out, it won't happen. . . . I've had a good time all the time and it's been great fun.
"I'm so glad I'm in this business. You go to the best restaurants and meet the nicest people. Maybe if I was in the funeral director business or real estate, it wouldn't nearly be as much fun."
Cooking still presents challenges, Child said. She recalled eating a strawberry soufflé at Manhattan's La Grenouille restaurant that she successfully reproduced on television. At home, in her own kitchen, it was a different story. She tried 28 times before getting it right.
On their new show, Child and Pepin are both perfectionists but they don't always agree, which is the show's recipe for success.
"We had differing opinions. Of course my opinions were right. He's just a macho Frenchman," Child joked.
The series was filmed in the kitchen of Child's home in Cambridge, Mass. When she is there cooking for herself, Child might enjoy a dinner of plain roast chicken, salad and a baked potato "with plenty of butter on it."
And she always eats an egg for breakfast.
Guests often find themselves eating hamburgers in the kitchen.
"I always liked to ask people to my house first so they'd see we're simple people and not be intimidated. Whatever I was testing out that week is what my guests would get," Child said.
On a recent typically busy day, she was rushing from a Manhattan hotel to a limousine that would whisk her to the Food Network's studio for a taping of "Emeril Live" with chef Emeril Lagasse.
Her first stop was the studio's main kitchen, much to the delight of the young chefs who were chopping and slicing in preparation for the show. On the set, the audience gave her several standing ovations. After the show, Lagasse couldn't hide his enthusiasm.
"This is probably the most fantastic television cooking experience of my life. To have this legend that I watched and learned from in the '60s up there with me. . . . It was incredible," Lagasse gushed.
Jacques Pepin -- along with fellow chefs Alain Sailhac and André Soltner -- are the "Three Musketeers" of the kitchen.
Well, "more like the 'Three Stooges,'" quipped Pepin as his two friends surrounded him and giggled like schoolgirls. They were enjoying a dinner held in their honor at the French Culinary Institute.
The three share a close friendship -- and a love of the culinary arts.
"We are so lucky to do what we love and make a living out of it," said Pepin, 63, the author of 18 cookbooks.
"André is really the top chef in New York and Jacques is a superstar," said Sailhac, 63, who was executive chef at Le Cygne and Le Cirque. Sailhac is senior dean of studies at the French Culinary Institute. Soltner, 66, former chef-owner of Lutece, is master chef and senior lecturer. And Pepin, who was the executive chef of Le Pavillon, is dean of special programs.
Sailhac said he is "a little jealous" of his friends -- not because of their fame or cooking skills -- but because they are "wonderful men."
"I'd like to be just a little bit like them," he said.
The admiration is mutual.
"Alain and André are people with a sense of taste," Pepin said. "They understand that cooking is an expression of culture, an expression of more than food."
The culinary stars devote much of their time to teaching at the French Culinary Institute. "I've never seen professionals who work so hard," said institute founder Dorothy Cann Hamilton.
They never complain about long hours, she said. "And what a sense of humor they have!"
The three chefs, who speak in thick French accents, still look forward to getting into the kitchen each day. "The day someone doesn't cook with joy in his heart, they should forget it," Soltner said.
"We really get into a nervous fit if we don't cook for four or five days," added Pepin.
At the FCI tribute dinner, students prepared foie gras, bouillabaisse and veal roasted with wild mushrooms. The students weren't told the guest list included Child, Le Cirque 2000 owner Sirio Maccioni and food critic Mimi Sheraton of The New York Times.
But Pepin shares a secret: They are all among the easiest to please.
"We're gluttons. We'll eat anything you put in front of us."
Julia's Caesar Salad
To flavor the croutons, crush the garlic glove with the flat of a chef's knife, sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon salt and mince well. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on the garlic and mash again with the knife, rubbing and pressuring to make a soft puree.
Scrape the puree into the frying pan, add another tablespoon of oil and warm over low-medium heat. Add the croutons and toss for a minute or 2 to infuse them with the garlic oil, then remove from the heat. (For a milder garlic flavor, strain the puree through a small sieve into a pan before adding the extra oil and croutons. Discard the bits of garlic.)
To coddle the egg, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Pierce the large end of the egg with a pushpin to prevent cracking, then simmer it for exactly 1 minute.
Dress the salad just before serving. Have ready all the dressing ingredients and a salad fork and spoon for tossing.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the romaine leaves and toss to coat, lifting the leaves from the bottom and turning them toward you, so they tumble over like a wave. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, toss once or twice, then add the lemon juice and several drops of Worcestershire and toss again. Taste for seasoning, and add more if needed.
Crack the egg and drop it right on the romaine leaves, then toss to break it up and coat the leaves. Sprinkle on the cheese, toss briefly, then add the croutons (and the garlickly bits in the pan, if you wish) and toss for the last time, just to mix them into salad.
Arrange six or more leaves in a single layer on individual plates, scatter the croutons all around.
Serves three or four.
Jacque's variation: Julia's authentic Caesar salad is excellent, but I love the one my wife makes at home.
She mixes all the dressing ingredients together first -- oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, seasonings, chopped garlic, egg and anchovy fillets in little pieces -- and then tosses them with broken-up romaine leaves. And she tosses in some crumbled blue cheese, either Roquefort or Stilton, as well as Parmesan.
Jacques' Near-Nicoise Salad With Sautéed Fresh Tuna
Place the scallions, potato chunks, olives, onion, basil leaves and the tomato and egg wedges in the mixing bowl. Drizzle on about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, season with the rest of the salt and the black pepper, and toss briefly to coat. Add the mesclun or other salad greens to the bowl and toss again, gently.
Turn the salad out onto a dinner plate and arrange the chunky vegetable and egg pieces -- if they are hidden by the greens -- so they are nicely displayed. Lay the tuna slices on top of the mound of greens and drizzle the juices in the pan over the salad. Serve immediately.
Serves one or two.
Jacques' Vinaigrette in a Jar
Store in refrigerator up to two weeks, and shake before using.
Jacques' Onion Soup Gratinée
Stir in the hot stock, scraping any crystallized juices from the bottom of the pan, and bring the soup to the boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper or more to taste, and wine, if you like. (The amount of salt will vary, depending on the broth.) Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
The soup may be served plain or gratinéed, as follows:
To make croutons, toast a dozen or so baguette slices on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven, until crisp and starting to color, about 10 minutes.
When the soup is ready, arrange the individual crocks on the baking sheet. Put the croutons (whole or broken into large pieces) into the bottom of each crock, and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of cheese on top. Ladle in a cup or more of soup, to fill the crock to the inner rim (about 1/4 inch from the top). Heap a large mound of grated cheese all over the surface of the soup, using the rest of the cheese for each crock.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is dark golden brown and has formed a crust over the soup. Move the hot crocks carefully onto individual plates and serve.
Yields 6 cups.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In 1963, Child launched a PBS series, "The French Chef." She filmed 200 episodes of that series and has starred in at least five others over the past four decades.
Julia Child and Jacques Pepin bring their different perspectives and backgrounds to the kitchen in their new PBS show "Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home." They don't always agree on the details, but they share their love of cooking and bring a sense of humor to the table.
Julia's classic Caesar and Jacques' almost-version with bit of a twist
Recipes from the new cookbook "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home" (Alfred A. Knopf, 430 pages, $40):
Wash the romaine leaves carefully to keep them whole, roll them loosely in clean towels and keep refrigerated until serving time.
Cut the raw tuna into 1/3-inch-thick slices (about 4 or 5) and sprinkle with half the salt. Coat the bottom of the pan with a tablespoon or 2 of the vinaigrette and set over high heat. When sizzling, quickly lay all the tuna pieces flat in the pan and cook for about 20 seconds, until just opaque on the bottom. Flip the slices over and cook another 10 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat, allowing the tuna to finish cooking while you assemble the salad.
Put all the ingredients in a 12-ounce glass jar with a screw-top lid, screw on the lid and shake well. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more oil or vinegar as you like.
For each crock of onion soup gratinée
Set a heavy-bottomed 3- or 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the onions, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix together thoroughly. Cover the pan with lid and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions are quite tender, uncover and raise the heat slightly. Cook for another 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are dark brown and have caramelized in the pan. (Lower the heat if onions are in danger of burning.)
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