Recipes and Recommendations for Imbibing Beauty through Books and Beverages
By Annie Nardone
Pages, Pints, and Pours greets the autumn feasting season with the personal letters of the Grande Dame of French cookery. Get inspired as you sip an upside martini or a French mocktini.
THE PAGES: AS ALWAYS, JULIA: THE LETTERS OF JULIA CHILD & AVIS DEVOTO, EDITED BY JOAN REARDON
“81 Rue de L’Université, Paris, 7
March 8, 1952
Dear Mr. de Voto:
Your able diatribe against the beautiful-beautiful-rust-proof-edge-proof American kitchen knife so went to my heart that I cannot refrain from sending you this nice little French model as a token of my appreciation.”
—Julia Child, As Always, Julia
So begins the backstory of Julia Child’s first cookbook with this letter of admiration to American journalist and historian, Bernard DeVoto. He had just penned an essay for Harper’s magazine on America’s lack of decent cutlery; Julia, who resided in Paris, was inspired to respond. DeVoto’s wife, Avis, replied to Julia’s letter and the women soon became dear friends via their long-distance Paris-Massachusetts correspondence. As Always, Julia is an inspiring collection of the letters dated 1952-1961.
Julia mentions to Avis DeVoto that she has formed a small cooking school with two French women, with a focus on “teaching the fundamentals of French cooking to Americans,” as well as writing a cookbook series together. Avis tells Julia that she simply must submit the manuscript to her husband’s publisher. The vast majority of letters record the joys and agonies of bringing her cookbook. Mastering the Art of French Cooking, from rough manuscript to final publishing at Knopf. Child’s experiences are especially insightful and encouraging for any reader who hopes to publish a book at some point.
The correspondence reveals the fascinating evolution behind Julia’s famous culinary masterpiece, published in 1961. But the sheer delight of this book is found in the details. Have pen and paper at hand as you read because the letters are embedded with culinary techniques and recipes. (Julia shares her advice on how to scramble eggs properly, “almost like a Hollandaise,” to a custard texture.) And of course, she uses dozens of French cooking terms. She extolls the benefits of prepping and freezing packets of mirepoix, a foundational base in French cooking consisting of chopped and sauteed onions, carrots, and celery. Julia asserts that through her own trials and errors for the book, “quenelles (poached, creamed fish dumplings) are at last to be the food of the masses.”
These candid letters are seasoned with 1950s culture and strong political opinions on Dwight Eisenhower, Adelai Stevenson, and the Kennedys. At times delightfully gossipy with the latest on the Ivy League life, conversation often quickly shifts to food. Avis touts the benefit of sprinkling MSG (the newest fad) on most of your food to boost flavors, and confesses that “until Pepperidge Farm bread appeared on the market I made all my own bread.” Julia praises the classic cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, admitting that “I adore it. . . . We all have copies of Mrs. Joy.” They debates frozen vs. canned produce and herbs, and share copious clarifications on terminology.
As Always, Julia is a feast for a foodie’s heart. What could be better than reading over the shoulder of one of history’s greatest cooks as she writes and edits one of the greatest cookbooks of all time? By the way, the first edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking from 1961 will set you back several hundred dollars, but the reissue of Volume 1 from 1983 is wonderful, with Julia’s personal commentary on updated techniques. (There is a later Volume 2 with additional recipes.) I recommend an affordable used copy of this timeless gem to pair with this month’s book.
“To La Belle France whose peasants, fishermen, housewives, and princes—not to mention her chefs—through generations of inventive and loving concentration have created one of the world’s great arts.”
—Julia Child, book dedication for Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 1961
PINTS AND POURS
Pair your reading with a glass of white burgundy, Julia’s favorite wine, or her favorite martini. The proportions might seem odd, but dry vermouth straight over ice is a favorite summer beverage in Europe. Remember to chill a martini or coupe glass in the freezer while you prepare these drinks.
Julia’s Upside down martini
7½ tbsp dry vermouth
1½ tbsp dry gin (or vodka, if you prefer)
Martini olive for garnish
Pour vermouth and gin into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds or so, then strain into the chilled glass. Add an olive or two and serve immediately.
Make this a dirty martini by adding a tablespoon of olive brine to the vermouth and gin, then shake and strain into chilled glass.
FRENCH 75 MOCKTINI
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 dashes orange bitters
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
2 6 oz bottles Fever Tree (or similar high quality) tonic water
Fill cocktail shaker with ice, then add the lemon juice, bitters, and sugar. Shake until frosty cold, then strain into two chilled martini glasses. Slowly pour tonic into the lemon mixture to fill. Garnish with thin strip of lemon peel.
Annie Nardone is a lifelong bibliophile with a special devotion to the Inklings and medieval authors. She is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute and holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University. Annie is a writer for Cultivating Oaks Press and An Unexpected Journal. Her writing can also be found at Square Halo Press, Rabbit Room Press, Clarendon Press U.K., Calla Press, and Poetica. Annie is a Master Teacher with HSLDA and Kepler Education and strives to help her students see holiness in everyday life and art. She lives in Florida with her husband and six cats, appreciates the perfect cup of tea, an expansive library, and the beach with family.
[All quotes from As Always, Julia-The Letters of Julia Child & Avis Devoto edited by Joan Reardon, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.]
Header Image: Julia in her kitchen in Cambridge, MA circa 1980s. Photo credit: Jim Scherer
