Happy Birthday, Julia!

I understand there are entire cable channels given over to food and cooking shows these days, but when I was a kid, there were just two such shows on television—The Galloping Gourmet and Cooking with Julia—plus an occasional reality show in our neighbor’s kitchen, where gourmet delights were prepared accompanied by nips of the cooking sherry, in emulation of both Julia Child and Graham Kerr. But that’s another story . . .

Julia Child was the sine qua non of television cooks, and she was out there on UHF, on the public television station. But her shows weren't quite like anything else on educational TV, though they were certainly educational. They were also manic, fun, and endlessly entertaining. I have to admit I’ve never seen one of the modern shows, but I have heard of a few of the cooks, and as talented and TV-ready as they might be, well, they just aren’t Julia Child. What other TV cook has been impersonated by Dan Ackroyd? Or had a movie made about her inspirational cookbook that put Meryl Streep in her shoes? Even today's Google doodle pays homage to her. The lady was and is a classic, there’s no doubt.

Let’s celebrate Julia Child’s 100th birthday today by preparing a delightful French vegetable dish. You might be surprised how much attention she paid to vegetables, even the lowly turnip and parsnip. Mastering the Art of French Cooking is full of lovely ideas on how to prepare produce, sometimes very simply. And there’s just something about successfully navigating a Julia Child recipe that really gives one a sense of accomplishment (as Julia might say).

If you happen to have a copy of the book, break it open and look for a recipe to try in honor of her centennial. If you don’t own the cookbook, you might be surprised how easy it is to find some of the recipes—or at least recipes that are homages to Julia’s classics—on the Internet. Here are a few examples; just click on each to go to the online recipe:

Cucumber Gratin (inspired by Julia’s Baked Cucumber recipe)

Leek and Potato Soup (it only has four ingredients!)

Eggplant Persilade (again, simplicity itself—only five ingredients but delicious together)

And the New York Times has a selection of recipes from one of the world’s most famous cookbooks (and cooks) that, as they say “the home cook still makes” that I know I’m going to look into!

Happy 100th Birthday, Julia. We’ll all chop and sauté a bit of locally sourced produce in your honor—now where’s that cooking sherry?