Crême Fraîche

Many French recipes call for crême fraîche, but it can be expensive in the U.S. Here's a recipe from Cuisine At Home.

Mix 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup buttermilk, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Cover and let sit at room temperature 6-8 hours, then refrigerate. Use when thick.

delight in feeding others...

Pamela shared this good quote with me today:

"My two aunts live in small modest homes with tiny kitchens always ready to serve whoever drops by...their generosity and genuine delight in feeding others prove my theory that the more modest and impractical the kitchen, the more likely one will be to stay for a meal."

(Firoozeh Dumas, Funny in Farsi)

What you eat...

In 1825, the French philosopher and gourmand Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” What do you think? Does your food selection reflect who you are?

Cooking Quotes

"I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with variation" -Madame Benoit

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." -Harriet Van Horne

"A good meal makes a man feel more charitable toward the world than any sermon." -Arthur Pendenys

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Just read this article from the NY Times. Pretty amazing that Mastering the Art of French Cooking is at the top of the best seller list... 48 years after it was originally published! I saw a copy of Simca's Cuisine (the cookbook Simone Beck wrote after M.T.A.O.F.C.) today at Rhino Used Books. I put it down for a minute and someone else bought it! What an influence Julia Child had... even beyond her lifetime!

Julia Child, chef extraordinaire

Doug and I saw Julie and Julia tonight... I loved it! What an inspiration! It just makes me want to DO something... as far as what to do... still trying to figure that part out. Write a French cookbook- no, that's been done... blog about French cooking- no, that's been done, too. Well until I've discovered my dream, here are a couple videos from The French Chef just for fun...

One more Julia thought...

"Nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should. Good results require that one take time and care. If one doesn't use the freshest ingredients or read the whole recipe before starting, and if one rushes through the cooking, the result will be an inferior taste and texture... But a careful approach will result in a magnificent burst of flavor, a thoroughly satisfying meal, perhaps even a life-changing experience." -Julia Child, My Life in France

Another thought from Julia...

"One of the secrets, and pleasures, of cooking is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear if it cannot be fixed." -Julia Child, My Life in France

Learn from mistakes

another Julia Child quote:

"Of course, I made many boo-boos.  At first this broke my heart, but then I came to understand that learning how to fix one's mistakes, or live with them, was an important part of becoming a cook.  I was beginning to feel la cuisine bourgeoise in my hands, my stomach, my soul."

Don't apologize!

I'm currently reading Julia Child's My Life In France... came across this quote and particularly liked it:

"I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make.  When ones' hostess starts in with self-depreciations such as "Oh, I don't know how to cook...," or "Poor little me...," or "This may taste awful...," it is so dreadful to have to reassure her that everything is delicious and fine, whether it is or not.  Besides, such admissions only draw attentions to one's shortcomings (or self-perceived short-comings), and make the other person think, "Yes, you're right, this really is an awful meal!"  Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed-- eh bien, tant pis!"

So there you have it- don't apologize for your cooking!  

je m'appelle freezer gourmet

After 5 successful freezer-meal cooking parties, I have decided to start a blog dedicated to the concept of cooking healthy (and sometimes delicious but not so healthy) meals ahead of time... and other food-related fun.  Bon appetit!