Happy Birthday, Julia

The great lady and doyenne of American cooking, Julia Child, would have been 100 today.

MAFC - I found this in a charity shop

I was first made aware of Julia Child when my favourite 'cooking aunt' gave me Volume 1 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking as an engagement present. Newly married, I decided to randomnly make the beef bourgignon. My new husband thought that all our meals were going to be as good as my first efforts making his favourite dish. After that, I cooked a lot from these books and it really was as if she was there as a helping hand, teaching me and instilling a delight in how food was meant to be cooked correctly.

Fast foward a few years, a few moves (of country) and my beloved Volume 1 was stored away. Then, a couple of years ago I was browsing through a second-hand/charity shop for any good cookbook finds. Can you imagine how I felt when I suddenly saw on the shelf in front of me, a boxed set of original Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Can you imagine???? My heart started thumping. I couldn't believe it. In almost perfect condition (save one page which had obviously had hot butter splattered across two pages) I took down the box and promptly went and paid a mere £10 for them. What a bargain!!!!

I continue to cook from these books today, and still learn from Julia's timeless instructions and attention to detail. She wanted to know how and why things happened with food. She was a girl after my own heart.

Happy Birthday, Julia.