“You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.” – Julia Child
September 12, 2004
The Queen of Food, Ms. Julia Child, left this Earth a few weeks ago, Friday the 13th of August. Two days short of her 92nd birthday, the woman who taught everyone else in the world how to cook, passed quietly in her sleep in an assisted living facility in Montecito, California.
For over forty years she taught America the art of French cooking. Life before Julia was dull. Meat-and-potatoes was the common meal at dinnertime. French cuisine was something only the wealthy enjoyed and only French-trained chefs prepared the food.
Julia McWilliams was born in California in 1912. Until the age of 32, she sed she didn’t even know how to boil water; all she did was eat. But along came a fella by the name of Paul Child whom she met in 1944 while she was serving with the Office of Strategic Services in India. Paul was also with OSS. For Julia, he was the person who introduced her to the wonders of fine cuisine and good wine. They married in 1946.
When they returned to Washington D.C. after the war, Julia learned to cook to please her husband and to help him entertain in their large social circle. In 1948 the State Department assigned Paul as an exhibits officer with the U.S. Information Agency in France. All of a sudden the world of haute cuisine opened for Julia. She arrived in Paris with a new challenge: to learn the art of French cooking.
She soon became involved with two other women, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, through a cooking club they all belonged to. The two other women had written a French cookbook and encouraged Julia to do the same for Americans. The three women offered cooking classes to American women in Julia’s kitchen, calling the new school L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes. They created their own recipes designed to make cooking interesting, practical and foolproof for the housewife of the day who knew nothing about this new cuisine. These were to become the American guides to French cooking: exquisite, authentic, and simple.
Julia and Paul returned to the U.S. and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1961, after ten years of work, Knopf Publishing finally published the almost 800-page book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. And Julia was off and running, with radio and television appearances and the writing of many more books, a career that continued for almost forty years.
In 1981, Julia, along with Robert Mondavi (the wine guru) and Richard Graff, founded the American Institute of Wine and Food. That unique organization is one of today’s premier associations that promotes the love and knowledge of both wine and food. Julia once told Wine Spectator magazine, “I’m about feeding the soul.”
Robert Mondavi, proprietor of Robert Mondavi Vineyards, is certainly well known in the California wine industry.
The lesser-known Groff, early in his career in the 1960s, was a visionary who saw the potential for greatness of California wine as expressed through the winery he nurtured and developed, Chalone Vineyard.
To me, Julia Child exemplified the best in teaching cooking: eat what you like and enjoy the food. I remember at age 90 Julia continued to tell the world that there was nothing better than red meat, and there was no better red meat than a rare hamburger. Amen, Julia, and bon appétit.
ON THE SUBJECT OF FRENCH COOKING, no one in Denver does it better than Le Central. Located at 112 East 8th Avenue (303/863-8094; www.lecentral.com) for almost 25 years. The primary physical change has been the addition of the sun-drenched patio. Other than that, old-timers may notice the absence of the hand-written chalkboard that adorned the walls for many years, now replaced by a computer-printed daily menu.
I’ve known Robert Tournier for over thirty years, since the days of La Chaumier, one of the finest restaurants in Colorado’s history. Those were the days that Robert, his brother, Jean Paul and Jean Paul’s wife operated the tiny French eatery in Pinewood Springs that survived only a few years, but where I’ve hat some of my most memorable meals. It was also where I had my introduction to the finest cognacs, armagnacs, and some mean ass Calvados.
But that was the old days. Robert opened Le Central in 1981. And since almost the first day it has been extremely popular. Billed as the “Affordable French Restaurant”, it has always been that. Perhaps almost too affordable, cuz I worry that he isn’t making enuf profit to sustain the restaurant. But I guess after 23 years he’s doing ok.
G has been going there a lot with our perfect granddaughter, Emma, while “Pa” is outta town or working late. She likes to “adult-sit”. Once in a rare while they allow me the privilege of going with them. Last week they allowed “Pa” and Emma’s sister, Harper, to accompany them to dinner.
When G and Emma go alone, dinner is pretty much a routine. They share a Caesar’s salad with extra anchovies (for Emma), a large bowl of mussels, and several baskets of French bread. In case you’re curious, Emma is 3 ¾ yrs of age. But they’ve been dining at Le Central since Emma was barely two. I told you the kid was perfect. Oh, I’m not supposed to refer to her as anything other than “princess”. And she is all of that.
Harper, on the other hand, is not the adventurous eater that Emma is. Ceptin’ for dessert. If it costs over $5, Harper wants it. If it has whipped cream on it, Harper wants it. If it contains more than 500 calories, Harper wants it.
On the aforementioned recent visit by the four of us, G and Emma shared their usual. I started with a Salade d’Agneau ($8.95), slices of Thai-seasoned leg of lamb served on a ginger, spinach, Mizuna greens and cilantro salad with curry vinaigrette. Oh, my. I mention the price cuz this was for many, dinner. There was as much maavelous medium rare leg of lamb as in most entrées.
For my entrée I had the Canard aux Poires ($14.95), half a roasted duckling topped with spiced pear chutney and a (large) dollop of cinnamon and orange crème fraiche. More food than I could finish.
Harper had french fries and whipped cream. Not together, of course. How good would that be? Harper had the french fries with bread and butter. No it was butter with some bread underneath. She does like butter. Then, while the rest of us started dinner, I asked for the dessert menu, knowing that Harper would want something from Le Central’s huge selection. Probably the biggest dessert selection in town. I opted for the chocolate mousse for Harper, but noticed no mention of whipped cream. So I asked our wonderful W, who told me that none of the desserts came with whipped cream. This was of course contrary to the typical restaurant that forces the low cost spritz of the canned stuff, gives you a dollop of mousse, and then rips you for $6.50 for dessert. Here, a large dish of chocolate mousse, all by itself, goes for $3.25. Yes, I sed three dollars and a quarter! And there is none better in town.
The W came back from the kitchen and told me that the chef would gladly whip up (I couldn’t resist that pun) some whipped cream for Harper, and soon a large bowl of whipped cream came alongside the bowl of chocolate mousse. Harper ate all the whipped cream, I got the mousse. G and Emma passed on dessert.
You gotta check out their website. While the entire menu is fantastic, the pictures of the desserts alone will drive you up the wall. Bon Appetit! Oh, if you run into my daughter, Camille, don’t tell her about Harper and the whipped cream. That’s like a no-no.
Cya.