• “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun.” from My Life in France.
• “One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot.” from My Life in France.
• “Well, all I know is this—nothing you ever learn is really wasted, and will sometime be used.”  
• “The more you know, the more you can create. There’s no end to imagination in the kitchen.”
• “To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and a love of creating.” 
• We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life.”

Who said all these wonderful words?

Here’s a hint:

• “This is Julia Child, Bon appétit!“

Why Julia Child of course! And today we have a Julia Child inspired menu of classic French dishes (with recipes!) paired with three wines from Bordeaux, France.  

Julia Child, the ground breaking American Chef, was born in 1912 in Pasadena California, she changed the world by bringing French cuisine and culinary creations to anyone willing to work with her recipes and “learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot.” She did this through her cookbooks and her television show “The French Chef” which began nearly 60 years ago, with three pilots in 1962, and the show running for ten years from February 1963 until 1973. 

 

 

In this 1978 Saturday Night Live parody (above), Dan Ackroyd portrays the famously tall Julia Child– she was actually one inch taller than Ackroyd who stood 6’1. Julia evidently loved this sketch so much she shared it with friends at parties.

During World War II Child was even too tall to join the WACs (Women’s Army Corps) instead serving as a top-secret researcher working directly for the head of OSS, General William J. Donovan where she literally cooked up a shark repellant to keep curious sharks from setting off underwater explosives and which is still in use today!  It was during this time that she met her husband who was stationed in Paris for six years and where she learned to cook. 

This information about the shark repellant even made it into this rap battle between Julia Child and Gordon Ramsey where she roasts him–  quite well– and you’ll learn even more about her.

Julia Child Inspired Menu

• Raw Oysters 
• Julia Child’s Inspired Charcuterie including brie, Comte, pate
• Julia Child’s Braised Short Ribs adapted to the Instant Pot 
• Julia Child’s Clafoutis adapted for Elderberries and Blue Berries 

Three Wine from Bordeaux 

• 2019 Dourthe La Grande Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux
• 2017  Chateau des Arroucats 
• 2018 Petit Verdot by Belle-Vue

 

2019 Dourthe La Grande Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux
ABV 12.5% 
SRP
sample

While Julia Child is famous for using every dish in the kitchen and slathering everything with butter, she’s also famous for saying “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” Hence this course with fresh local oysters … and fresh sushi we bought! 

Color: Pale yellow, chiffon.

Nose: Gooseberry, grass, pink grapefruit, swampy, mossy mud.

Palate: Lemon, grapefruit, sea grass, a hint of mint, mineral finish. 

Pairing: With oysters, it leaves a pleasant cucumber melon lingering finish. And while sushi might not be French, when I paired this wine with sushi I found it pairs well with sushi, too.

2017  Chateau des Arroucats
ABV 13.5% 
SRP
sample

While this is considered a sweet wine, it has aplenty of acidity ti allow it to wrk well with food. 

Appearance: Very golden, buttercup, daffodil, yellow gold, not amber. 

Aroma: Petrol, honey, honeysuckle, bee pollen, orange blossom.

Palate: Very sweet, apricot pith, honey, pollens, candied orange peel, hint of cooking sage, tangy tartness. 

Pairing: Great companion for a dessert cheese plate. Terrific with Comte bringing out the nutty complexity in the cheese. The wine makes the creamy brie taste like a dessert. Rich and rich, the pate and the wine are divine, loving the spices in the pate. Yin and yang with the blue cheese, the salty and the sweet work so well together. With the oyster, there is a sweet cucumber profile, or even cantaloupe. Because of the acidity in this wine even though it is sweet it is so versatile, With the clafoutis dessert there is a honey sweetness between the two. Because of the wine, you can taste the vanilla, the fruit is enhanced, as well as the sweetness. If you want to top the dessert with anything, a little fresh whipped cream would be nice, other than that the food and wine need nothing else to make each other shine. 

2018 Petit Verdot by Belle-Vue
ABV 14.5% 
SRP
sample

Unusual for a r ed wine fromBordeaux, this is not a blend. 

Appearance: Dark and dense ruby, fushia rim, brilliant color, a lot of blue, on the purple side. 

Aroma: Ripe blue fruit, menthol, leather, earthen, toasted oak, sweet vanilla, toasted bread, baking spices, first floor, a bit of the French funk. 

Palate: Dry and tannic, blue fruit, “where’s the food, this is not a cocktail wine. 

Pairing: If you have a cheese plate and this wine, don’t forget the Comte; it is a perfect companion for the wine. The wine brings out the nutty flavors of the cheese and the cheese brings out the fruit in the wine. I really don’t care much for short ribs, but if I am going to have them, I want them prepared this way. This is a stellar recipe for short ribs (will add ASAP!). They also work quite nicely with the wine. Without the food, the wine is dry and tannic, the rich fatty food tames this tannic beast leaving a rich velvety finish of fantastic fruit and earth on the palate. Great with the sautéed mushrooms and chard which work well with the earthen characteristics of the wine. While you would not normally pair a deep dark dry red with a dessert, this wine with the clafoutis is a fantastic  pairing, the blue fruit in the dessert is perfect with this wine. The dessert is not too sweet and brings out nice fruit in the wine. Sue said she would serve this to guests, then I imagined shaved dark chocolate over the top with the wine. 

Who else wrote what about this topic? Check out their articles: 

• Host Cindy Rynning of Grape Experiences is recreating Julia’s first meal in France with Dîner Ce Soir: Sole Meuniere à la Julia Child and La Perrière Blanc Fumé de Pouilly 2018.
• Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm tempts with Supremes de Volaille a l’Ecossaise and a Chardonnay from Burgundy.
• Terri Steffes of Our Good Life pairs A Julia Child Omelet and Meyer-Fonne Riesling.
• Jane Niemeyer of Always Ravenous presents Coq au Vin à la Julia Child and Savigny-Lès Beaune Pinot Noir.
• Nicole Hudson of Somm’s Table surprises with Julia’s Rôti de Porc Grand’ Mère and Couvent des Thorins Moulin-à-Vent.
• Gwendolyn Alley of Wine Predator entices with Julia Child’s Braised Short Ribs with a Bordeaux Petit Verdot.
• Camilla Mann of Culinary Adventures with Camilla embraces La Vie en Rose with Pink Apples and Pink Bubbles: Tarte Tatin + JCB No. 69 Brut Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne.

 

Check out the Saturday Oct. 14 twitter chat by searching for #Winophiles.

Join the Winophiles in 2021! Here are themes from past months and looking forward:

• January: Sweet Bordeaux 
• February: Provence  
• March: West Coast Bordeaux Blends with Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
• April: Organic Loire, The Garden of France | Hosted by Sue and I!
  
• May: Chablis | Hosted by Jill Barth
• June: Maury | Hosted by Lynn Gowdy
• July: Alsace | hosted by Rupal Desai Shankar
• August: Jura | Hosted by Payal Vora
• September: Cotes du Rhone 
• October: Julia Child meals + French wine
• November: Affordable Bordeaux for the Holidays (we’re doing cremant from Bordeaux!)
• December: Crémant from All Around France