Happy 100th Birthday Julia Child

Dear Julia:

Happy 100th birthday! When I reflect on your many wonderful qualities, what I think stands out most for me is how tenacious you were about fulfilling your desire to learn how to cook. To leap into a program as demanding as that of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris is not for the faint of heart - killing lobsters, trussing chickens, deboning ducks. You seemed so unfazed by all the hard work required to complete the program.

So when I was invited on a lunch date this past Wednesday, and was left with the responsibility of choosing the dining destination, I jumped at the chance to celebrate your big day with friends at Le Cordon Bleu right here in Ottawa. Lucky us.

I so wanted to sit out on the large, stone terrace with a view of the magnificent fountain across the road in Strathcona Park. The weather co-operated. It was sunny and a warm 25ºC.

The wait staff doted on us. At times there seemed to be more of them than us. The cutlery was shuffled or replaced according to protocol as we moved our way through our 3-course meal. The white linens added an elegant touch. With all the hipster, humble, honest eating going on in town now, it's hard to even get a comfortable seat. But our setting was definitely a place where you can linger.

The soft, plush homemade bread was swaddled in white linen too.

I was not the lunch organizer, but my three table mates were happy to heap praise on me for making the actual dining choice. I am not sure they even knew it was your birthday on Wednesday, let alone a centenary. But they did speak of you fondly too. No doubt they were feeling a bit wowed by it all. I have to say, at one point, I did feel kind of genius, as it was all going so swimmingly.

Alas, I had hoped that Le Cordon Bleu had fussed just a wee bit about your big day. After all, aren't you likely their most famous alumnus? For sure, you should be given a nod for being such an able ambassador of French cuisine and introducing French culinary techniques to the home chef. For them, this day was business as usual.

You were a strong influence on your fellow Americans, but there are many north of the 49th parallel that also embraced your joie de vivre in the kitchen. Your friend, Marion Kane, now former food editor for the Toronto Star, heaps praise on you all the time. I remember fondly, as a child, watching your television show, The French Chef. To tell you the truth, I think it was that special lilt to your voice that kept me watching.

I am constantly struck by the juxtaposition of your demand for perfection and the way you seem to just roll with any calamity that comes your way. What a marvelous balance in appreciating the human condition.

I digress. Let me tell you about lunch. As I mentioned, it was a 3-course meal. And probably the best deal in town. It's only $26 for the lunch and they heap all that 'lovely' on you too as they take you into their care. I have been for dinner but it is the lunch that I much prefer.

There is a choice for the starter and main. I so predictably go for fish or seafood when I dine out, but this time I decided to make choices that were all Julia. First the soup, and then the duck. Here is what the lunch menu offered this week.

Seared salmon sashimi salad, arugula, Ponzu vinaigrette
or
Classic potato and leek soup, double smoked bacon foam, crispy leeks
• • •
Confit duck leg, white bean cassoulet, seasonal vegetables
or
Atlantic cod, clams, chowder
• • •
Red wine poached pear, chocolate cremeux, orange foam

It was all delicious. And what a pile of calories! Maybe you can tell that from the pictures of my lunch.


[Classic potato and leek soup, double smoked bacon foam, crispy leeks]


[Confit duck leg, white bean cassoulet, seasonal vegetables]


[Red wine poached pear, chocolate cremeux, orange foam]



It was a subtle celebration perhaps. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The evening rounded out with yet another viewing of the well-known 2009 movie, Julie and Julia. There has been a proliferation of food bloggers over the past decade and the world is now chock-full of Julie's, but there is still only one Julia.

Happy Birthday, Dearie!

[Disclosure: I have done work for Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa in the past, not associated with the dining room. I was a paying restaurant guest, like any other on Wednesday. If I had not enjoyed my experience at lunch, I would have remained silent.]

Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures
453 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
613.236.2499

Website: www.signaturesrestaurant.com
Twitter: cordonbleuott
Facebook: Le Cordon Bleu Bistro at Signatures Restaurant in Ottawa

King Louis XV’s Soupe à L'oignon Gratinée

Although the onion dates back to 3500 BC, legend has it that French onion soup was first made by King Louis XV of France, in the 1700’s. One night, with only onions, butter and champagne available in his sparse kitchen at the hunting lodge, he experimented with making a ‘stew’. Without King Louis’ hunger pang I wonder how long we would have waited before someone else invented this spectacular concoction!

Onion soup has actually been referred to as peasant food because onions have always been so cheap and widely available. It wasn’t typically made with champagne though! Water would have been used for the broth.

The dish regained popularity in North America in the 1960’s with the exploding interest in French cuisine. Probably due in part to the influence of American chef, author and television personality, Julia Child. It is said that she had French onion soup at her last meal before she died.

One of the most important steps in making French onion soup is to create a 'fond'. This is the brown bits on the bottom of the pot that forms when the sugars in the onions break down as they caramelize.

I like King Louis XV’s luxurious contribution to this French classic and so when I made my most recent batch at the beginning of this week, I reached for the bubbly! He was right. Definitely a soup fit for a king.

Here is my take on the french classic.

King Louis XV’s Soupe à L'oignon Gratinée
Adapted from recipes by King Louis XV of France, Julia Child, Cook's Illustrated and just about every other 'expert' on French Onion Soup over the past 300+ years.

Serves 6.

8 cups of sliced yellow onions
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup champagne or prosecco
7 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
baguette slices, ½-inch thick
2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (approx. 4 tablespoons per bowl)
6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (approx. 1 tablespoon per bowl)
6 tablespoons Mozzarella cheese (approx. 1 tablespoon per bowl)

Cut onions in half length-wise and then thinly slice each half. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. This process is called ‘sweating’. It is key to release the onion’s excess moisture before beginning the caramelization process.

Stir in sugar and salt. Cook slowly stirring frequently, until onions are a deep, rich caramel brown. This can take at least an hour for complex aromatic flavours. As the ‘fond’ forms on the bottom of the pot, watch that the onions do not over caramelize. You can add some water to deglaze and even out the colour as you continue to strive for a deep dark brown. You may find that you need to adjust the heat up and down as you work this part of the process.



Add the flour and stir. Cook for a few minutes so the flour is no longer raw.

Add in your champagne (or prosecco) and bring to a boil. Then add your beef broth, bay leaf, and sprigs of fresh thyme. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the 5 thyme sprig twigs.

Taste, and adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.

Baguette slices can be toasted at 400ºF for 10 minutes to make them dry, crisp and lightly brown.

Ladle soup into French onion soup bowls (or oven-proof bowls). Cover surface area with baguette slices. Cover toasts with Gruyère, mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Place under broiler until cheese has melted and is lightly browned.



TIPS:
Letting the soup broth sit for a day allows the flavours to mature together.

If you do not have homemade beef stock, consider the beef stock made at the Glebe Meat Market on Bank Street. If you do use the beef stock in the tetrapak, reach for low-sodium.

The soup broth does freeze well.