It started with a movie. Last week the manly sweetheart and I took the MIL to see 'Julie and Julia', based on the book of the same title. She has been a Julia Child fan since the days of the tv show, and has owned a copy of 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' since 1967 or so. I too once owned a copy, though it didn't last long. It was the 2-volume boxed set, but after a brief investigation of the contents I sent it off to the thrift store. Call me young and foolish -- I was not very interested in 'fancy' cooking. I laugh now at the fact that, though I did get rid of the cookbooks, I actually saved the box it came in, thinking it would make a good drum for my piano students.
All three of us enjoyed the movie, and left the theatre with a vague yet powerful yearning for food made with lots of butter. Heck, I said, if Julie Powell can make Boeuf Bourguignone, I can make Boeuf Bourguignone. Borrowing the MIL's copy, I read the (multi-page) recipe and found I had just the perfect (according to JC) cut of meat in the freezer -- a nice package of (locally grass-fed) beef rump roast. The challenge was on!
I invited a few faithful friends -- the usual Sunday Dinner crowd, so what if it was Thursday -- and started cooking around 3:30 pm an hour later than I had planned. By the time I was ready to serve, almost 5 hours had passed, though that included not just the cooking but also a quick trip to the grocery store for a few vital ingredients, a trip out to the garden to pick beans, whipping up a batch of coconut macaroons for dessert and a fair bit of dish washing as I went along (Julia said I should).
I remembered to don the pearls just as the guests arrived, and voila! everyone agreed that le boeuf was tres bon!
Sounds amazing! Anything that involves meat, wine, a long cooking time and a French name - I'm there.
ReplyDeleteAnd you didn't invite me?! I would have driven all the way from Kansas for such a delicious meal! Ymmmmmmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteOh, lo lo!!! Magnifique, ma chere!!
ReplyDeleteWendy, I was actually surprised by how good it tasted. I don't care for the taste of wine, especially red wine, and I expected it to be terribly winey and sort of blegh (go ahead, call me a barbarian). But it somehow all merged and blended and mellowed to a tasty sauce that I yummed down along with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteJackie, we normally do Sunday Dinner on Sunday. So figure out how long it will take, and start driving. We eat around 7:30..... If I know for sure you are coming, I will make something special -- what do you like? I'm thinking the Flemish stew made with beer next week.
Barb, what can I say? You are my most enthusiastic eater and I'm glad I had an extra set of pearls for you to wear. Twinly solidarity!
A lovely meal!... The smiles tell a lot. ~bangchik
ReplyDelete