A few weeks ago Christian and I went to see
Julie and Julia. We enjoyed it, or at least we enjoyed the Julia Child part of the story (A+ to Meryl Streep, C+ to Amy Adams). Anyway, a wonderful thing has happened because of that movie: Christian has found the buried desire to cook again, and I mean cook without me in the kitchen. He even does the shopping for all the ingredients and makes a noticeable dent in our grocery budget (who would have thought saffron would cost $18 for a tiny envelope of the stuff?). This lovely occurrence happens only on Sunday evenings, but I absolutely LOVE it. I am in heaven - delectable smells come from the stove as I nap, and viola! dinner is served without me lifting a finger. I have to say, I'm glad Julia Child wasn't familiar with a crock pot at the time because it seems to taste better doing it all in the oven. He is, however only on his third Sunday and hasn't quite grasped the idea that a meal is more than just a main dish.
That said, I'll be the last to complain. Who can pass up melt-in-your-mouth porterhouse steaks seared in butter with Madeira sauce drizzled over the top? That one is called "biftek sautee." Or how about pot roast cut and simmered with rice, tomatoes, saffron, onions, bacon, and a slew of other tiny but wonderful ingredients. The meat was tender and perfect. I can't believe I am actually saying this about Christian's cooking, but we all sat there smacking our lips and oohing over the flavors of "boeuf something-or-other." (boeuf a la catalane) He has come a long way from chocolate chip cookies and scrambled eggs.
Christian is actually embarrassed that this new marriage with cooking is because of that so-so movie, but I could care less where it came from, I just don't want it to stop! Here's to inspiration and cooking with butter! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Julia Child.
