I had a delicious meal last night thanks to Nora Ephron's comic delight Julie & Julia.
In this movie, 29-year-old New Yorker Julie Powell (Amy Adams) comes up with an idea to indulge her two passions- cooking and writing. She sets out to cook all 524 recipes from French chef Julia Child's 1961 cookbook within 365 days, and to blog about her attempts.
And, Meryl Streep plays Julia Child, whose story is woven alongside Julie Powell's like a loaf of delicious braided bread. After studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Julia Child, in collaboration with two colleagues, went on to create Mastering the Art of French Cooking - translating classic French recipes for an English-speaking audience.
Packed with charming humour, these two contrasting stories both entertain wonderfully - and, check out this clip - Meryl Streep's Julia Child is especially brilliant and inspiring to behold.
What I love most about this movie is the all-consuming passion demonstrated by its two characters for creating and eating good food.
But I do think you have to be passionate yourself to fully understand and appreciate it.
Anyone who lives off takeaways and ready meals can't possibly comprehend the love affair that both of these women have with their kitchens.
Fortunately, I understand it because I live with a culinary queen who is a cross between Julie Powell and Julia Child (perhaps with a squeeze of Nigella and a sprinking of Fanny Craddock thrown in too).
Like Julie, Sofa Spud uses cooking to unwind after a hard day at work, and like Julia, Sofa Spud is full of exuberance and when cooking up gastronomic creations in the kitchen.
Needless to say, when I came home last night to a Julia Child-inspired three course meal (courtesy of the 30-recipe cookbook that came free with the Julie & Julia DVD), I knew it would be delicious, beautifully presented, and served up with an element of comical enthusiasm. What a triumph - scallops in beurre blanc to start (you can never have too much butter!), Boeuf Bourguignon for the main course, and Mousseline au chocolat for dessert. Yum, yum, and yum.
There's even a bit of Boeuf Bourguignon left over for lunch today, which is great because 'it only gains in flavour when reheated,' according to Julia Child.
Bon appetit!
If you could choose any one of the dishes served up in Julie & Julia, which one would it be?
Julie & Julia is showing today 13th November on Sky Movies Premiere at 3.20pm, and at various times throughout the week.
